Two Mozilla Firefox Questions

retsbed

I am currently using mozilla firefox version 2.0.0.14. and am exeriencing a couple of problems with it......

1. When trying to login to my yahoo email it says that yahoo mail does not support my browser and gives me a few options for browsers including Firefox 2.0.0.1 or higher and it provides a link to the FF site, this is the link http://www.mozilla-europe.org/en/products/firefox/ I already have this version but downloaded it again anyway in the hope it would solve my problem but it didn't.
Now here' the twist .......I use the above version of FF at work and I can access my yahoo mail no problemo.....please help me I'm puzzled

2. The other problem I am experiencing is with FF add-ons....
As an example, I have tried to download the one in this link https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3663 but i keep getting a pop up message "Invalid or corrupt jarfile.........". this is happening with every add-on I am trying to download

please help me my fellow MSE'ers :cool:

Alfie_E

I believe they’re both examples of the same problem. The copy of Firefox 2.0.0.14 you are using is not identifying itself ‘correctly’. Have a look at this header checker page. HTTP headers are used by web browsers and web servers to organise the conversations between themselves. The user-agent header is at the bottom of that page. The normal user-agent header for Firefox 2.0.0.14 should end with “Firefox/2.0.0.14”.

Are you using a Firefox add-on that allows you to change your user-agent description? If you are, just set it back to the Firefox default. If you don’t have an add-on like that, open a new Firefox window or tab and type about:config into the Location Bar, then hit return. Now put general.useragent.override into the Filter textbox. One single line from the list should be left showing. Hopefully, this will match up with what you saw earlier, on the header checker page. Right click on that single line and select Reset from the menu.

If you visit the Firefox Add-Ons website and the website is unable to recognise that your using Firefox, it’ll replace all the ‘Add to Firefox’ buttons with ‘Download now’ ones. If you click on one of those buttons, it’ll treat the file as a normal download. Firefox themes are packed up as jarfiles. This is the same packaging used by Java. Because Firefox is treating it as a normal download, it passes it over to Java to deal with. But, because it’s a Firefox theme, Java doesn’t know what to do with it, and complains.

retsbed

Alfie_E wrote: »

I believe they’re both examples of the same problem. The copy of Firefox 2.0.0.14 you are using is not identifying itself ‘correctly’. Have a look at this header checker page. HTTP headers are used by web browsers and web servers to organise the conversations between themselves. The user-agent header is at the bottom of that page. The normal user-agent header for Firefox 2.0.0.14 should end with “Firefox/2.0.0.14”.

My user agent says Mozilla/5.0.....

Alfie_E wrote: »

Are you using a Firefox add-on that allows you to change your user-agent description? If you are, just set it back to the Firefox default. If you don’t have an add-on like that, open a new Firefox window or tab and type about:config into the Location Bar, then hit return. Now put general.useragent.override into the Filter textbox. One single line from the list should be left showing. Hopefully, this will match up with what you saw earlier, on the header checker page. Right click on that single line and select Reset from the menu.

I have followed your instructions above however when i put general.useragent.override into the Filter textbox no lines remain and the list is blank.....

Alfie_E

User agent descriptions are a bit complex. They usually contain a number of different declarations. The reason for this is historic. You can read about in in the Wikipedia’s User Agent entry, if you feel you want to know. For Firefox, it should go something like the following.

Mozilla/5.0 (XXX) Gecko/20080404 Firefox/2.0.0.14

where XXX is information about your operating system, the encryption strength of your browser (U) and any language information (probably en-GB).

Gecko is Firefox’s layout engine. That’s the subcomponent that deals with formatting the HTML that describes a web page and displaying it in the Firefox window. As it’s used by other software, declaring its version separately can be helpful to some web servers. The really important part is right at the end; that this is Firefox along with its version number.

retsbed wrote: »

I have followed your instructions above however when i put general.useragent.override into the Filter textbox no lines remain and the list is blank.....

Well, we’ve eliminated that particular possibility. (Just make sure you didn’t copy and paste across a space after the final ‘e’, or before the first ‘g’.) What does the header checker page say it is receiving from your Firefox?

It is possible for the user agent description to get modified on its way from your browser to the web server. This could be because you have a security-related product on your computer, by a firewall in your home network or even by your Internet Service Provider.

retsbed

Alfie_E wrote: »

User agent descriptions are a bit complex. They usually contain a number of different declarations. The reason for this is historic. You can read about in in the Wikipedia’s User Agent entry, if you feel you want to know. For Firefox, it should go something like the following.

Mozilla/5.0 (XXX) Gecko/20080404 Firefox/2.0.0.14

where XXX is information about your operating system, the encryption strength of your browser (U) and any language information (probably en-GB).

Gecko is Firefox’s layout engine. That’s the subcomponent that deals with formatting the HTML that describes a web page and displaying it in the Firefox window. As it’s used by other software, declaring its version separately can be helpful to some web servers. The really important part is right at the end; that this is Firefox along with its version number.

The text right at the end reads Gecko/20080404 (CK-Orange). I use Orange for my internet connection if that's any help.

Alfie_E wrote: »

Well, we’ve eliminated that particular possibility. (Just make sure you didn’t copy and paste across a space after the final ‘e’, or before the first ‘g’.) What does the header checker page say it is receiving from your Firefox?

I have double checked my copy & paste technique however the list remains empty.
The header checker gives a list of information about Connection, Host, Referer etc...not quite sure what information you are enquiring about....

Thanks for your help

Alfie_E

Sorry. We’re still concentrating only on the User-Agent bit. We’ve established that the text “Firefox/2.0.0.14” is nowhere to be seen in the box to the right of User-Agent. The fact that “(CK-Orange)” is appearing shows that Orange are messing about with your user-agent header. I think it’s most likely that your problems are being caused by Orange.

You need to contact Orange. Describe the two specific problems, as you did in your first post. Tell them that you believe the Orange network is causing these by corrupting the user-agent header. Point them at this thread here on MSE, if it helps.

Even if this were to turn out to be a problem at your end, which I don’t think it is, the fact that Orange are messing with your user-agent header makes it very much harder for you to do any tests. You can check what’s coming out of Firefox at your end, but you would need to install extra software. Probably the easiest way is using a Firefox add-on called Live HTTP Headers. I don’t see why you should be expected to go through all this trouble, until Orange have properly investigated whether they are the cause of the problem.

frogman_2

I was having similar problems (though not the Yahoo one...) and I backed up my FF bookmarks and profile, un-installed FF and then re-installed FF & restored my profile.

Worked perfectly after all that.

Alfie_E

Alfie_E wrote: »

…open a new Firefox window or tab and type about:config into the Location Bar, then hit return. Now put general.useragent.override into the Filter textbox. One single line from the list should be left showing.

I’ve since discovered that there’s another setting that could be the cause of the problem. In the about:config window, this time put general.useragent.extra.firefox into the Filter textbox. If it doesn’t have a value of Firefox/2.0.0.14, right click on it and reset it. If the setting is missing or remains wrong, even after resetting, you’ll have to follow frogman’s advice, and try reinstalling for a second time. Sorry for not knowing this first time I answered.

retsbed

Alfie_E wrote: »

I’ve since discovered that there’s another setting that could be the cause of the problem. In the about:config window, this time put general.useragent.extra.firefox into the Filter textbox. If it doesn’t have a value of Firefox/2.0.0.14, right click on it and reset it. If the setting is missing or remains wrong, even after resetting, you’ll have to follow frogman’s advice, and try reinstalling for a second time. Sorry for not knowing this first time I answered.

Hi Alfie E, thought I'd just just say thanks for your help.....your last tip got everything working.....at last :beer::beer: