Problem updating Firefox to 73.0

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I updated FF (default browser) from 72.0.2 (which was working perfectly) to 73.0. At the end of the update process it said (as usual) “Restart Firefox to update”. So I clicked on that”restart” button and the current FF shut down, but there was no restart. After waiting for a few minutes I attempted to start FF manually, only to be greeted by an error box “The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000005). Click OK to close the application”. Following that, I could start FF manually and it looked OK, but was not working correctly. In particular, links from within emails would not open. Clicking on a link in an email would start FF (if not already running) or would open a new tab (if already running), but in both cases the URL field would just say “Search or enter address” and nothing more would happen.
I understand that the error code means some kind of access violation? Is there somewhere I could get more information, such as a log file?  Is there something I could do, to stop it from happening again?  I ran sfc/scannow, but it found nothing.
So I have reverted back to72.0.2 (restored from backup). and once again it is now working correctly, including links in emails. In all the years I have been updating FF from one version to the next, this has never happened before.

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit 20H2

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Charlie

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Bundaburra wrote:

(0xc0000005) … I understand that the error code means some kind of access violation?

0xC0000005
STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION

The instruction at 0x%08lx referenced memory at 0x%08lx. The memory could not be %s.

These pages have the background information, but they aren’t light reading (1 & 2)

 
Which version of 73.0 did you try to install? The current offering I can see has been available around 48hrs – maybe there will be another version available later this week?

Also, did you note this earlier topic, on 0Patch incompatibility with Firefox 73.0?

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Thanks Kirsty for the reply.

Which version of 73?  You tell me.  In 72.0.2 I went to Help > About Firefox, where it said that version 73 was available and offered it for download, so I downloaded it and tried to install it.  I don’t know which flavour of 73 it was.  I don’t use 0Patch, not installed.  I have 16GB of memory, of which there is usually never more than 25-30% in use at any one time.  I ran the Windows memory checker and it found nothing wrong, so it doesn’t look like a memory problem.

If the problem is with Firefox, then I would expect others to have had the same problem?  Having not heard anything makes me think that the problem is at my end, but what?  Maybe I have something else like 0Patch, but can’t think what.  And if so, it has never affected any previous version.

Staying with 72.0.2 for now.

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit 20H2

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Bundaburra wrote:

Staying with 72.0.2 for now

Do you have Avira anti-virus installed ?

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Hi. I had the same problem yesterday updating Firefox in a HP Notebook Windows 7 64 bit and in a HP Netbook Windows 7 32 bit standard. Firefox always crashes on starting and shows a crash error windows. No way to make it work again.

This morning the netbook is in the same condition, i have been more lucky with the notebook (to be honest i didn’t do anything) but i see problems checking the troubleshooting page and i’m very careful using it. In my opinion, it’s a software update problem that hasn’t been fixed yet.

Cristiano

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Charlie

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It’s very sad & unfortunate but nowadays I always wait at least a week or longer before doing Firefox updates.  I always read about the list of changes & info. Mozilla puts out too.

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake as soon as you make it again.

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Problem solved (I believe??).  There was something wrong with the profile.  When I told FF 73 to start with a different profile, all was OK.

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit 20H2

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I’m still holding off.  As far as I know I only have one profile, and I’ve never had to tell FF to start with it.

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake as soon as you make it again.

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Its a Firefox problem – My windows 7 computer downloaded the 73.0 version and same results – I uninstalled 73.0 did a system restore and reinstalled 72.0.2 and turned off firefox automatic update and its working fine. This ff update 73.0 is a disaster Ill update when they get it fixed !

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Charlie

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Gave 73 another go, thinking the new profile had fixed it, but no.  The situation with 73 is:

If FF has been started but not yet used, and I click on a hyperlink in an email, the site opens normally.  But this only happens once;  any further attempts get no response.

If FF is not running and I click on a hyperlink in an email, FF starts but then nothing happens.  The URL field just contains “Search or enter address” and stays like that.  The correct URL does not appear.

If I then click on the same link a second time, a new tab opens in FF and this time the correct URL appears.  But it is not resolved, nothing else happens, the site does not open, clicking on Enter does nothing.

If I copy that URL, open a new tab, and “Paste and Go”, the URL appears in the new tab but again nothing happens.

If I then close FF, open a new occurrence and “Paste and Go”, the URL appears and is resolved – the site opens normally.

It’s not just hyperlinks from emails.  If I click on an item in “History”, for example, it behaves the same way.

What is wrong with FF 73?  I like FF and want to continue using it, but it’s back to 72.0.2 until a fix or update appears.

On the other hand, the problem could be outside of FF and somewhere else in my system.  But if so, why does 72.0.2 work correctly?

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit 20H2

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Charlie

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@Bundaburra –

You might want to take the vast majority of your post just above this one and paste it into the Mozilla support forums for Firefox to see what they may come up with. Details such as those are great for them to nail the problem right down with a minimum of added questions. The only thing to add would be the fact that you’ve already tried using FF73 with a new account.

However, to ask the Mozilla forums for help, you’ll be asked to set up a Firefox account.

Perhaps @microfix (whom I consider to be the resident FF guru here) might have some insight into this [problem] and might be able to help here before you try the Mozilla forums.

If you’re still interested in getting help from Mozilla’s folks, here’s the link to get started: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/get-community-support

I tried changing the locale from en-US, but the page kept defaulting back to it, probably due to my IP address. Hopefully, if you decide to go there, you’ll get a locale suited to your location if you’re not in the US.

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@Bundaburra –

Mozilla just yesterday released FF73.0.1, which fixes the 0patch bug, but they also say it fixes bugs for folks with other “third party security software” who’ve experienced crashes upon starting the browser. Please feel free to d/l it and try it again to see if this update fixes your problems. You should be able to get it directly from the built-in updater in Firefox.

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I no longer use FF but do use Palemoon a fork from when FF used the old (better) style extensions. I never do auto update and ALWAYS backup before an update. Unless FF has changed you could just copy the whole profile to a backup location and if a problem occurred write it back. An easier method (again assuming from a while ago) is to use the FEBE extension to backup, mine will backup every time I close the last open page by clicking on the X in the upper right. A very handy tool. This may not help in your present circumstances but for the future…

I did not note how you are getting your email and what link you are clicking. Are you using Thunderbird or some such or Webmail??

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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From Mozilla:  “Users with 0patch security software may encounter crashes at startup after updating to Firefox 73.  This will be fixed in a future Firefox release.”

So if you’re using 0patch, it may the problem.  This has already been addressed by Kirsty in a post above.

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake as soon as you make it again.

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[Bundaburra]

Not using OPatch (is the first character an alpha O or a zero?), and my email client is Outlook (in Office 365).  There was no link in particular – any link at all could cause the problem.  The problem also occurred with shortcuts.  For example I have a desktop shortcut to AskWoody which invokes FF with https://www.askwoody.com/ tacked on. Clicking on such a shortcut resulted in the same behaviour as described above re links in an email.

Now I am back on 72.0.2 everything is working correctly again.

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit 20H2

• This reply was modified 3 years, 3 months ago by Bundaburra.

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Bundaburra wrote:

is the first character an alpha O or a zero?

Zero

cheers, Paul

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It’s been almost five days since Firefox 73 came out.  Outside of the few people on this topic that had problems, I haven’t heard any more cries of woe from other FF users.  Has anyone else had the problem(s) discussed here?

No fix has come for the 0patch either.

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake as soon as you make it again.

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I’ve been running FF 73.0 since its release day with no problems whatsoever on Win 7 Pro SP1 x64.

@Charlie , since you have Win 7 like I do, I’d like to suggest you take the plunge and update from FF72.0.2 to FF73.

Once you do, though, go into settings and disable VR notifications from web sites if you don’t have VR goggles installed for use on your computer. It’s a new “feature” I found by digging around in the Privacy & Security part of the Options menu, down under the Permissions sub-heading of the Privacy & Security items. It’s about 3/4 of the way down the page.

Tools>Options>Privacy & Security>Scroll 3/4 of the way down the page under the “Permissions” heading.

Ok, no more of this, as it’s somewhat off-topic. 🙁

2 users thanked author for this post.

Ricard, Charlie

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Bob99 wrote:

Ok, no more of this, as it’s somewhat off-topic.

It’s not off topic, you are still talking about FF 73 and something new that they’ve felt a need to put in it.  I appreciate that info. you gave very much and will look for it.

🙂

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake as soon as you make it again.

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since I’m beta testing candidate build 1 of Firefox 73.0.1, this will soon be pushed to the public sometime tomorrow Tuesday Feb. 18

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Firefox 73.0.1 is out :

https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/73.0.1/

More : https://www.ghacks.net/2020/02/18/firefox-73-0-1-will-be-released-later-today/

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Charlie

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There is no need to hope. Just download and run.

I myself use portable ESR 68.5.0

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Charlie

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Okay well I just did the 73.0.1 update via Help – About Firefox – Clicked on Update.  It’s working fine right now.

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake as soon as you make it again.

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Firefox 73.0.1 has not yet shown up on my Linux update manager.  Think I’ll wait for it to be on the safe side.

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake as soon as you make it again.

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I saw that 73.0.1 was out, so looked up its changes/fixes, and it looked like the problem had been covered.  So, crossed several fingers, downloaded and installed it, and all looks good.  I have repeated the scenarios I listed above, and they all worked now.  The only hitch I saw was when opening a link in an email, when FF was already running.  The very first time I tried this, clicking on the link in the email produced the 0xc0000005 error box, telling me that the application could not be started and to click OK to exit the application.  Did that (no other choice) and the error box went away, but FF (already running) did not terminate.  Then I tried the same link again, and it worked normally.  Hoping that was just a one-off glitch, have not seen that error since.  Wondering if the error was being generated by the OS, or Outlook, rather than by FF?

I hope that the support people at Mozilla watch these forums.  If they don’t, they should.

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit 20H2

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Charlie

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Charlie wrote:

Firefox 73.0.1 has not yet shown up on my Linux update manager.  Think I’ll wait for it to be on the safe side.

You can download manually

https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/73.0.1

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Charlie

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I got a 404 Page with “file not found” when I clicked that link.  But it should be coming up in my Linux Mint update manager soon.

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake as soon as you make it again.

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When I get a 404 on a link I manually back up a level.
In this case, to [ https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/ ].
Following this trail led to [ https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/73.0.1/ ].
(The trailing slash had been omitted: 73.0.1 is a folder, not a file.)

From there, pick your chain-of-links of choice.

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I too have experienced a gremlin in FF 73.01. Had updated earlier in the day and was just surfin around when a new FF window opened with a message saying my profile was gone and I needed to yadyadyada  open an account. NO. The phantom FF window disappeared and all is as was. That occured yesterday, no issues today.

FF is starting to act a lot like microsoft with these bloomin’ updates n such! Now cmon folks cut it out!!Maybe Bring back Netscape, huh?

D

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Charlie

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