IT Queries: Computer problems answered

When I open Firefox it says “Firefox has encountered a problem and needs to close” and then shuts down. I can use Internet Explorer but my bookmarks are in Firefox. What should I do?

The first thing you should do is open Firefox in Safe Mode. To do this, click Start, Run and type in the box firefox -safe-mode.

If Firefox won’t start in Safe Mode you need to uninstall it, download a new copy and reinstall. See our post on uninstalling software.

Should it start in Safe Mode, you’ll get a screen asking about what options you’d like to disable. Ignore those for now and click the Continue in Safe Mode button.

Once you have the browser open, wipe the cache contents by clicking the Tools menu, select Clear Private Data, tick the Browsing History and Cache boxes then click Clear Private Data Now.

Shut down Mozilla and restart it to see if that has cleared the problem.

If not, restart again in Safe Mode and this time go to the box that appears when it starts. Select the Disable All Add-Ons box and click the Make Changes and Restart button.

If Firefox restarts, it was a damaged add-on. If it doesn’t repeat the Safe Mode process and try the other check boxes.

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