1. Increasing Speed

Firefox is optimized for dial-up connections by default where it loads things one by one. If you are using a broadband connection, however, this leads to an unnecessary waste of time. You may increase the speed at which pages load through the use of pipelining that allows for simultaneous loading of multiple things.

Please note that the about:config tool you will use is very powerful and must be configured with great care. It can wreak havoc just as much as it can improve performance.

• Click on the address bar and type “about:config”, and then press “Enter.”
• In the filter field, type “network.http” and then double-click these settings to change them.
• “network.http.proxy.pipelining” – true
• “network.http.pipelining” – true
• “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” – Set the number of simultaneous requests you want, say 20.
• Right-click on any space while you are still in “about:config,” select New-> Integer, and give it the name “nglayout.initialpaint.delay.” Put its value as zero.

2. Limiting the Amount of RAM Used

• Type “about:config” as before.
• Filter “browser.cache”.
• Select “browser.cache.disk.capacity”.
• Lower the default setting. For example, you may choose 15000 if your RAM is between 512 MB and 1GB.

You may even set Firefox to move to the hard disk whenever you minimize it. Open about:config, and right-click anywhere. Select New->Boolean, and refer to it as “config.trim_on_minimize”, then set the value to true. You must restart your browser to effect the changes.

3. Adding Keywords to Your Bookmarks

Firefox allows you to access your bookmarks faster by adding relevant keywords. Right-click on a bookmark, and select “Properties.” Select the “Keyword” field, type your keyword, and then save the changes. Whenever you type that keyword in the address bar, you will be taken straight to the bookmark.

4. Using Shortcuts

Firefox allows you to use many keyboard shortcuts to help you work faster. Here are some shortcuts and what they do.

• Ctrl+L – go to the address bar
• Ctrl+D – bookmark current page
• Shift-Spacebar – page up
• Spacebar – page down
• Ctrl+T – open new tab
• Ctrl-W – close tab
• Ctrl+F – find
• Ctrl+- – decrease text size
• Ctrl+= – increase text size

You may also use the mouse to access some handy shortcuts.

• Middle-click on a tab to close it.
• Middle-click on a link to open it in a new tab.
• Press Cntrl, and scroll down to increase text size.
• Press Cntrl, and scroll up to decrease text size.
• Press shift, and scroll up to go to the next page.
• Press shift, and scroll down to move to the previous page.

5. Deleting Address Bar Records

Firefox shows previous addresses you’ve visited as you type in the address bar. Although this is a handy feature, you may not want some addresses to show up. When the records show up, scroll to the address you want to delete using the down arrow, and then press the delete button.

These top five tricks will help you stay on top as you use the Firefox browser.

To get started, you need to open the Applications options/preferences window. From there, select the “mailto entry” and use the menu to make any necessary changes.

With the “use other” option, you can select a mail program that is not listed in the menu. Follow these steps to get started:

1. Click “use other” as a means of opening the “select helper application” screen.

2. Click on the “browse” button.

3. Within the file picker you should navigate to the installation directory. This is where you will find a list of mail programs, allowing you to select the one you want to use.

With Windows computers, for instance, you may find that Mozilla Thunderbird is not listed. You can click on the “use other” folder to find where Thunderbird is installed. From there, you can select “thunderbird.exe” which will allow Mozilla Thunderbird to be listed in the drop-down selection menu.

To go along with mail programs, you are also able to use webmail services including Gmail and Yahoo Mail among others. If you want to use a service that is not listed, there are extensions available.

Mail Not Working

There is nothing worse than your email application not working. If you click on the send link or mailto link and nothing happens, it is safe to say that you have an issue. But don’t worry, there is a good chance that you simply need to adjust a preference setting.

Mailto actions will not work if the network.protocol-handler.external.mailto preference is set to false. This may not be something you do on purpose, but instead a result of installing an extension that changes the value.

You can reset the preference by following these steps:

1. Type about:config into your Firefox address bar

2. If you see a warning message, click continue.

3. Type mailto in the filter.

4. Browse the list of preferences until you find network.protocol-handler.external.mailto.

5. If you find that the value has been changed to false, right click as a means of resetting it. This
changes the default to true. In turn, your problem should be solved.

Problems with Extensions

With the Google Toolbar for Firefox, the mail program is automatically changed to Gmail. This is the case regardless of your Firefox settings. For this reason, you do not want to use the “send with Gmail” option that is offered via the Google Toolbar.

Instead, you can use the “use Gmail” option that is available in the Firefox applications listing.

If you uninstall the Google Toolbar, it could lead to Firefox opening nothing for mailto links. At this point, you will need to reset the user preference to the true value.

This advice should help you when changing the mail program used by Firefox and/or troubleshooting related issues.

TABBED BROWSING

Do you like to browse multiple web pages at the same time, but tire of all the windows cluttering your screen? Is it annoying to have your taskbar filled with icons for web pages you have open? FireFox fixes this problem with “tabs.” Much like sections of a folder separated with paper tabs visible outside the perimeter of the pages within, tabs allow you to keep numerous web pages open in one window. All the pages you have open are organized at the top of the browser window, and can be re-arranged, opened and closed at will. Each browser window can have its own tabs, and hundreds can be open at once. If you’d like to have two windows open, each with their own functions, such as “work” and “play”, that is quick and easy to accomplish. If you run into any problems, FireFox will even try to restore the tabs you had open the next time you launch it.

ADD-ONS AND PLUG-INS

FireFox comes with a solid suite of features. However, there are many more available that you can add. To keep your browser fast and avoid making it overly bloated, you can select just the features you need. These are called “add-ons” or “plug-ins”, and are published by fellow FireFox users all over the globe. Installing them takes only a few clicks. Some of the features you can add to FireFox are the ability to block ads from loading or displaying, greater flexibility in how tabs are handled, integration of other applications such as music players, weather forecasts, and FTP software, mass downloading of multimedia files and links, and enhanced search capabilities.

Be careful when selecting your plugins, because although it is not especially common, malicious code can dwell inside this software. Always make sure that you can trust the author of the program by checking reviews and investigating the author’s home page. Even if the code is not intentionally malicious, you might run into glitches that cause the browser to malfunction. Also, too many plugins can make FireFox run slower than it should. If you encounter crashes, slowdown, or other strange behavior, the first thing you should do is disable your plugins and systematically determine which one is causing the issues. Don’t let this scare you off, however. Plugins and add-ons are a tremendous asset that makes FireFox one of the most flexible browsers on the market.

THEMES

You aren’t limited to the typical gray browser. With the literally thousands of themes available for Firefox, you can customize your browser’s appearance to suit your style, mood or to match the way you have decorated the rest of your system. Picking out a new theme can be done in just one click.

If Firefox keeps crashing, you will soon become annoyed with your browser. However, there are reasons why this is happening. Once you know the potential cause of this issue, you can find a solution.

Above all else, if Firefox is crashing you should make sure you are running the most recent
version. This will ensure that all the most recent fixes are in place. You can download and install
the latest version of Firefox at anytime by using the software update feature or heading straight
to Mozilla.com. Either way, make sure you are current with the latest version – this is one of the
most common ways to resolve unexpected crashes.

Extensions

In many cases, an extension may be causing Firefox to crash. If you feel that this is the problem,
start the program in safe mode and then click “continue in safe mode.” This will give you a
better idea of whether or not the extension is causing the issue, since running in safe mode
disables all extensions.

If Firefox is no longer crashing when running in safe mode, head immediately for the add-on
manager extensions list. From there, disable all the extensions and start the program as you
usually would. If the crash does not occur, you know that there is a problem with one of your
extensions.

At this point, you need to re-enable the extensions one at a time. This will help you pinpoint
which one is causing the issue.

Installed Software

In some cases, another type of software on your computer could be causing the problem. Some
of the most common culprits include: McAfee Site Advisor, NVIDIA Network Access Manager,
Roboform, Spector Pro for Windows, ThreatFire, Trusteer Rapport, and ZoneAlarm ForceField.

Crash During Startup

A crash that happens during startup is one of the most difficult to pinpoint. This is particularly
true if you are unable to start in safe mode. To ensure that you get the best advice possible, make
sure you allow the crash reporter to submit a report.

Below are some of the main reasons why Firefox may be crashing during startup:

• Problematic extensions
• Driver or video device issue
• Firefox program folder contains mismatched versions
• The use of a corporate login system
• Malicious software

Plugins

Plugins are often times the reason for a Firefox crash. These programs work within Firefox,
allowing you to better enjoy sound, animation, or video. While working, these plugins can
enhance your browsing experience. However, plugins often times “go bad” and cause more harm
than good.

If you are having an issue with a plugin, you can detect it by disabling all installed plugins.

Some of the most commonly used plugins that can lead to crashing include:

• Java (Mac OS X)
• RealPlayer
• VLC Media Player
• Hulu Desktop (Mac OS X)
• WebEx (Mac OS X)
• Plugins that have been installed by malware

Crash when Downloading

If your program is crashing during download, you can attempt to solve this problem by clearing
the download history under the Tools menu. Along with this, delete the file “downloads.sqlite”
from the profile folder.

Damaged plist file – MAC OS X

On MAC OS X, a regular crash pattern could be the result of a damaged preference file. To fix
this issue, quit Firefox and then find the file “org.mozilla.firefox.plist.” Move this file to your
desktop (don’t put it in the trash). Upon restarting, a new.plist file will be generated. If the new
file is working, you can trash the old one.

JIT Compiler

When running in safe mode, Firefox will disable the JavaScript JIT compiler. If the crash does
not occur in safe mode, set the javascript.options.methodjit.* preferences to false in about:config.

Video Driver

Display drivers and video devices can lead to regular crashes. The first thing you should do is
make sure your drivers are current. Starting in Firefox 4, you can find details regarding these
drivers and devices on the Firefox website. Along with this, you can turn off the option to use
hardware acceleration – this may also solve your problem. This can be turned off through the
following steps: Tools -> Options -> Advanced / General -> Use hardware acceleration when
available.

Hardware Issues

There may be a hardware issue with your computer that causes Firefox to crash. For example,
bad RAM chips can lead to this issue. To test for this problem, you can download Memtest86 for
Windows and Linux or Rember for Mac.

Crash Reports

With the help of Mozilla Crash Reporter, you will have an easier time locating the cause of
your crash. Once you have your report ID, you can post on the Firefox support forum for more
assistance. Those who read your report can give you more information on your crash, as well as
a possible fix.

Note: if your crash is common among other users, it may be listed in the “Top Crasher” section.

Additionally, your operating system may keep a log of crash reports. This information will likely
include the name of the module that led to the crash.

If Firefox keeps crashing, you will soon become frustrated. That being said, there are solutions to
this problem. All you have to do is pinpoint the issue and search for the appropriate fix.

Internet Explorer is jokingly referred to as the “Firefox Downloading Application.” Like most humor, there is a lot of truth behind the phrase as Firefox is known to be a superior web browser. After installing Firefox, most likely through Internet Explorer, you will want to make sure you can use your new browser as efficiently and effectively as possible. 

One of the first things that Firefox will ask you is if you would like to import your current list of favorite websites from any other browsers you already have installed. This option is only worthwhile if you have a large list of favorites already since Internet Explorer comes with a few preloaded favorites that pertain only to itself. Avoid having to wade through these later, and make the choice not to import your favorites if this is the case. By the way, when making the switch to Firefox, your favorites will now be called “Bookmarks.”

Once you have Firefox loaded up, you will notice some key differences between it and your previous browsers. For one, where the menu bar is normally on your programs, you will now find your tabs bar. This frees up valuable screen real estate, so your browser can display more of the page you are visiting. If you are uncomfortable with the layout of Firefox, you can easily change the display options by clicking the orange “Firefox” button on the top left of the screen, mouse-over “options,” then click the choice “Menu Bar.” 

If you like to have embedded search functions or use other toolbars on your browser, Firefox offers a dedicated community of developers and companies that release add-ons that can be accessed via the previously mentioned orange “Firefox” button and choosing “Add-ons.” This will bring up an easy-to-use page in your browser called “Add-ons manager.” The “Get Add-Ons” section allows you to browse and install any additional functional changes to the way you want to use Firefox. “Extensions” will display the add-ons you have installed that have a visible function (e.g. toolbars, Google modifiers, etc.). “Display” will show you the different visual options you have downloaded and allows you to easily switch your Firefox’s current look and feel. And “Plugins” will show you all the add-ons installed that run in the background but control different aspects of web browsing, which includes flash players, media players and certain document control programs (like Adobe Acrobat) among others.

Firefox is a robust browser that runs smoothly, loads quickly and is compatible with more websites than any other browser now available. Give it a shot, and you will also start referring to Internet Explorer as the “Firefox Downloading Application.”

In the mid-1990s personal computers were just beginning to be seen in homes, and the Internet was a new phenomenon. Companies were being started to compete in this new market, and several web browsers and operating systems vied for primacy. Operating systems available at that time included Microsoft Windows, IBM OS/2 and Linux. The major web browsers were Mosaic, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Netscape’s Communicator. 

In 1998 Netscape announced that it would release the source code for Communicator. This was intended to lead to improvements in the browser and spark interest in the enterprise version of the browser. Many programmers took advantage of this release to experiment with this free code. One group of programmers started a project they called Mozilla.

One of the early logos of the Netscape Corporation was Mozilla, a cartoon dinosaur. The name Mozilla was a combination of Mosaic-killer and Godzilla. Godzilla was a popular Japanese movie monster at the time. The name and logo represented Netscape’s determination to unseat Mosaic as the most popular browser. When Netscape released its source code, the name was a natural choice for developers using this code. Mozilla.org was born.

Mozilla was an open project. Developments were posted on the Internet, and programmers and developers from all over the world contributed improvements and new functions. In 2002 the organization released its first full version of a browser based on the Netscape code, Mozilla 1.0. However, Mozilla 1.0 was not a popular success. Internet Explorer was dominating the market by this time; it was being used by over 90% of web users.

Phoenix Rises from the Ashes of Communicator

In the same year the Mozilla project also produced a new browser called Phoenix. By this time Mozilla was starting to move away from creations that were meant to be improved versions of Communicator. The new direction was toward creating their own, totally new software, and making it available to everyone. Phoenix was the first step in that direction.

Phoenix becomes Firefox

In 2003 members of the Mozilla project formed the non-profit organization, the Mozilla Foundation. The foundation continued the goal of releasing new software and improving on existing projects. They placed much emphasis on Phoenix over the next year. Phoenix was soon renamed to Firebird and then to Firefox due to similarities to the names of other software programs. In 2004 Firefox 1.0 was released. It was downloaded by over 100 million users in its first year. 

Firefox Features

The new Firefox browser came with many innovative features. 

• Pop-up Blocker – Pop-ups were a relatively new advertising method at the time, and Firefox offered the option to prevent these screens from appearing over the page being viewed.
• Anti-Fraud Features – Another new phenomenon at this time was attempts to capture information such as credit card data and passwords. Firefox implemented features to prevent these by identifying secure sites.
• Integrated Web Searching – Firefox integrated search functions for such popular sites as Google, Amazon.com, Yahoo! and eBay.
• Migration Other Browsers – This feature was useful for users that wanted to switch to Firefox after having used other browsers for some time. Firefox included an easy-to-use function to import bookmarks, cookies, passwords and other user data from other browsers.

Over the years Firefox has continued to improve and innovate, while steadily increasing the percentage of users that choose it. Firefox is estimated to be the third most popular browser today, behind Internet Explorer and Google Chrome. Firefox currently offers version 11.0 and is more popular than ever.

I accidentally clicked “Never for this site” when Firefox asked if I want to save a password. How do I change this so it WILL remember my password?

Actually, we’ve gotten this question a lot. Thanks to built-in Firefox features, making this change is not really a problem. Here’s how to fix it:

Go to “Tools > Options” in the menu bar.
Click on the “Privacy” icon on the top.
Select the “Passwords” tab.
Click on the “View Saved Passwords” button near the bottom.
Navigate to the “Passwords Never Saved” section in that window.
Select the password that you want Firefox to remember and click “Remove”.
Click “Close” when you’re done
If you want to delete a password it did save, ignore step 5.

Another fairly common problem is forgetting your master password. While all of your passwords will be lost, there is a way to reset it:

Type chrome://pippki/content/resetpassword.xul into the address bar and press Enter.
Click “Reset”.
Hope this helps!

You can go to ‘File > New Window’ but that just opens up your homepage instead of a copy (or clone) of the window you were viewing, and its a bother to copy the URL. Also if you have multiple home-pages, it could take a while to load, especially if you are on dialup.

Unlike cloning a sheep, cloning a window is quite easy thanks to Firefox’s wonderfully handy extensions! You can download the “Clone Window” extension from the author’s website or from the Mozilla Extension Room.

Once you’ve got Clone Window installed, opening a new window will clone the first tab from your existing window. You should go to “Tools > Extensions> Clone Window” and click the Options button to change the settings to personalize the extension to fit your needs. There you can select which option you prefer when you select ‘New Window’. You can choose between the default action, a blank window, your homepage or homepages, or a cloned window (an exact copy of the window you are on).

Even though this is the Clone Window Extension, it could really be called the Clone Window and Tabs Extension because it can modify the tabs behavior too. Just like the new window options, you can choose between the default action, a blank tab, the home page tab, or a cloned tab.

You may only use this extension a few times, or you may use it all the time, but it will take away just one more of those tedious tasks.

If you’re like me, then your hands keep going back and forth between your keyboard and mouse when using a browser. Apart from being a waste of time, after some time of this, your hand begins to get tired. Luckily, Firefox has a whole host of built-in keyboard shortcuts that can make your surfing much more pleasing and efficient.

This article lists some of the more common shortcuts that will save your hand a few trips between the mouse and keyboard.
Mac users, substitute Command [Cmd] for Ctrl and Option for Alt, and most of these shortcuts will work just fine for you!

Page Navigation

• Back - Backspace or Alt + <- (left arrow)
• Forward - Shift + Backspace or Alt + -> (right arrow)
• Reload page - Ctrl + R or F5
• Stop [loading page] - Esc

Tabs and Windows

• New Tab - Ctrl + T
• New Window - Ctrl + N
• Next Tab - Ctrl + Tab or Ctrl + Page Down
• Previous Tab - Ctrl + Shift + Tab or Ctrl + Page Up
• Select a Tab by Number - Ctrl + Number of Tab (1 for the first tab, 2 for the second tab, etc.)
• Close Tab - Ctrl + W or Ctrl + F4

Other Common Shorcuts

• Bookmarks - Ctrl + B
  • Add bookmark - Ctrl + D
  • Bookmark all open tabs - Ctrl + Shift + D
• History - Ctrl + H
• Homepage - Alt + Home
• Downloads Window - Ctrl + J

Of course, the common cross-platform shortcuts for copying (Ctrl + C), selecting everything (Ctrl + A), printing (Ctrl + P), and most others also work in Firefox.

In part 2, I will explore several other useful shorcuts, as well as some of the lesser known ones.

All shorcuts listed here and many more others can be found in Mozilla’s list of Firefox shorcuts.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve given up trying to remember the password for every site you visit and have instead come to rely on Firefox’s integrated password manager. While the password manager is ridiculously convenient, have you realized that anyone with access to your computer can easily see your passwords?

Just fire up Firefox and click on the “Tools > Options” menu item. Now go to the “Privacy” tab and click on the “Passwords” subtab. (See Figure 1)

Figure 1: Firefox’s Password Manager Tab

If you click on the “View Saved Passwords” button then click on the “Show Passwords” button after that, Firefox will display all your passwords! Not a good thing, huh? Let’s fix that ASAP. Close that window and return to the Options window you opened a few seconds ago. Click on the “Change Master Password” button. (See Figure 2)

Figure 2: Setting a Master Password in Firefox

Just enter your desired password, preferably something strong – random numbers and letters, and make sure it’s something you’ll remember without having to write it down (that’s not usually safe ). Click “OK.” Although you don’t have to, I would recommend restarting Firefox. Now you must enter the master password before you can view that list of passwords. Also, Firefox will ask for your master password before automatically entering your passwords on websites. (See Figure 3)

Figure 3: Firefox Asking for Your Master Password

Now your passwords are a lot safer from casual snoopers. Even if your computer is only used by you, its still be a good idea to add this little bit of protection to your passwords.