Firefox and My Computer
- Thread starter Conrail45
- Start date
I am deeply sorry if this is not right fo this thread, but I find that nowhere else can I find a nicer group of individuals who know about these problems, so, Well, it all started out one day, only a few days after I revieved internet, I turned on my computer, only to find Firefox already installed on it. After Awhile of surfing, I downloaded AVG Antivirus free 9.0, and during a computer scan (I could't resist myself) I turned on firefox, and to my dispair, the PC started to act screwy, after a restart, I found no problems whatsoever. Of course, about a week later, I was surfing on firefox, and it said "Error, Server not found." I now cannot work firefox for more than around 10 min. at a time, and when it does this, I find my system running srewy, and I am not able to open other programs(like trainz:'( ). I really need help with this one, and I don't know much about this sort of topic...
Thank you ever so much
Have you run your AVG recently to see if there's any spyware installed along with your FireFox?
If you can get on the Internet, have you tried running an outside antivirus program such as TrendMicro's PcCillin. This is to see if something else is on your system that AVG can't find.
Have you tried to reinstall FireFox?
Try installing IE 8 and see if that works.
This is what I can think of at the moment.
John
Also try Malwarebytes Anti-Malware.
shaneturner12
Tutorial Creator
Just out of interest, have you tried running Firefox in its safe mode? (Use the Mozilla Firefox(Safe Mode) link in the start menu). It sounds like a virus or something similar has hijacked your browser(s) and has installed a rogue add-on. (The same option for IE 8 is in System Tools in the Start Menu - called Internet Explorer(No Add-ons)
See if it runs better then - if it does you will need to run a full antivirus/antispyware check to remove the rogue addon.
Failing that, a System Restore may help (if you have installed any programs since the problem started, these will be removed) - also certain document types can be affected.
Shane
See if it runs better then - if it does you will need to run a full antivirus/antispyware check to remove the rogue addon.
Failing that, a System Restore may help (if you have installed any programs since the problem started, these will be removed) - also certain document types can be affected.
Shane
BLACKWATCH
Mechanical Engineer
You might want to ditch AVG & install Avast free instead.
I got fed up with AVG messing about, but have not had any problems with Avast. I find it far superior to AVG & wouldnt go back now.
I got fed up with AVG messing about, but have not had any problems with Avast. I find it far superior to AVG & wouldnt go back now.
I'll third that. I have it running on 2 machines here, and it hasn't caused me any problems.
Of course, most of my downloads come in via my linux box, where they are scanned with ClamAV. However, of all the Windows-based AV software, I've found Avast does a great job of keeping my systems clean.
Also, if you're really unsure of a file, you can use www.virustotal.com to have it analysed by 20+ different antivirus programs. This isn't a good solution for "confidential" files, however, as the files they receive are passed along to the antivirus companies for further analysis.
[CKT]
Honestly, Big waste money. Avast is just as good, if not better, than any payware anti-virus software. They make their money selling to companies and thus offer their home version for free. It helps them create a solid product that is well tested and helps the home user at the same time. Don't drop money on anti-virus software, go with Avast.
"Buy a new copy"? Of normally free software? I suspect someone took you for a ride. I'd really like to know exactly what went down.
Try first connecting your comp via wire to your router and see what happens. If you can play vids, it could be a bandwidth issue.
If we can rule out malware, it's most like a hardware issue. There are lots of fake video codecs going around. Generally, if a site says "you must download XYZ in order to view this content", apart from Flash, Adobe Reader/Acrobat and maybe Apple Quicktime, it's almost guaranteed to be malware. (I also should point out that Flash, PDF and Quicktime themselves are major malware-injection vectors.) But many of these "fake" codecs act screwy themselves.
Yet another solution is to download HijackThis! at http://majorgeeks.com/download5554.html and rename it to iexplore.exe. Then run it and post a log here or some forum with knowledgeable people.
Try first connecting your comp via wire to your router and see what happens. If you can play vids, it could be a bandwidth issue.
If we can rule out malware, it's most like a hardware issue. There are lots of fake video codecs going around. Generally, if a site says "you must download XYZ in order to view this content", apart from Flash, Adobe Reader/Acrobat and maybe Apple Quicktime, it's almost guaranteed to be malware. (I also should point out that Flash, PDF and Quicktime themselves are major malware-injection vectors.) But many of these "fake" codecs act screwy themselves.
Yet another solution is to download HijackThis! at http://majorgeeks.com/download5554.html and rename it to iexplore.exe. Then run it and post a log here or some forum with knowledgeable people.
Some websites have really funky scripting, actually. That certainly can play a role.
I just thought of something, prompted by my girlfriend. The latest Firefox (3.6+) seems to be really unstable and have compatibility issues. On Vista, even 3.5 wouldn't install on my dad's machine (it would crash before it even opened) prompting me to roll back to 3.0.18. My GF reported lots of Firefox began crashing lately, although I'm not sure if that coincided with the update to 3.6 or the latest Flash update (she plays lots of Facebook games like Farmville.) At any rate, both seem to be the center of a lot of recent stability problems.
For the time being, I have recommended the installation of the latest version of Opera followed by a reinstallation of the latest Flash. The jury's still out. I'm curious if, if problems persist, you'd want to try that for, say, a week, and see if Opera + Flash runs okay.
I just thought of something, prompted by my girlfriend. The latest Firefox (3.6+) seems to be really unstable and have compatibility issues. On Vista, even 3.5 wouldn't install on my dad's machine (it would crash before it even opened) prompting me to roll back to 3.0.18. My GF reported lots of Firefox began crashing lately, although I'm not sure if that coincided with the update to 3.6 or the latest Flash update (she plays lots of Facebook games like Farmville.) At any rate, both seem to be the center of a lot of recent stability problems.
For the time being, I have recommended the installation of the latest version of Opera followed by a reinstallation of the latest Flash. The jury's still out. I'm curious if, if problems persist, you'd want to try that for, say, a week, and see if Opera + Flash runs okay.
shaneturner12
Tutorial Creator
That sounds like a problem with an addon (When you are next in Firefox, click Tools, then Addons to check what addons are installed)
To find out which one is the culprit (if any) you will need to disable one at a time (restarting Firefox each time) until the problem goes away. The addon that was disabled last will be the one likely to be causing the problems and will need updating or removing.
Also make sure you are running the latest version of Firefox (Help/Check for Updates...)
Shane
To find out which one is the culprit (if any) you will need to disable one at a time (restarting Firefox each time) until the problem goes away. The addon that was disabled last will be the one likely to be causing the problems and will need updating or removing.
Also make sure you are running the latest version of Firefox (Help/Check for Updates...)
Shane