Raging at Firefox; what else could I use?

[xBlizzDevious]

Hey guys, I've been a user of Firefox since about 2003 or so and I've loved it until the last couple of years. Since V18 it's gone severely downhill but it's been getting worse since V4 came out. V29 of Firefox has just made me give up on it though. I mean, it's basically Google Chrome now (which I don't like) and it's also causing me countless issues now. Youtube doesn't work on Firefox properly and will often BSOD my computer, using another browser works fine. I've tried removing all of my add-ons too and it's still useless.

 

So, I'm looking for an alternative... My needs aren't exactly simple, though, so I come to you people for suggestions.

 

 

On Firefox, I use (in order of importance to me):

- Adblock Plus

- Youtube Centre

- Greasemonkey

- LinusTechTips Notifier (Good work, by the way!)

- Classic Theme Restorer

 

Obviously these things will be different in different browsers, but I need Adblock (I have it off on the forum and a other few places, but I can barely use the rest of the internet without it).

 

Youtube Centre is quite important to me as it lets me switch off Dash Playback which is useful for me as I watch HD Youtube but only have a 5Mb/s download line (so I can pause and load videos before watching). It also makes using Youtube a much more pleasant experience than Google have made it lately.

I use Greasemonkey for the odd script that I want to run.

 

The LTT Notifier is really useful, but I'm hardly on the forums these days so It's not that useful to me these days.

 

Finally, I've got the Classic Theme Restorer because I can't stand the ridiculously unintuitive UI that they've completely ripped from Chrome. It'll obviously not be necessary on a different browser (as long as it looks good enough.

 

 

 

 

So... Are there any other options out there? If so; what? Is there an up to date Firefox V3.5 clone or at least a V4 clone? Or something else that is as nice to use as that and has the functionality I need?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

TL;DR: the wonderful Firefox browser is now... terrible. What else can I use that has good addons?

[Bagmup]

Waterfox?

[DoubleY]

Chrome and Firefox are the only browsers that support the LTT plugin, but I do think an Opera plugin is on it's way. 

[ForsakenLive]

Use Opera

[flibberdipper]

I would say Waterfox, or back it up (use a Sync account), and fully uninstall Firefox then reinstall it. I'm using version 30 on Windows XP (yes, XP) and I haven't had any problems whatsoever.

[dev893]

I find it odd that a browser would cause a BSOD I've never had an issue with it and still don't and only thing not overclocked in my PC is my video card so there is a lot of heat in my case

[HiddenFox]

I would check your overclocks, my pc did it was wierd because it was only firefox nothing else. My cpu clock was fine it was my ram aha, try setting your cpu and ram to default clock.

[xBlizzDevious]

I would check your overclocks, my pc did it was wierd because it was only firefox nothing else. My cpu clock was fine it was my ram aha, try setting your cpu and ram to default clock.

 

First thing I did when I started getting major issues.

 

I've used Waterfox in the past but that has the issue that it's 64 bit (which is good in general) but some sites don't work (EA!!!! (Battlefield's Battlelog)). Other than that, is Waterfox all good these days?

[HiddenFox]

First thing I did when I started getting major issues.

 

I've used Waterfox in the past but that has the issue that it's 64 bit (which is good in general) but some sites don't work (EA!!!! (Battlefield's Battlelog)). Other than that, is Waterfox all good these days?

I maily use FireFox only because battlefield doesnt support 64-bit browsers but i used waterfox for 6 month's with heavy tab usage and it was fine ! just give it a shot

[SeansTechTips]

I would recommend google chrome. it is really easy to use and it is quite stable. hope this helps

[Lyons]

First thing I did when I started getting major issues.

 

I've used Waterfox in the past but that has the issue that it's 64 bit (which is good in general) but some sites don't work (EA!!!! (Battlefield's Battlelog)). Other than that, is Waterfox all good these days?

 

What do you not like about Chrome?

 

Also if FF BSOD's your computer then you probably have other software issues related to Windows that you need to worry about.

[GoodBytes]

BSODs are hardware related problems.

Firefox 30 has been super rock solid on my side. It must be noted however, that I use bookmarks, so I don't have 6 million tabs open.

But yes, check your system for hardware faults, and if you have overclocked your system, it could be unstable.

[PhantomChevron]

Just use Waterfox and try, since it is backwards compatible with Firefox plugins

[Jade]

If your problem with Chrome is the Google ordeal, you could use Chromium.

[colonel_mortis]

BSODs are hardware related problems.

Firefox 30 has been super rock solid on my side. It must be noted however, that I use bookmarks, so I don't have 6 million tabs open.

But yes, check your system for hardware faults, and if you have overclocked your system, it could be unstable.

I have 6 million tabs open, although a lot of them are unloaded (really useful setting if you're a heavy tab user) and I have never had a BSOD. The only crashes I have had (note that I'm using FF32a2, which is in alpha) have been when updating graphics drivers, and you can't really blame Firefox for that.

 

 

To try to help Firefox before giving up completely, browse to about:support and click "Reset Firefox...", which will create a new profile and I think it copies your history and bookmarks over. If you still encounter issues, uninstall Firefox, restart, and install it again just in case. However, BSODs are a hardware or driver issue, and there is no way that application-layer software (like FF) can cause a BSOD unless the hardware or driver is faulty. Try updating your drivers, and start a troubleshooting thread in the troubleshooting section of the forum, making sure to upload the dump files from C:\Windows\Miniump for analysis.

BTW, the new look of Firefox is different, but having used it for several (~5) months now I think it's better than the old look, or at least not bad (and thought so after a few weeks of using it). Just try it for a bit and it should grow on you.

 

If you're still set on changing, you can either try out other Firefox builds, which should support all of the same extensions, and you should be able to copy your profile across to it (I don't know what to recommend though because I haven't used any), or you can switch to Chrome. Chrome supports Adblock and YouTube Center, there's another version of the LTT notifier (built by @linusforsell, and it looks much nicer than the firefox version although it lacks some of the features), and Tampermonkey is the chrome equivalent of greasemonkey.

[Lord Pantaloons]

Every browser is broken, Firefox has terrible memory leaks but Waterfox is worse.

[GoodBytes]

Every browser is broken, Firefox has terrible memory leaks but Waterfox is worse.

I don't think you know what a memory leak is. Using a lot of memory (which isn't true, since Firefox 3), is not a memory leak.

A memory leak, is when you do nothing, not even move your mouse, and you see the available memory of your system is shrinking by a program, which is not supposed to, and it doesn't stop, until it reaches Windows max limit (2GB or 4GB for 32-bit applications depending on it's configuration and no limit on 64-bit applications)

[xBlizzDevious]

I would recommend google chrome. it is really easy to use and it is quite stable. hope this helps

 

 

What do you not like about Chrome?

 

Also if FF BSOD's your computer then you probably have other software issues related to Windows that you need to worry about.

 

 

BSODs are hardware related problems.

Firefox 30 has been super rock solid on my side. It must be noted however, that I use bookmarks, so I don't have 6 million tabs open.

But yes, check your system for hardware faults, and if you have overclocked your system, it could be unstable.

 

 

If your problem with Chrome is the Google ordeal, you could use Chromium.

 

 

I said what I don't like about Chrome; it's unintuitive and I don't like it because of that. Also because of the fact that I know so many people who've had countless issues with it. When I've used it, I've also found it to be quite slow.

 

 

These BSODs aren't actually BSODs. It's just resetting my computer. I think it's to do with the AMD drivers. Maybe something to do with crossfire. It's also not a hardware issue as I've run Prime95 stable for 30-40 hours and spent a while on Kombustor and Furmark with no artefacts.

 

I'm not a particularly heavy tab user; normally I only have two or three tabs open and I don't save my sessions so when I load up, I only get my default two tabs opening again. Having said that, another issue I've had with Firefox lately is that if I open more than 10 tabs, it just dies (as in slows down to an almost unusable speed). I have a 3930k and 32GB of RAM... FF should not do that to my computer.

 

I've not looked into Chromium, only heard of it, so I have to ask; what exactly is it?

 

I shall try resetting Firefox now and if that doesn't work, I'll try Waterfox. I'll just have to remember to open Battlefield in IE, Chrome or Opera.

 

 

PS. Another issue I've had (which is definitely tied to my AMD drivers) is that if I have a DirectX application open and load a Youtube video, it will almost definitely crash my AMD drivers. It doesn't always happen, but more often than not.

[Lord Pantaloons]

I don't think you know what a memory leak is. Using a lot of memory (which isn't true, since Firefox 3), is not a memory leak.

A memory leak, is when you do nothing, not even move your mouse, and you see the available memory of your system is shrinking by a program, which is not supposed to, and it doesn't stop, until it reaches Windows max limit (2GB or 4GB for 32-bit applications depending on it's configuration and no limit on 64-bit applications)

which is exactly what happens with FF/WF

[colonel_mortis]

I said what I don't like about Chrome; it's unintuitive and I don't like it because of that. Also because of the fact that I know so many people who've had countless issues with it. When I've used it, I've also found it to be quite slow.

 

 

These BSODs aren't actually BSODs. It's just resetting my computer. I think it's to do with the AMD drivers. Maybe something to do with crossfire. It's also not a hardware issue as I've run Prime95 stable for 30-40 hours and spent a while on Kombustor and Furmark with no artefacts.

 

I'm not a particularly heavy tab user; normally I only have two or three tabs open and I don't save my sessions so when I load up, I only get my default two tabs opening again. Having said that, another issue I've had with Firefox lately is that if I open more than 10 tabs, it just dies (as in slows down to an almost unusable speed). I have a 3930k and 32GB of RAM... FF should not do that to my computer.

 

I've not looked into Chromium, only heard of it, so I have to ask; what exactly is it?

 

I shall try resetting Firefox now and if that doesn't work, I'll try Waterfox. I'll just have to remember to open Battlefield in IE, Chrome or Opera.

 

 

PS. Another issue I've had (which is definitely tied to my AMD drivers) is that if I have a DirectX application open and load a Youtube video, it will almost definitely crash my AMD drivers. It doesn't always happen, but more often than not.

Chromium is basically Chrome but without the Google stuff, and open sourced. Google uses Chromium as the basis for Chrome, and add some stuff on top which can make it better or worse depending on your POV. If you find Chrome bad to use, chromium won't be much better.

 

which is exactly what happens with FF/WF

You have a faulty plugin on extension then. Try restarting in safe mode (≡ → ? → "Restart with Add-ons Disabled...") and see if the issue persists. I don't have a memory leak in my version of Firefox (32a2)

[StingBull]

Lunascape. It's kind of cheating because this browser is 3 in 1 kind of deal. It's equipped with Gecko, Trident and Webkit.

Maxthon is pretty good too.

[xBlizzDevious]

Lunascape. It's kind of cheating because this browser is 3 in 1 kind of deal. It's equipped with Gecko, Trident and Webkit.

Maxthon is pretty good too.

 

Wait... How can a single browser be based on 3 different ways of viewing the web? How does that work!?

 

Does it have add-ons/extensions that will do what I need though?

 

 

EDIT: Ok, I've backed up my Mozilla files and uninstalled Firefox. I've completely removed the old AppData folders to make sure that nothing can interfere. I've now installed Waterfox and downloaded the add-ons I need and Youtube seems to be working. What file(s) do I need to copy across to get my bookmarks back - oh, and my history? That's all I need.

[StingBull]

Wait... How can a single browser be based on 3 different ways of viewing the web? How does that work!?

 

Does it have add-ons/extensions that will do what I need though?

 

 

EDIT: Ok, I've backed up my Mozilla files and uninstalled Firefox. I've completely removed the old AppData folders to make sure that nothing can interfere. I've now installed Waterfox and downloaded the add-ons I need and Youtube seems to be working. What file(s) do I need to copy across to get my bookmarks back - oh, and my history? That's all I need.

 

How it works is that it comes with Webkit and Gecko rendering engines and "barrows" Trident from Internet Explorer (much like how IE Tabs plugin in Firefox works) You can switch between the 3 renderers. When it's on Trident it mimics Internet Explorer, on Webkit it mimics Safari/Chrome, on Gecko it mimics Firefox. Since it can mimic Firefox, Firefox plugins can be installed.

 

Had you have backed up before uninstalling Firefox this would have been much easier, now you will have to dig through some files. You can restore everything manually if you still have the your old profile. But you say you have deleted the files in the AppData, then there is nothing to do. You have deleted your profile.

[xBlizzDevious]

How it works is that it comes with Webkit and Gecko rendering engines and "barrows" Trident from Internet Explorer (much like how IE Tabs plugin in Firefox works) You can switch between the 3 renderers. When it's on Trident it mimics Internet Explorer, on Webkit it mimics Safari/Chrome, on Gecko it mimics Firefox. Since it can mimic Firefox, Firefox plugins can be installed.

 

Had you have backed up before uninstalling Firefox this would have been much easier, now you will have to dig through some files. You can restore everything manually if you still have the your old profile. But you say you have deleted the files in the AppData, then there is nothing to do. You have deleted your profile.

I did. I copied my Mozilla folders from Appdata\Local and Roaming before I pressed the reset button. That didn't fix it so I uninstalled FF and then installed Waterfox. So which files will I need to copy back?

[StingBull]

I did. I copied my Mozilla folders from Appdata\Local and Roaming before I pressed the reset button. That didn't fix it so I uninstalled FF and then installed Waterfox. So which files will I need to copy back?

 

It's pretty self explanatory.

 

AppData -> Mozilla -> Firefox -> Profiles -> Your Profile Folder here

 

I was going to write how to restore each piece manually but apparently that's not necessary, you can restore the whole profile. You can just replace the your newly installed Waterfox's profile folder with the old profile folder by changing the old one's name to match the new one.

 

Click this link for more info:

 

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/back-and-restore-information-firefox-profiles