The download messed up Firefox miserably

[maryann_shank]

I tried to download your ebook on starting an online business. I was required to install a new program, which I am very sorry I did. The download/installation caused my Firefox browser to become literally inoperable. I have un-installed, re-installed (and uninstalled the 4 programs that EJ installed onto my computer), all to no avail. It tells me that every single page lacks a security certificate, even Google. Sometimes I can bypass the warning screen, and sometimes I can't. If I can get past it, the page is really messed up. I spent over two hours trying to fix this, and I am not a happy camper at this point.

[E-junkie_Guru]

Our free ebook, "Starting an Online Business From Scratch", is merely a PDF file, which can be opened and read in any PDF reader app -- e.g., Adobe Reader, FoxIt Reader, or the Preview app built into Apple Mac OS X and iOS, among many other PDF readers available. I just now ordered and downloaded a copy of the file myself and scanned it to confirm it does not contain any viruses or other malware. Our download link for that file does not download or install any other file or program, nor does our download system ever download any file other than the file the seller provided for their product.



You may be able to fix Firefox by using the Reset Firefox function, or by creating a new Firefox Profile:

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles



If you did not already have a PDF reader app installed, your computer may have asked you to install one when you tried to open the file. If you did so, it's possible the PDF reader you chose to install, or the source you obtained it from, gave your computer sort of virus or malware entirely unrelated to our system or our ebook file. We would recommend that you uninstall any software you'd installed in this case, update your antivirus and malware scanners (BitDefender Anti-Virus and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware both have free versions that are are quite good), and run a full scan of your computer.

[maryann_shank]

Hi, Guru,

I've used EJ for years (and I'm creating a new site, SheBizNow.com) that recommends your services highly. So I know you are good guys. But something really weird happened when I clicked on that link. I went to a page that said I had to download a new "reader". I do, of course, have the current Acrobat reader installed. When I went to download the "new" one, everything strange started happening. I've totally uninstalled Firefox, and reinstalled it, to no avail. And when I went to do the uninstall, I found that four files had been downloaded just that day (with nothing else for four days prior). I've got McAfee Virus too, so I can't imagine what happened. Oh, drat, maybe I'll have to go get my whole computer de-bugged. That's not a nice thought.



Thanks for checking on it.

[E-junkie_Guru]

If you had Adobe Reader installed but didn't have the Firefox plugin for that installed, Firefox may have asked you if you wanted to install such a plugin. Firefox also now offers a built-in PDF reader, though I'm not sure if that gets installed by default vs. being asked if you wish to install it as an optional add-on whenever you download a PDF, if you don't already have a different reader plugin installed.



Since un/reinstalling Firefox didn't help, I suspect the problem is with your Firefox Profile, which is where all your bookmarks, settings, add-ons, etc. get kept between upgrades or un/reinstalling. See the link I provided above to create a new, fresh, blank Profile. I'd suggest uninstalling Firefox, then restart your computer, then reinstall Firefox, then before you start up Firefox again normally, do that new-profile routine.

[maryann_shank]

Dear Guru,

[blush] [blush] I think I've gotten to the root of the issue, and it has nothing to do with EJ, or even FF. The last download I made prior to the muddle was the new Windows update. It was recalled yesterday due to a number of issues (one of them being a security issue). I reset the computer to prior to that download, and after an hour with my online provider re-setting stuff, it all works fine and dandy now.



Thank you for your patience during this, and for your excellent suggestions.



Best,

MaryAnn