Next time please also before posting turn send info to Mozilla on. Does not really help as do not know what version you are now running. Crash Report from Version 53.0.3 EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION_READ still is Video Card Drivers and/or Flash So do a complete uninstall of your video card drivers and reboot. Then install the Drivers.

You have cluttered things up with switching versions so please do this : uninstall Firefox. Then Delete the Mozilla Firefox Folders in C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files(x86) Then restart system. Then run Windows Disk Cleanup. Then run it again and click the button that says Cleanup System Files. Note: your Firefox Profile is saved. But you should make a back up before you do : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/back-and-restore-information-firefox-profiles

Reinstall with Current Release Firefox 57.0.1 with a Full Version Installer https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/

If issues with to much ram usage after reinstall do this please : Go to the Firefox 3 Bar Menu --> Help ? --> Troubleshooting Information Page and take a look in the Accessibility section if accessibility is set to "true" there. if yes, go to the Firefox 3 Bar Menu --> Options --> Privacy & Security panel and under Permissions check the setting to Prevent Accessibility Services from accessing your browser. Restart Firefox

Do not know if this works on 8.1 or not To run the DISM command open a command prompt with Admin Privileges and copy/paste DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth to the command prompt. Dism is the same as SFC except it goes up to Microsoft for new files.

Please let us know if this solved your issue or if need further assistance.

Hi Pkshadow, Thanks for your guidance and suggestions. I will try to address my attempts to follow through. 1. I have uninstalled video display adaptor drivers and rebooted to reinstall them without success, in terms of fixing the Firefox crashing problem. 2. I have run Windows disk cleanup as well as the subsequent Cleanup System files. (I also tried turning off Norton ISS antivirus, along with Win Patrol War, CryptoPrevent and uninstalling other possibly interfering programs, such as Java 8, Flash Player NPAPI and Shockwave Player, all one at a time and rebooting to see if any of these were culprits but all these steps made no difference). 3. I have turned on "send information to Mozilla" after uninstalling the earlier version, along with the Mozilla Firefox folders (actually I already knew about this step earlier) and then installing Firefox 57.0.1, but I think the crash is too fast for this to collect any information. When the crash was a fraction slower on one occasion, I was able to respond to the option of turning on all reporting, but this has not produced any reports. 4. A DISM equivalent is available for Windows 8.1, although rather complicated requiring the use of an ISO file and before undertaking this, I am wondering if I am right about the crash being so fast as to prevent crash information being generated. Otherwise, how would I go about re-turning on crash reporting, with the crash being on startup before any user key response is possible. In appreciation, Philip

4 and 3 Dism should work on line, yes the cd thing is complicated.

SFC /Scannow will work provided the driver repository files are not corrupted.

Leave the thing ticked all the time to send info. Ticking this time now will work for future questions that you start. Not for this one. It can catch crash info from being up for 18 seconds, maybe less. That is shortest I have seen so far.

2 Doing it that way turn stuff off by hand sorta works but this way is better : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/export-firefox-bookmarks-to-backup-or-transfer or https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/back-and-restore-information-firefox-profiles then : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode

If everything runs perfectly and you have to test it like this and push it to what makes it crash and run some more.

then if runs fine it is Extensions or Profile So then you go through Extensions and test them all turned off and test and test then turn another on. It could be a combination that does not work right installed.

above can take days to do to push it.

Profile : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles Easy enough to check make a new one and run it for awhile.

1 Why are the video drivers not uninstalling and reinstalling ? Did you get a update like suggested ?

Suggestion, you do not have to run the tools is not that big a diff install the Developers Edition and run that for being in the future and now : https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/developer/ it has a compatibility mode at the end of the install so can run two FF at same time. Run the ESR Version and you have till March before legacy is deleted.

Always uninstall this way : uninstall Firefox. Then Delete the Mozilla Firefox Folders in C:\Program Files and C:\Program Files(x86) Then restart system. Then run Windows Disk Cleanup. Then run it again and click the button that says Cleanup System Files. Note: your Firefox Profile is saved. But you should make a back up before you do : https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/back-and-restore-information-firefox-profiles

You can skip running the Disk Cleanup but it should be pinned to your Start Menu and done weekly.

Please let us know if this solved your issue or if need further assistance.

You do know that if this continues to crash it means need to start thinking of a new card or system as have no info you would know. 5yrs tops, unless buy top of the line and keep it updated. Not A Dell Not anything, buy the parts and put it together if it is a desktop. Laptop ASUS and not much less than 2g. Go over the specs, upgrade the ram to more etc...

Try the 32-bit Firefox version.

• https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/

You can check the Windows Event log to see if there is more detail listed.

Hi again, I am sorry to report that I was unable to restore Firefox after trying many fixes, but today, stumbled across WATERFOX, a Firefox based browser, and was able to run version 56.0.3 in Windows 8.1; as I understand it, this browser is for 64 bit Windows versions only. I could then install an earlier Firefox Profile, so saving all history and add-ons etc. What a relief!! Thank you to Cor-el and Pkshadow for earlier suggestions. Philip.

Note that it would be safer to use Firefox 52.6.0 ESR since this version has more security fixes including Meltdown and Spectre.

• https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/security/advisories/mfsa2018-01/

Firefox 52.6.0 ESR:

• https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all/
• https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/52.6.0/releasenotes/
• https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/52.6.0/system-requirements/

Thank you cor-el. I am amazed to find that I can run Firefox 52.6.0 ESR when I was not able to run the preceding version 52.5.0 ESR, on account of crashing on start up. I have also looked into the MELTDOWN and SPECTRE potential issues which have a Microsoft software fix but also will need a BIOS update, not yet available for my notebook. In appreciation, Philip.