Firefox users report problems after updating
Missing bookmarks, buttons may be tied to use of Norton security software
Computerworld - Users running Firefox along with popular Norton security programs have reported problems after updating the browser to Version 3.0.1, according to messages on Symantec Corp.'s and Mozilla Corp.'s support forums.
Mozilla confirmed the accounts yesterday.
"Some of the problems seem to be related to Identity Safe, which is a feature of Norton 360 and other Norton and Symantec offerings," said Mike Beltzner, Mozilla's director for Firefox. "[But] it's not clear that all of the problems are related to that single feature."
Beltzner was responding to questions about post-update problems mentioned during Mozilla's weekly Firefox status meeting on Wednesday, when the Norton 360 issue was brought up.
Messages posted by Symantec customers and Firefox users pointed to a wide range of problems with both Norton titles and Firefox, but a majority of the latter said their bookmarks had gone missing, as had the back and forward buttons, after they updated to 3.0.1. Mozilla started pitching that version to users of the older Firefox 2.0.0.16 last week when it turned on an automatic update offer.
Firefox users have been reporting the problem for months -- Firefox 3.0 launched in mid-June -- but the automatic update appeared to push the issue to the forefront.
Symantec customers, meanwhile, complained about the disappearance of Identity Safe, a password manager that's bundled with numerous Symantec security products, including Norton 360 2.0 and Norton Internet Security 2008, after upgrading Firefox.
"I just installed Firefox 3 under XP and have apparently lost Identity Safe which I depend on," said a user identified as "BobinVA" on a Symantec forum in a message posted last Sunday. "How can I get it back?"
Beltzner said Mozilla and Symantec are on the case. "We're working with people from Norton to try and understand the problems better," he said. "To date, though, neither we nor Norton have been unable to reproduce the problem in our QA labs."
According to Beltzner, older installations of Norton software, most likely those that haven't been kept up to date with downloads from Symantec, seem to prevent Firefox from terminating properly when the browser shuts down. "When the user starts up Firefox the next time, the file that's used to store their bookmarks and history can't be read, and as a result, the back and forward buttons don't work and no bookmarks are shown," he said. "This coincides with the Identity Safe feature not working as well."
Some users had reported that a reboot ended their problems, Beltzner said. Others have used a Mozilla support document titled "Configuring Norton 360" to quash the issue. "We'll keep looking into the problem, and while it's not happening for all Norton and Firefox users, we understand that for the users it is affecting, it's a significant problem," Beltzner said.



- Excel 2010 Cheat Sheet
- Register for this Computerworld Insider Cheat Sheet and gain access to hundreds of premium content articles, guides, product reviews and more.
- Why Business Ethernet Services?
- Everybody's heard the cliché, "the network is your business." But that's not going to help you choose the best wide area networking service...
- Overcome Top 7 Admin Challenges of Active Directory
- As Active Directory's role in the enterprise has drastically increased, so has the need to secure the data. Gain insight on creating repeatable,...
- Insiders Can Ruin Your Company. Take Action.
- Did you know that 80 percent of threats to an organization come from the inside? The threat from insiders is often overlooked in...
- Top Solutions and Tools to Prevent Devastating Malware
- Custom malware frequently goes undetected. According to Forrester Research, the best way to reduce risk of breach is to deploy file integrity monitoring...
- Streamline Compliance and Increase ROI
- Streamline, simplify, and automate compliance related activities; especially those that impact multiple business units. This white paper from NetIQ, outlines solutions that will... All Web 2.0 and Web Apps White Papers
- Optimizing Networks for the Cloud
- Join guest speaker, Rohit Mehra, IDC Director of Enterprise Communications Infrastructure, to explore current trends, discuss best practices for optimizing Data Center and...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 2: Designing and Deploying SQL Server on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn about the design considerations for virtualizing SQL workloads, performance and scalability information and high-availability options, as well as...
- Apps QuickStart Series Part 1: Designing and Deploying Exchange 2010 on VMware vSphere
- Download this webcast to learn the virtual hardware design considerations for Exchange 2010, deployment using the building block approach, options for high-availability and...
- Customer Spotlight: How IPC The Hospitalist Company Implemented Oracle on VMware
- Have you been looking to hear about customer's experiences with the new VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager product? View this webcast to learn...
- Virtualize Business-Critical Applications with Confidence
- Virtualizing business-critical applications has become a key focus for organizations as they move along their virtualization journey. With the launch of VMware vSphere®... All Web 2.0 and Web Apps Webcasts