Firefox buttons have vanished and I cannot start the browser in safe mode, only normal. What now?
After updating Firefox to version 41.0.2, along with updating Silverlight and Adobe Flash, I restarted Firefox and stepped away from the computer. When I returned, Windows had crashed and restarted. Upon opening Firefox, all the navigation buttons are not displaying, and while trying to troubleshoot this problem I discovered that the browser will not start in safe mode (not via the help menu or by holding shift). After attempting to start in Safe Mode, Firefox will not start in normal mode either, until I end the firefox.exe process from the task manager, after which it will start in normal mode. What should I do now?
All Replies (4)
Use one of these to close Firefox if you are currently doing that by clicking the close X on the Firefox title bar.
- "3-bar" menu button > Exit (Power button)
- Windows: File > Exit
- Mac: Firefox > Quit Firefox
- Linux: File > Quit
You can check for problems with preferences.
Delete possible user.js and numbered prefs-##.js files and rename (or delete) the prefs.js file to reset all prefs to the default value including prefs set via user.js and prefs that are no longer supported in current Firefox releases.
- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox
- C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<profile>\
"AppData" (XP: Application Data; Mac: ~/Library; Linux: ~/.mozilla) is a hidden folder.
Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problem.
See "Creating a profile":
- https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles
- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Profile_issues
If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over problems.
- 1 Download Firefox Full Installer For All languages And Systemsv41 {web link}
- 2 Uninstall Firefox from your computer {web link}
DO NOT remove your profiles. - 3 After, reboot the computer. Then run the full installer.
Cor-el, I'm sorry to be daft, but should I check for preference issues THEN create a test profile, or are they two possible solutions and I should pick one or the other?
Modified by dontwantanaccount
That are two separate suggestions. If the first doesn't work in the current profile then you can try the second and use the Profile Manager to create a new profile. Then you know if it is a profile issue or something else that is not related to your current profile.