Older versions of Firefox...safe to use?

barbiedoll

Evening all

I have an ancient Dell laptop which I use for web browsing. I've always used Firefox and I keep it updated but the latest versions are just not working for me. Because I guess they are designed for tablets and newer laptops etc, I end up with all sorts of problems, my webpages won't fit the screen, scrolling is problematic (which may just be the laptop, I know) and I'm having to use various add-ons to get the screen to look how I want it. This afternoon, I had to revert to "basic" Firefox which looks positively antiquated!

I have Windows XP and I was wondering if it is safe for me to use an older version of Firefox? I have Avast (free) and I don't go to dodgy sites, I also use Adblock Plus. I was thinking of version 17 or a little higher.

Any help will be gratefully received!

waddler_8

I wouldn't advise it.

Have you tried Palemoon? I have it installed on an XP machine and find it works fine.

Also make sure all add-ons are up to date too.

http://www.palemoon.org/

esuhl

Personally, I would always try to use the latest version of a web browser because it is so easy to get malware that exploits bugs in the web browser.

I have an old (10+ years) PC that I use as a print server -- I think it has a PIII 1GHz CPU. It runs the latest version of Firefox just fine (although it takes ages to start!).

The wide range of add-ons is the main reason I use Firefox, but some can cause the browser to become unstable. Unless you really need to have them all enabled all the time, it can be worth disabling the ones you don't use often. It's only a few clicks (and a restart of the browser) to enable them again.

If the webpages "don't fit the screen", have you tried hitting CTRL and minus (-) together to "zoom out"?

I'm not quite sure I understand why the screen doesn't "look how you want it". The webpages should look (more-or-less) identical in any recent version of Firefox. What isn't how you want it, and what add-ons are you using to "fix" the appearance?

spud17

Just a bit of FYI, I obtained (:)) an old Clevo 2200 running XP Home.

I'm also a long term Palemoon user and recommend it to everyone, but it wouldn't install on that particular laptop, due to some incompatibility, possibly SIS chipset, I have no record of exact message.
But current Firefox runs absolutely fine.
I always run Firefox/Palemoon with NoScript and AdblockPlus.

barbiedoll

I've been using the "zoom-out" facility but it's a bit tiresome having to do it for every website that I visit, and for every page!

Firefox do have a nifty add-on...NoSquint, which does remember the setting for each site that I have previously visited. When I downloaded the latest FF this afternoon, the pages were all far too big for my screen and the definition was very poor. I did fiddle around with the Windows settings to no avail. I ended up resetting FF to a basic version which is exactly like the really old versions with the old-style look. I only have a couple of add-ons and I'm definitely not turning Adblock off!

I like the look of the Palemoon browser but I don't know if my CPU will be good enough, it's a Pentium 1.73GHz...probably too old/slow?

I really, really don't want to go back to IE but it seems that FF is catering for the newer high-definition devices, my old laptop is getting left behind.

Gyro

To reset zoom to default, Ctrl + 0 (zero)

You can also zoom in/out rapidly by holding Ctrl and rolling the mousewheel back and forth.

Have you checked for any updates to the Display adaptor in Device Manager? (as an Administrator)

Lum

"Not going to dodgy sites" won't protect you these days as you can still get hit by infected banner ads (common) or by a popular site getting hacked and malware snuck into an otherwise legit site.

Agree with the suggestion to use Pale Moon.

closed

what's wrong with IE8?

V17 is only 8 months old

alanrowell

Why would OP be having problems with recent versions of FF? My other computer is XP yet doesn't have a problem with any browser.

somersethillbilly

I have an Intel Celeron 1.2GHz processor and use the ESR version of Firefox with Adblock Plus, ESR version 17.0.7 works just fine. It is up to date with security patches but just does n't have all the latest whistles and bells of the current Firefox release.

http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/organizations/all.html

Norman_Castle

I use the latest firefox on a 2005 laptop with 1.4 ghz and xp. It works fine. A recent update caused problems with my bookmarks menu add on which needed updating. I would suggest checking your settings and add-ons for updates.
If you share the spec of your pc someone on here should be able to advise if it is likely to be problematic.