Firefox 3.0 (#3): will not start, more fixes

Thursday, June 19

For some users the newly released Firefox 3.0 will not properly launch. This issue could be caused by a number of issues, and there are several approaches to resolving problematic configurations that are preventing the application from starting in OS X. Additionally, while these fixes are prescribed users who cannot open the program, they may also work for clearing other problems folks are experiencing with Firefox.

Fixes

Check OS version According to the Firefox homepage, Firefox 3.0 requires OS X 10.4, so users who are running 10.3 or earlier are limited to Firefox 2.x.

Start the program in safe mode Starting in Safe mode disables third-party add ons, themes, skins, and other customizations that could be hindering the program. An incompatible add-on from Firefox 2.0 could definitely prevent version 3.0 from starting correctly. There are two ways to start in safe mode:

• Open the Terminal and type this command: /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/Firefox -safe-mode
• Hold the option key down when opening Firefox. This will present a dialogue box that will have options for resetting various parts of the program.

Remove all Firefox profiles Start the program with the terminal using this command: /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/Firefox -ProfileManager

A window will pop up with profiles listed. Remove them and restart Firefox, and hopefully this will clear up any problems with old or corrupted profiles.

Remove the Firefox preferences file The file is called org.mozilla.Firefox.plist and is located in the user's preferences folder ~/Library/Preferences/.

Check plug-ins, add-ons For performance issues, ensure all plug-ins, add-ons, and extensions are updated, or disable add-ins and enable them one-by-one using the "Add Ons" utility in the "Tools" menu. Additionally, disable the anti-phishing features in the Firefox preferences to potentially boost performance.

Feedback? Late-breakers@macfixit.com.

Previous coverage:

• Firefox 3.0 (#2): crashes, missing bookmarks, iWeb issues, network user problems, more
• Firefox 3.0 released: initial issues

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