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How can I revert back to ver. 4.0.1? It has all the fetures missing in ver. 5

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  • 219 have this problem
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  • Last reply by rmzllc

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In Ver 4.0.1 the Google toolbar worked and had "save and cloe" upon exiting. These feature are sorely missed in ver 5. Can I get back ver 4.0.1 or these feature working again in 5?

In Ver 4.0.1 the Google toolbar worked and had "save and cloe" upon exiting. These feature are sorely missed in ver 5. Can I get back ver 4.0.1 or these feature working again in 5?

All Replies (19)

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The Google Toolbar 7.1.20110512W version works in Firefox 5.0 by using the Compatibility Reporter extension.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/add-on-compatibility-reporter/


One of the changes in Firefox 4: by default Firefox 4 does not display the "Save Tabs and Exit" warning message when closing multiple tabs, but it can be turned back on by changing some preferences.

  • Saving tabs was not removed from Firefox 4, but it works a bit differently.
  • By default, Firefox 4 will not ask to save tabs, but instead it will always save your tabs on exit unless you are in Private Browsing mode. You can restore them next time by:
    1. clicking Firefox button > History >"Restore Previous Session", or
    2. type about:home in the URL bar and press the Enter key, then press the "Restore Previous Session" button
    3. See: https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Firefox%20does%20not%20ask%20to%20save%20tabs%20and%20windows%20on%20exit
  • Note: This was a decision by the developers. On this forum, we are all uncompensated volunteers here to help other users. The developes/employees of Mozilla/Firefox rarely, if ever visit here.

To display the "Save Tabs and Exit" message when closing multiple tabs, you can do the following:

  1. Type about:config in the URL/Location/Address bar and press the Enter key
  2. Accept the warning message (promise to be careful)
  3. The preferences page/list will open
  4. Filter = browser.tabs.warnOnClose
  5. If its value is set to false, double-click on it (in the lower panel) to toggle its value to true
  6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for these following 3 preferences also:
    • browser.warnOnQuit
    • browser.warnOnRestart
    • browser.showQuitWarning
  7. See:

Some things to check if tabs are not saved when Firefox is closed:

  1. Browsing history must be saved
    • Firefox button: Firefox button > Options > Options > Privacy > [X] Remember my browsing history
    • Menu Bar: Tools > Options > Privacy > [X] Remember my browsing history
  2. Also make sure you do not clear "Browsing History" when using Clear Recent History or when closing Firefox
    • Using Clear Recent History
      • Firefox button: Firefox button > History >Clear Recent History
      • Menu Bar: Tools > Clear Recent History
    • When closing Firefox
  3. Make sure you are not in Private Browsing mode or in permanent Private Browsing mode:
  4. If you have theTab Mix Plus extension, then disable the built-in session restore.
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Thanks Helper7677 for you reply. It appears that the solutions for restoring "Save and Quit" are for ver 4.0.1 and not ver 5.0. How is that feature turned on for ver 5.0?

Modified by [email protected]

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Same thing in Firefox 4 and 5.

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Thank you helper7677. Very, very useful advice. Worked on v5! Thanks again.

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Also after doing the "about:config" instructions, go to Firefox->Options->General and make sure you select "show my homepage". I know it seems strange but otherwise Firefox will just close and automaticaly open your last session when you use it again ( without displaying the "save and exit" message).

Sorry if the instructions are a bit unclear but I'm loosely translating from a different language. So I have to guess a bit about what things are called in the english version.

Anyways hope this helps. Also apologies about any spelling errors.

Modified by Lucis

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The Google Toolbar 7.1.20110512W version works in Firefox 5.0 by using the Compatibility Reporter extension. A little more info on this please. The Google Toolbar used to show a grid of websites on a New Tab. How can this feature be gotten back now in Ver. 5.0?

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parmelee9512:

I do not use Google's toolbar so I can not answer the question: "The Google Toolbar used to show a grid of websites on a New Tab. How can this feature be gotten back now in Ver. 5.0?"

Did you install Add-on Compatibility Reporter to test whether the Google toolbar functions are restore to full functionality?

This is a search results list for "google toolbar firefox 5" questions marked as "Solved" on this forum since 06/15/2011: https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/search?q=google+toolbar+firefox+5.0&is_solved=1&num_voted=0&num_votes=&asked_by=&answered_by=&q_tags=&created=2&created_date=06%2F15%2F2011&updated=0&updated_date=&sortby=0&a=1&w=2

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Yes, and the toolbar only half works and that is tough to report without reporting the toolbar either works or not. at this point I am refusing to install 5.0 on my desktop as I am not happy with it in my notebook - installing 5.0 was a big mistake - and I wish I could go back.

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It has been reported on this forum, by the-edimeister, a long-time contributor on this forum, that he installed the Google toolbar 7.1.20110512W and tested with Add-on Compatibility Reporter to see if the toolbar would re-appear. Since he was not a previous user of the toolbar, he probably did not test all of its functions.

You have 3 options:

  1. Find some other add-on that gives you similar functionality.
    • Note that add-ons produced by 3rd-parties and not hosted on the Firefox Add-ons site usually lag in getting their products upgraded for new Firefox version.
    • That problem will most likely get worse with the new "rapid release" program for Firefox where new versions will be released more frequently.
    • Third-party developers will need to (1) "be on their toes" and (2) more interested, than they have in the past, in keeping the users of their products happy in order to keep their products updated in a timely manner.
    • The proposed release schedule is no secret, 3rd-party developers know where to find the schedule.
    • Third-party developers know where to get the testing versions of Firefox before it is released. Firefox 5 had seven beta (testing) versions over a 4-week period; ample time for the 3rs-party developers to test and make any necessary changes to their products to make them compatible.
  2. Keep Firefox 5 and see how long Google will drag its feet in updating their toolbar.
  3. You can downgrade to Firefox 3.6.18
    • Firefox 4 versions are no longer supported.
    • Firefox 5 is a stability and security update for Firefox 4.0.1.
    • Firefox 4.0.1 has security issues that have not, and, at this time will not, be corrected.
    • Firefox 4.0 has even more security issues than Firefox 4.0.1.
    • We have been advised to tell users to not use Firefox 4.0 and 4.0.1.

Downgrading to Firefox 3.6.18
To avoid possible problems when downgrading, do a clean re-install of Firefox 3.6.18 as follows. Note that Firefox 3.6.18 will be supported with updates for only 2-3 more months, according to the latest information available.

  1. Download and SAVE the installer to your hard drive (SAVE to your Desktop so that you can find the installer later)
  2. Un-install your current Firefox version (see instruction article below), being sure that you do not select to remove your personal information in the process of un-installing
    • There is a check box to remove your personal information: DO NOT check the box
    • personal information = Bookmarks & History, Passwords, personal settings, Add-ons, etc.)
    • See: Backing up your information and Profile Backup
  3. Very important: In Windows, remove the Firefox program/installation folder. A link for information about locating that folder is at the end of step 3 in the instructional article below
  4. After the un-install is complete, install Firefox 3.6.18 using the installer you saved to your Desktop in step 1, above. The installation should recognize the personal information that your saved.
  5. See: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Go_back_to_an_old_version_of_Firefox

Modified by Helper7677

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I too also downgraded to Firefox 5.0 from 4.01 because of compatibility issues with Norton and Norton toolbar. And yes, I tried EVERYTHING, including uninstalling and reinstalling Norton, and everything suggested on both here and Norton's website. I finally had had enough.

Anyway, as I described here, I now can't find my old search terms that used to be saved on Google and Bing. You know, it'd fill in the rest of an old search you used. This was a very important thing for me. All of my complete web history is still there (in the history section), as are my bookmarks and everything else. So I'm pretty sure that those search queries are still somewhere saved on Firefox, and I'd really like to know how to get them back.

Please help.

I started a thread about it here: http://support.mozilla.com/oc/questions/844360

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And just so I'm clear, I'm not talking about the general autocomplete stuff from Google. I never use the Google direct link, because I hate that, and prefer to have my own old searches show up instead. So I use http://www.google.com/firefox .

However, since I've downgraded to 4.01, they're now not there anymore (yet they always used to be, on both Firefox 4.01 and 5.0)...so something must have happened during the downgrading, even though like I said, it still saved all of my other history. That's why I'm convinced it must be there some where, and I just have to know how to bring it back up, so to speak.

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HereWeGo2:

As I stated above, I do not use the Google toolbar.

Your best source for that information will be from a Google toolbar user or from Google. I find Google's toolbar site not helpful, hard to negotiate. You can search online to see if you can find an answer to your questions or wait to see if a Google user comes along with some information; but be careful about any advice, especially from someone with only a few posts and/or no solutions (shown under their user name in this forum) so that you do not make matters worse.

Modified by Helper7677

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Thanks for the speedy reply.

I am not talking about Google toolbar, though. I don't have Google toolbar. I am talking about searches made on Firefox, through http://www.google.com/firefox. I've already made sure that I had all of the options about saving my web search history and browsing history checked under my privacy settings on Firefox. They were always checked, are still checked, and I've never unchecked them.

As I said, this has never been an issue until now, and everything else is there (history, bookmarks, etc.), except for my previous searches.

Yeah, I've been goggling answers for hours, to no avail. No one else seems to have had this specific problem.

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Basically what I'm asking is where would the file that stores my search query history be located on my computer, and then how would I implement that file/the information on that file so that my old search queries start naturally appearing on search engines again?

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I do not save history, cookies, passwords, much of anything other than keep an extensive list of very well organized bookmarks and bookmark folders.

I am not sure. Are you maybe talking about this: https://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/static.py?page=guide.cs&guide=1224171&answer=9016

  • That article is all about saving history (and cookies).
  • Also, scroll down on that page and there is something about saving past searches on the toolbar.

Do you have a Google account, where you click the "Sign In" in the upper left corner of this page? http://www.google.com/firefox

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Yeah, I found that page in my many hours of trying to Google a solution, lol.

The first option is what my settings were already were. That is what should have worked.

The second option doesn't apply to me, as I don't have Google toolbar.

The last option would have been the best, however, like I said, most of my searches were done through www.google.com/firefox, not www.google.com in general. I did this because I hated the change in Google.com that kept bringing up autocomplete or instant search, instead of my own old searches. www.google.com/firefox is what people who don't like those new features use.

Therefore, unfortunately, most of my searches aren't there under option 3. Just a few of them that I used when searching on Google directly.

As for the last part, yes, I have a Google account, and I did sign in and look at my web history, but like I just said, it only shows the searches I made through google.com directly.

I did see the option to expand my web history:

  "View your web activity. You know that great web site you saw online and now can't find? With Web History, you can.
   Search the full text of pages you've visited. Web History allows you to search across the web pages, images, videos and news stories you've viewed.
   Get personalized search results and more. Web History helps deliver search results based on what you've searched for and which sites you've seen."

However, that's the same thing I can do by looking through my history. I'd really just like for my searches to still be there in search engines when I start start searching for something. Also, that "get personalized search results" sounds a lot like autocomplete, which I can't stand, and is exactly what I was and am trying to avoid.

Oh well. If I really need to find an old search, I can look through my history, but that's a lot more time-consuming, and it doesn't provide the instant, easy, access to my old searches that I used to have.

It is still keeping all of my new searches, so that's good. It's just bizarre that I can't get to my old searches, when I KNOW they have to be on my computer somewhere.

Thanks again anyway for trying!

Modified by HereWeGo2

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HereWeGo2:

Just out of curiosity, I am not sure what you mean by "I have a Google account, and I did sign in and look at my web history, but like I just said, it only shows the searches I made through google.com directly." Your searches by going to google.com would be in your history. I do not use google services of any kind other than their encrypted search, and as/more often use other search engines. I do not know what options they offer for "saving searches", but that is of not interest to me personally, anyway.

I have no other suggestions to make.

Good luck in finding the information that you are seeking. Maybe you can find a site like the following that can answer your questions: http://www.cybertechhelp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214909

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What I meant was, I go to www.google.com/firefox, not www.google.com. The reason for this is that if you do searches through www.google.com, it doesn't show your old searches as you search, it shows google autocomplete (although I think there's a way to turn that off, but even when you do, it doesn't show your old searches).

www.google.com/firefox was the workaround for that. I would have assumed searches through that would have shown up in the Google history, but apparently they don't. Apparently it does operate as something like a separate site.

I posted my question on that site. Thanks for the link!

Oh, and btw, www.google.com used to show your old searches as you searched if you wanted it to, but ever since they added autocomplete, they stopped allowing that to be an option. Many people were upset about it, and that's why people started using workarounds like www.google.com/firefox or http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=0 .

Modified by HereWeGo2

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I am a novice at making changes to any software so stepping down is not going to simple for me. Here is a list of problems that I am having with FireFox 5.0

1. When I go to Yahoo, I get all kinds of display problems 2 The loading for website is slow. Very slow and frustrating 3. I don't want any other search tool bars. I only want Google.

I do not life this version of firefox at all. I am actually using IE which I really do not want to do.

Can Firefox fix these issues? When developers have a good thing, why do they mess with it? It costs the user business hours which is money. It frustrates the user. Why turn something that was user friendly into a daily nightmare?

If a FireFox developer is available, please answer my questions. Most of all please fix 5.0.

Rmz