Firefox will not connect to any website

[Tony Morton]

Firefox will not connect to any website, it opens properly and will open files from my PC, there is nothing wrong with my wi-fi or internet connection. Any request for a web address results in the continuing spinning icon in the tab and it never connects to any web address. This follows upon Ubuntu software updates on Tuesday 21st May 2019

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 18.04
Package: firefox 67.0+build2-0ubuntu0.18.04.1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.15.0-50.54-generic 4.15.18
Uname: Linux 4.15.0-50-generic x86_64
AddonCompatCheckDisabled: False
ApportVersion: 2.20.9-0ubuntu7.6
Architecture: amd64
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC1: tony 2152 F.... pulseaudio
 /dev/snd/controlC0: tony 2152 F.... pulseaudio
BrokenPermissions:
 healthreport/state.json (0o600, wrong owner)
 sessionstore.bak (0o600, wrong owner)
BuildID: 20190517140819
Channel: Unavailable
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Thu May 23 15:15:36 2019
ForcedLayersAccel: False
IfupdownConfig:
 # interfaces(5) file used by ifup(8) and ifdown(8)
 auto lo
 iface lo inet loopback
IncompatibleExtensions:
 English (GB) Language Pack - <email address hidden>
 English (South Africa) Language Pack - <email address hidden>
 Default - {972ce4c6-7e08-4474-a285-3208198ce6fd}
InstallationDate: Installed on 2018-09-30 (234 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 18.04.1 LTS "Bionic Beaver" - Release amd64 (20180725)
IpRoute:
 default via 192.168.0.1 dev wlp3s0 proto dhcp metric 600
 169.254.0.0/16 dev wlp3s0 scope link metric 1000
 192.168.0.0/24 dev wlp3s0 proto kernel scope link src 192.168.0.10 metric 600
PrefErrors: Unexpected character ',' before close parenthesis @ /usr/lib/firefox/omni.ja:greprefs.js:1151
PrefSources: prefs.js
Profiles: Profile0 (Default) - LastVersion=67.0/20190517140819
RunningIncompatibleAddons: True
SourcePackage: firefox
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
dmi.bios.date: 10/14/2013
dmi.bios.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.bios.version: A11
dmi.board.name: 0478VN
dmi.board.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.board.version: A00
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Dell Inc.
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnDellInc.:bvrA11:bd10/14/2013:svnDellInc.:pnInspiron660s:pvr:rvnDellInc.:rn0478VN:rvrA00:cvnDellInc.:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.family: To be filled by O.E.M.
dmi.product.name: Inspiron 660s
dmi.sys.vendor: Dell Inc.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

Thank you for your bug report. do you get the same issue if you start a private browsing session? Could you add your journalctl bug?

[Tony Morton (tony-morton)]

Yes, the same issue. I am using the Opera browser while Firefox is out
of action, and Opera works fine. Does that help pin down a difference?
This problem only began after the Ubuntu update on Tuesday 21st which
was a list of system files, so maybe something that Firefox depends upon
was changed then?

The journalctl package is not installed on my system.

On 23/05/2019 22:01, Sebastien Bacher wrote:
> Thank you for your bug report. do you get the same issue if you start a
> private browsing session? Could you add your journalctl bug?
>
> ** Changed in: firefox (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>

[Tony Morton (tony-morton)]

OK - this fixed the problem;

https://askubuntu.com/questions/1145311/internet-is-working-but-firefox-browser-cannot-connect

Answer 2

2

I was having the same issue. Removing prefs.js did not fix the problem
for me.

Restarting firefox via Menu -> Help -> "Restart with Add-ons Disabled"
and choosing to restart in "safe mode" gave me a working browser.

I opened a regular instance of firefox again and it was still not
working (obviously). I repeated the "Restart with Add-ons Disabled" but
selected "Refresh Firefox" at the final step and it seems to have fixed
the problem.

I went back through the preferences section and have changed back all of
my settings there and I haven't broken the browser yet.

Again, this doesn't get to the root of the problem, but perhaps it
narrows it down some? Maybe someone else knows more about what all gets
reset when you choose "Refresh Firefox"?

So this works - and the problem seems to be something inside Firefox,
possibly due to Add-Ons, the basis of which seems to have been changed.

This bug can be closed.

Regards
Tony Morton

Yes, the same issue. I am using the Opera browser while Firefox is out
of action, and Opera works fine. Does that help pin down a difference?
This problem only began after the Ubuntu update on Tuesday 21st which
was a list of system files, so maybe something that Firefox depends upon
was changed then?

The journalctl package is not installed on my system.

On 23/05/2019 22:01, Sebastien Bacher wrote:
> Thank you for your bug report. do you get the same issue if you start a
> private browsing session? Could you add your journalctl bug?
>
> ** Changed in: firefox (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Incomplete
>

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for firefox (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]