FireFox update to 3.6.x hosed it, how do you go back to the previous version?

[Clint1]

I hate FireFox. Through dozens of installs, versions, and even reformats, and even XP Pro SP versions, it's so slow I don't see how anyone can use it. (Yes I know, that's on another thread ;-)). Unfortunately, it must be used at some sites. Ever since I allowed it to update to v3.6.3 (or maybe the version before that), things have gotten even worse. It's even slower than before, but it also disabled the "RealPlayer Browser Record Plugin" where you are supposed to have a pop-up button on every embedded video for "Download" and other options. It also disabled the right click on the clip and "Download"! That still works fine for IE, but it has vanished in FF.

This does not work:
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using+the+RealPlayer+plugin+with+Firefox#Cannot_do wnload_videos_after_updating_RealPlayer
It ridiculously says to DISABLE it, and it will work! :confused: (But again, the problem was not caused by updating RP, but after updating FF).

This also does not work:
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Using+the+RealPlayer+plugin+with+Firefox#RealPlaye r_plugin_is_not_recognized
Both of the files are where they should be.

RealPlayer keeps claiming there are no updates more than a year after installing it (v 11.1.3) so it cannot be updated.

Also, every single time I click "Restart FireFox" regardless of what plugin is installed/enabled/disabled, it NEVER starts! I repeatedly click to manually try and start it again, and there can be 20+ "firefox.exe" running in the Task Manager! The only way it will start again, is to wait about 15 minutes.....yes, that's 15 minutes of WAITING for it to load, or restarting my PC. This too has gotten worse with the latest version(s).

So I need to know either what's wrong with the RP plugin and why it won't work, or how to go back to a previous version of FF.

I know about http://www.oldversion.com/ (and I have older versions saved anyway), but there's got to be a simple way of simply rolling back an update. Obviously Mozilla is getting more and more like M$ with their updates. At least M$ has a way to go back or remove an update.

The question now is: If I can't remove the update and I have to install the previous version, is there anyway to save all FF settings/options and settings/options for all add-ons/extensions so they can be applied to another FF version?

(&^%$#@ freakin' forum!!!!! I HATE THESE FRICKIN' TEXT INPUT BOXES!! You can't even see WTF you're typing, the text won't wrap and goes off to the right!! :twisted:)

Thanks. ;)

[Clint1]

I just found out about http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/ but I can't check it out now or read about it because the site is down at this time. So I'm not sure if that will really save all settings and options, and also for the extensions installed. Even if it does do it all, I'll still rather simply rollback the update.

[jenjames]

relax buddy... uninstall it and reinstall it, start with a new profile, it will work.

[Clint1]

But if you start with a new profile, how will that save all previous FF settings and options, and the settings with installed extensions?

I installed http://www.mozbackup.org/ and did a backup of everything in FF that it could.

I found v3.5.2 at http://www.oldversion.com/Mozilla-Firefox.html and I installed it in a new folder, separate from v3.6.3 so I could have both installed.

I clicked to start v3.5.2, and to my shock, all of the extensions FROM v3.6.3 were already installed and setup! :confused: How is that possible? The 'Real Player Browser Record' plugin was back and working on v3.5.2, while it does show up at YouTube for example, the YT jerks have found a way to still disable it! :twisted: But at least it will work at other websites. (With FF at YT one will just have to use another plugin like "VideoDownloader").

I closed v3.5.2 and opened 3.6.3, and both were still installed, and working "independently" of each other, but I don't know just how independently because of the extensions mysteriously showing up installed and configured on v3.5.2. Does the Mozilla installer look for setup files or Profile folders from past installations and apply those to all installs? (If so, shouldn't it ASK if that's what you want to do?) So it seems all is ok.

So I shut my PC down for the day, restarted it today, went to start v3.5.2 and for some reason this time there was a box that showed up saying something like or about "....checking add-on compatibility....". <confused> I don't understand why that didn't happen yesterday when I first loaded it.

Then I started v3.6.3 and it also did the same thing! <confused> Also, it somehow re-added 2 add-ons to the main browser bar at the top that I had previously removed! It also didn't go to my default FF page, it went to that Mozilla page saying something like "Welcome to FF 3.6.3". Well, that's what I have been running for several weeks now! :confused: x 10

Each time I open 3.6.3, still after a wait of minutes (after first opening 3.5.2), the "Add-ons" panel immediately opens up! And it goes through that "....checking add-on compatibility...." again! And it also says I have installed 3 new extensions!! Oh really?? WHICH ONES??? <confused> It also keeps RE-enabling one of the two I disabled! It also keeps going back to the Mozilla default page saying I have 3.6.3 installed! <slaps palm to head>

If I open 3.6.3 again WITHOUT first opening 3.5.2, all is normal! (Again, after a wait of 5+ minutes). Then if I go to open 3.5.2, then it goes through all that BS again described above with 3.6.3! If it open 3.5.2 again, it's normal! :shock: x10

It would seem two versions of FF cannot exist on the same PC. ?? If they can, how do I stop this intolerable behavior?

(I see another thing this new formal layout has screwed up is the number of emoticons allowed in posts. <twisted goes here>)