Could you start by disabling hardware acceleration in Firefox again?

orange Firefox button (or Tools menu) > Options > Advanced

On the "General" mini-tab, uncheck the box for "Use hardware acceleration when available"

This takes effect after you restart Firefox.

Help at all?

If you use extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) that can block content (e.g. Adblock Plus, NoScript, Flash Block, Ghostery) then make sure that such extensions aren't blocking content.

Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem (switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance).

• Do NOT click the Reset button on the Safe Mode start window.

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Safe+Mode
• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes

Unfortunately nothing works. I totally removed and re-installed firefox. I reset firefox. I have un installed and reinstalled everything. When flash crashed it died on all 3 browsers. Now firefox is the only one I can't get working again.

Okay, but can you confirm that the specific steps mentioned in the first two replies also have no effect:

(1) Disable hardware acceleration -- you need to do this again after a Reset

(2) Test in Firefox's Safe Mode

I wiped out firefox completely and then reinstalled it for the 4th time.. guess that was the trick? I don't know... none of this makes sense but it seems to be working again at least.

oh what the ................. it worked. I closed it opened email went back into it and it's not working again,.

You've marked the above reply by jscher2000 as the solution, so I assume that you have fixed it.

Can you clarify which of the steps helped to fix your problem as this can help other who read this thread?

actually none of this helped yet.. and I unmarked the solution. Can any one guess why firefox suddenly only works if I run it as an administrator? Windows 7 home premium.

it's now forcing it as a compatibility thing to windows xp service pack 2

and this is a sole use computer... so the "account" is an administrator account but unless I choose either run as admin or let it for XP it still doesn't work. So I am guessing this is a windows thing? but I have no idea what the ... is going on now.

You can open the Properties of the Firefox desktop shortcut via the right-click context menu and check the "Compatibility" tab.
Make sure that all items are deselected in the "Compatibility" tab of the Properties window.

Doesn't Flash work at all or only not on some web pages?

• http://www.adobe.com/software/flash/about/

You can check for problems with current Flash plugin versions and try these:

• disable a possible RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin extension for Firefox and update the RealPlayer if installed
• disable protected mode in the Flash plugin (Flash 11.3+ on Windows Vista and later)
• disable hardware acceleration in the Flash plugin

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Flash#Troubleshooting