[BlackHorseman]

Hello,

It started happening after, upon starting Firefox, it offered to update Flashblocker - an add-on I have installed in Firefox. Ever since, Firefox will crash a few seconds (~10) after I start it.

Since I understand it is hardwired into the system and cannot be simply reinstalled, how should I go about solving this?

Thanks,
Daniel.

[RootbeaR]

Originally Posted by BlackHorseman

Hello,

It started happening after, upon starting Firefox, it offered to update Flashblocker - an add-on I have installed in Firefox. Ever since, Firefox will crash a few seconds (~10) after I start it.

Un-install that add-on.

Originally Posted by BlackHorseman

Since I understand it is hardwired into the system and cannot be simply reinstalled, how should I go about solving this?

Thanks,
Daniel.

Firefox you mean?

I doubt it is "hardwired" into system. I would be very surprised if you could not un-install it.

[BlackHorseman]

That's an idea : )
Didn't work, alas.
Though it now takes Firefox longer to crash.... it seems.

I've noticed that some changes in Ubuntu only take effect after a restart (like - when I installed epiphany with apt-get), and that the system not always asks you to restart. I've been wondering 1) could that be the case? I'll test it anyway, of course. 2) Is there a way to 'refresh' the system so that it registers changes made without the need for a restart?

Thanks,
D.

[lotuseclat79]

Originally Posted by BlackHorseman

Hello,

It started happening after, upon starting Firefox, it offered to update Flashblocker - an add-on I have installed in Firefox. Ever since, Firefox will crash a few seconds (~10) after I start it.

Since I understand it is hardwired into the system and cannot be simply reinstalled, how should I go about solving this?

Thanks,
Daniel.

Hi Daniel,

What Linux distribution do you use?

Firefox on Linux is usually installed in /usr/lib.

I install separate versions of Firefox as follows:
1) cd ~/Desktop
2) download the file firefox-3.5.tar.bz2 to your Desktop
3) mkdir /usr/lib/firefox-3.5
4) bunzip2 firefox-3.5.tar.bz2
5) tar -xf ./firefox-3.5.tar
6) cd firefox
7) sudo cp -rp ./* /usr/lib/firefox-3.5
8) cd /usr/bin
9) sudo -i
10) rm -f firefox
11) ln -s ../lib/firefox-3.5/firefox firefox-3.5
12) ln -s firefox-3.5 firefox
13) exit
14) cd ~/Desktop
15) bzip2 firefox-3.5.tar
16) rm -fr firefox (step 6 cleanup)
17) save the file firefox-3.5.tar.bz2 onto hard drive

For Firefox-3.0.11, I do a similar sequence of commands, and create the symbolic link of firefox-3.0 linked over to the directory /usr/lib/firefox-3.0.11.

I have a script swff.sh which is able to switch between firefox-3.5 and firefox-3.0.11.

What I suggest you do, is to completely remove the contents of the /usr/lib/firefox* directory where your current release of firefox resides and follow the steps above to install firefox-3.5, and then repopulate the add-ons one at a time only from the mozilla add-on web site, i.e. no third-party add-on web sites.

First, however, you should do the following commands to identify the right /usr/lib directory contents to delete (as root):
$ which firefox
$ ls -lt `which firefox`
Follow the output results over to /usr/lib, and do the following command:
$ cd /usr/lib
$ ls -ldt firefox*
This should help you identify which firefox directory in /usr/lib is where Firefox is located.

Then there is the issue of backing up your profile of Firefox which resides in the directory of ~/.mozilla. Everyday I take one or more backups - usually after I have saved a link or want to retain a certain set of history. I use the following steps to do this in two separate scripts: cd ~; tar -cf ./mozilla.tar ./.mozilla; bzip2 mozilla.tar;
Then I save the file, mozilla.tar.bz2 onto my hard drive.

Saving the profile, preserves your bookmarks and whatever history, etc. you want saved, and thus you can reinstall a previous profile checkpoint without the problem.

-- Tom

[BlackHorseman]

I shall study your explanation in depth and (probably) come back with questions.

Thanks a lot,
D.

[BlackHorseman]

Hi,

Firefox is working again.
I've uninstalled flashblock in Synaptic, yet it still shows ans is 'enabled' in the add-ons list in Firefox. Also Firefox is asking me to install an update for it, but I'll wait a little with that : )

So, it's back to Linux school for me.

Thanks for your help,
D.

[BlackHorseman]

Hello,

Firefox started crashing on dictionary.com, whenever I searched for a word. Removing flashblock completely using the Firefox add-ons interface solved that.

What I don't understand ('cause I'm a noob, I guess) is why uninstalling it in Synaptic didn't remove it completely.

Anyways, all is well.
D.

[RootbeaR]

Originally Posted by BlackHorseman

Hello,

Firefox started crashing on dictionary.com, whenever I searched for a word. Removing flashblock completely using the Firefox add-ons interface solved that.

What I don't understand ('cause I'm a noob, I guess) is why uninstalling it in Synaptic didn't remove it completely.

Anyways, all is well.
D.

If it works the way mine does, the removal removes from root partition but it doesn't touch the configuration files which are on the home partition.

[BlackHorseman]

So when it showed flashblock in Firefox addons it didn't mean it was actually still installed, right? I guess that would explain it.

[RootbeaR]

Originally Posted by BlackHorseman

So when it showed flashblock in Firefox addons it didn't mean it was actually still installed, right? I guess that would explain it.

Sorry, I misunderstood.

I thought you meant you uninstalled Firefox.

Flashblock add-on for firefox has nothing to do with my package manager.

I just install add-ons via Firefox. I don't install them with synaptic at all. So I just uninstall with FF as well.

I use Noscript and AdBlock Plus if you want to try another way of blocking flash.

[BlackHorseman]

Hey RootbeaR,

Yeah, AdBlock is a gem. But I'm sure NoScript (a source of infinite annoyance when I used it with Firefox in Windaz) is really redundant in Linux. I'd rather use SiteAdvisor anyway, better than to manually turn scripts on on every single page I visited. Not sure there is a Linux version for it though....

I think sometimes ppl come up with security measures that do more damage than what they are supposed to protect you against (Vista UAC, for instance). But I digress.....

Not sure how to uninstall Firefox with Ubuntu, since it's a central part of the distro (part of some 'core packages', or something like that - NOT HARDWIRED! : )).

I've been given instructions but am still too ignorant to follow them.....

Anyways, it works.
D.

[RootbeaR]

Originally Posted by BlackHorseman

Hey RootbeaR,

Yeah, AdBlock is a gem. But I'm sure NoScript (a source of infinite annoyance when I used it with Firefox in Windaz) is really redundant in Linux.

Not sure there is a Linux version for it though...

It works for my purpose, which isn't security.


Click Tools>Add-ons>Browse all add-ons.

Then just do a search for it. Or any other for that matter. Do you have the TSG one?
I recommend it.

That is how I install and un-install all my add-ons.

It is strictly for FF, not my OS or for share with any other program.

Originally Posted by BlackHorseman

Not sure how to uninstall Firefox with Ubuntu, since it's a central part of the distro (part of some 'core packages', or something like that - NOT HARDWIRED! : )).

No need to. It is probably default application for other applications to connect to website.

Defaults can be changed.

Originally Posted by BlackHorseman

I've been given instructions but am still too ignorant to follow them.....

Hardly, besides, none of us are yet born with this knowledge.

[BlackHorseman]

Hola : )

Click Tools>Add-ons>Browse all add-ons

Yeah, familiar with that one : ) I've gotten so used to Firefox by now, I get impatient with other browsers; although Chrome is quite good, if you ignore its practices of information gathering and the limited configuration options.

As for McAffee SiteAdvisor - I searched for it using the abovementioned interface and came up with nothing. Googled for it but couldn't find a Linux version. But I assume that Firefox for Linux is more secure that FF for Windaz, mostly thanks to the platform and the rules it imposes on software.

No need to. It is probably default application for other applications to connect to website.

Defaults can be changed.

Probably. I do not understand it fully yet, but the whole subject of which this question is just a part is very high on my list of things to learn in Linux, so I assume I'll figure it out soon. However, since it is working, messing with those particular system defaults & configs is rather low on that same list at the moment....

Hardly, besides, none of us are yet born with this knowledge

Well, true, but I have very high expectations of my own learning mechanism, hence the constant self-criticism : )

D.