bookmark compatibility issue with WIN 7 since 92.0 update - time to resolve this matter
There has been a legitimate issue with the bookmarks since the 92.0 update. This applies only to Windows 7 users. The list is very lazy and will actually freeze up. It takes forever to highlight the bookmark you want and the favicons are delayed in populating. Refreshing Firefox doesn't work. Renaming favicons.sqlite and places.sqlite, and those with the -shm and -wal extensions, if existing, doesn't work either. I don't need help from contributors. The following message is to the developers &/or whoever bastardized Firefox since the 92.0 update...
As I stated, this is a Windows 7 issue. The developers should fix this problem for us Windows 7 users. It was them who caused this issue since the 92.0 update. Everything worked perfect until then. Here’s a bright idea for the developers. How about getting this matter fixed, so that us Windows 7 users can have the same functionality as everyone else. Stop screwing around with a million and one updates every year. You people are doing more harm than good. The people running Chrome are a hell of a lot more intelligent. No issues whatsoever with Windows 7! Try that on for size.
Opaite Mbohovái (11)
There are other complaints from Win 7 users about bookmark problems.
Many have reported issues using the 64bit Firefox.
Install the 32bit version from;
Download Firefox For All languages And Systems {web link}
This appears to be a duplicate of your question here: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1351622
Could you try this:
(1) Generate a manual backup of your bookmarks -- see the steps here:
Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer
(2) Import them into a new profile and test whether the menu works better in the new profile -- here's how:
New Profile Test - takes about 3 minutes, plus the time to test the menu
Inside Firefox, type or paste about:profiles in the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it.
Take a quick glance at the page and make a mental note of which Profile has this notation: This is the profile in use and it cannot be deleted. That is your current default profile.
Click the "Create a New Profile" button, then click Next. Assign a name like Oct2021, ignore the option to relocate the profile folder, and click the Finish button.
Firefox will switch your default profile to the new one, so click the Set as Default Profile button for your regular one to avoid an unwanted surprise at your next startup.
Scroll down to Oct2021 and click its Launch profile in new browser button.
Firefox should open a new window that looks like a brand new, uncustomized installation. (Your existing Firefox window(s) should not be affected.) Please ignore any tabs enticing you to connect to a Sync account or to activate extensions found on your system to get a clean test.
Go ahead and restore your bookmark backup:
- Open the Library using Ctrl+Shift+O (as in "O"rganizer)
- On its menu bar, click Import and Backup > Restore > Choose File...
- Point Firefox to your fresh manual backup and Open that
- It's normal for the restored bookmarks to NOT include site icons
Does the menu work any better in the new profile?
When you are done with the experiment, you can close the extra window without affecting your regular Firefox profile. (Oct2021 will remain available for future testing.)
I thank you for your advice in an attempt to fix this matter. Unfortunately, I already performed the actions you recommended prior to positing my latest rant on the issue, which you had just responded to.
I am certain that you contributors help many others. But once in a while, I am not sorry to state that sometimes the issue pertains directly with the people who jerk around with the updates! And whether you want to believe it or not, this issue is all on them! It’s clear that they simply don’t want WIN 7 users. Either that, or they are really inept and don’t know what they did in the 92.0 update that caused the problem.
If you or any other top 10 contributors want to actually assist with resolving this issue, my best advice is to contact the developers who wrecked this issue since the 92.0 update. They are responsible for this issue. I am not switching operating systems to please the Firefox developers. They need to get their act together.
The recommendation to switch to the 32-bit version sounds like a good idea, but although I have not tried it, it doesn’t resolve the issue with the 64-bit version, now does it!
lee.turkstra said
I thank you for your advice in an attempt to fix this matter. Unfortunately, I already performed the actions you recommended prior to positing my latest rant on the issue, which you had just responded to.
You did the new profile restore test I suggested? What were the results?
If you or any other top 10 contributors want to actually assist with resolving this issue, my best advice is to contact the developers who wrecked this issue since the 92.0 update. They are responsible for this issue.
I don't have any Windows 7 computers any more, I don't think, unless there's an old one hiding under the bed. That means I cannot verify this issue for myself and file a bug for you. But either way, I don't have any special influence. You can file a new bug here:
The developers may have some things for you to try.
So after some more searching:
Numerous reports of different phenomena on Windows were filed starting about a month ago in Bugzilla. These include your symptoms of slow loading of icons, highlight running behind the mouse, and occasional freezes after numerous mouse moves on the menu. Most of the bug reporters run Windows 7, but one had the problem on Windows 10, linked to "High Contrast" mode.
As of a few days ago, a fix has gone into testing in the "Nightly" version of Firefox, future Firefox 95 (1724617). It changes to using the newer WebRender graphics engine for the menus to work around the slowness. Most users with fairly modern graphics hardware can run WebRender, but on some ancient systems, it might be disabled for compatibility reasons. So this might not fix it for everyone.
Unfortunately, the recent patch has been fingered as the cause of a new bug, so I don't know whether it will be moved up to Firefox 94. Hopefully there is enough time for the fix to stabilize in the next two weeks.
What can you do until then?
High Contrast: In case you use this mode, see Disable high contrast mode in Firefox.
Bookmarks Menu: The issue seems to be linked to mouse movement events, such as running the mouse up and down over the list, and the need for Firefox to repaint the bookmark with a highlight when you mouse over it and then repaint it without a highlight when you mouse away from it. If you are running the mouse pointer down the list to get to items lower on the screen, you could see whether it works better to hold the pointer still and scroll the list with the mouse wheel. As far as I can tell, Firefox doesn't paint the next highlight until you stop moving the wheel and move the mouse again. Any difference?
Bookmarks Menu button: There is an optional Bookmarks Menu button for the toolbar. Does that have the same issue or is that differently styled menu more responsive? You can add using the Customize panel (Customize Firefox controls, buttons and toolbars).
Bookmarks Sidebar: Does the issue affect the Bookmarks Sidebar (Ctrl+B)? If not, you could consider that as a temporary workaround.
My comment to your reply is as follows.
In my last response to you, I tried to convey an accurate message that the source of the issue pertained to a lack of competence with Mozilla’s developers. When I report issues, it’s rare because I am busy. I pride myself on accuracy when I assess blame, when I am damn certain that I had not committed any action that contributed to the issue. There was no way in hell that I was going to respond to your comments until if or when the issue was resolved, which I can safely say that I can do so, now.
The nature of your response paints a clear picture about you. You refused to believe a single word in my response that the issue was on the Mozilla development team. You already came clean by stating that you were not currently using a machine with Win 7, but you flat out refused to believe it was the Mozilla developers who caused the issue. That “eyes wide shut” approach is going to be problematic for helping others.
It’s true that there are an abundance of incompetent idiots here, who ask for help on this site. Unfortunately, I am not one of them. As of version 96.0, the book mark issue was resolved. Unfortunately, I cannot take any credit for it because as you pointed out, I did not address it on Bugzilla. But here is the problem. Version 96.0.1 came out in less than 24 hours of 96.0. It implies what I had stated already, which is that the Chrome developers are far more competent in what they are doing over there. It is highly inexcusable to release a new browser version in less than 24 hours. It denotes gross incompetence and lack of methodical thought process, period.
There are still plenty of Windows 7 users out there, and Mozilla should get their act together and make their browser compatible with it. I should not have to explain why Windows 7 users will not be updating to a newer version, and I won’t. Some of us just won’t use anything else. There is still an abundance of peripheral hardware out there that are WIN 7 compatible.
You appear to be a diehard user of Firefox. The bottom line is that they are far from angels over at Mozilla, and you should make an honest attempt to start believing people who post comments when they assess blame on Mozilla’s developers.
There is no way I am going to upgrade to 96.0.1.
I cannot click on the “solved” button because it was the Mozilla developers that resolved the matter; not you. You made it clear that you were not affiliated with any of the developers, which is unfortunate, because the issue might have been resolved far sooner, had you believed me. I am certain that we all appreciate the assistance you provide, but we are not all stupid, who post comments here.
lee.turkstra said
The nature of your response paints a clear picture about you. You refused to believe a single word in my response that the issue was on the Mozilla development team. You already came clean by stating that you were not currently using a machine with Win 7, but you flat out refused to believe it was the Mozilla developers who caused the issue. That “eyes wide shut” approach is going to be problematic for helping others.
Really. I guess that is why I spent over an hour on your issues, trying to understand what was causing the problem and researching bugs. I provided you a detailed status and potential workarounds, and asked you to check whether your menu behavior matched what I read in the bug reports filed by others. You did not confirm or deny.
Oh wait, you warned me in advance:
lee.turkstra said
I don't need help from contributors.
My bad, shouldn't have bothered. ;-)
You sound frustrated with me because I provided a spot-on assessment on blame for the bookmarks issue, whereby you wasted your time trying to provide a workaround.
I likely have a different definition than you on the term “workaround”. Mine implies that there will be no solution ever, and one must engage in doing various commands that one should not have to do otherwise, if something functioned as it should. By the example of the bookmarks issue, the developers definitely caused it, and only they could have fixed it. Unfortunately, it took way longer than it should. A workaround to me serves as a last resort, period. It’s like giving up that the issue would ever be resolved.
I have just posted a new issue since 96.0, which may only affect Windows 7 users. And guess what? The issue, yet gain, bears 100% responsibility on the developers! They are clearly off of the deep end. They fix one thing and cause another. This is a vicious circle. The quicker you come to this realization the better.
I pride myself on extreme accuracy when I assess blame. Most people are offended by it, and just refuse to believe anything that I type. That’s the way it is. Then, they find out the hard way down the road.
We all appreciate what you do for us, even me. Yes, you are valuable to us. All the top contributors should be provided with a direct communication line with the developers, so that issues can get resolved quicker. That’s not your fault. You have not done anything wrong, here. You just flat out didn’t believe my assessment on blame. I reiterate that we are not all stupid who post here.
How many bookmarks do you have if you check the count in the name of an compressed .jsonlz4 backup ?
- Bookmarks -> Show All Bookmarks -> Import & Backup -> Restore
The name of an automatically created JSON bookmarks backup in the bookmarkbackups folder includes a total item count (folders and separators included) and an hash value to prevent saving the same backup more than once. You also see this count in the Restore menu drop-down list.
- bookmarks-YYYY-MM-DD_<item count>_<hash>.jsonlz4.
Did you try Windows Safe Mode in case your security software is causing problems ?
Moambuepyre
lee.turkstra said
You sound frustrated with me because I provided a spot-on assessment on blame for the bookmarks issue, whereby you wasted your time trying to provide a workaround.
I don't think tech support is about laying blame. In my view, it is about making things work the way the user wants to the greatest extent possible given the constraints of the product. That's what I want when I seek tech support, so that is what I aim for in my replies on this tech support forum.
This response is intended for user, cor-el.
To answer your question, my current bookmark count is 4,785. This is not what caused the original issue. It was owned by the development team when they had no choice but to resolve the issue as of version 96.0.
As of current, the bookmarks work perfect. The developers jerked around with settings and caused this problem. That is why I did not mark it as resolved. I will only mark an issue as resolved if a contributor provides a resolution. With matters pertaining to the bookmarks issue, it is safe to state that the developers buggered their browser and that they should be ones accountable for fixing it, which they did.