Firefox is Brown and Smelly

I had to download it so I could get to certain pages.

This morning, MajorGeeks is the only site I can open. Even then it was on the "try again" button.

I can't reach Firefox help. Trying to reach Mozilla gave me the following message:

Firefox can't find the server at www.mozilla.com.








* Check the address for typing errors such as
ww.example.com instead of
www.example.com

* If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network
connection.

* If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure
that Firefox is permitted to access the Web.

I rarely type in addresses but enter a site from Favourites. Any idea what the problem is? It worked fine last night.

 

The first thing I would try is to install a different browser; Opera is good 'cuz it's not based on Firefox or Internet Explorer so it should function OK. If you can't surf normally using Opera, then there's a good chance that something is afoot, from malware to a possible problem with your internet provider to possible issues with the Windows core networking components. Get yourself to a command prompt (click Start and type cmd in the Run box and press Enter; if you have Vista, you'll want to run cmd as an administrator). Once you're in a command prompt window, type ipconfig and see what you get; type ipconfig /release and press Enter, then type ipconfig /flushdns and press Enter, then type ipconfig /renew and press Enter. This will reset your IP address and clean the DNS cache of any possible weirdness or corruption. Then type ping www.google.com and press Enter. This will send data packets to/from Google and will tell you if your connection is indeed functional. If your pinging is successful, type exit and press Enter, then try using Opera again to go online. If it works, then the problem may be with FF itself, if you still can't go online, unplug the power from your modem/router and restart your PC, while the PC is booting up, plug the power back in to your modem/router. Once Windows is back up, try going online again. If this STILL doesn't work, we can try a few other things (but we need to know which version of Windows you have), or you can try calling your internet provider.
GOOD LUCK!

 

Thanks for the suggestions dlb and Halo.

Running XP Pro SP3. Built-in firewall. Avast anti-virus.

I run CCleaner every time I close the browser and before I close the computer. I wouldn't be without it. It's amazing how many files it removes for Firefox even though I have Firefox set to clear history when I close it. FF is also supposed to suppress pop up ads, but it doesn't do a good job.

I downloaded and tried Opera but it won't let me into certain sites, just like Crazy Browser wouldn't. I also found it difficult to manage because I couldn't find a place where I could close a tab unless I closed Opera. Not really user friendly.

I don't have DNS cache clicked in CCleaner. Should I do that? Right now CC has the default settings it had when I downloaded. I also run ASC every few days.

dlb - you're scaring me. I'm not at all technically inclined and the steps you suggest frighten the heck out of me. Maybe, now you know I have XP you will be able to suggest something else.

 

Thanks for the suggestion TimW. I ran Avast a couple of days ago and learned I was missing a .msi file which I downloaded. I'll run the scan again but it takes almost an hour to complete.

See you guys later.

 

Thanks TimW.

Avast and Malwarebytes scans run but nothing shows up.

FF seems to be working now. Maybe just a glitch this morning. Fingers crossed.