310250 - Firefox doesn't start

Status: VERIFIED WORKSFORME

(Firefox :: General, defect)

Description

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

User-Agent:       Opera/8.50 (Windows NT 5.1; U; en)
Build Identifier: http://download.mozilla.org/?product=firefox-1.5b1&os=win&lang=en-US

- Firefox doesn't start.
- firefox -h |more produces usage display, as follows:
Usage: firefox [ options ... ] [URL]
       where options include:

	-height <value>		Set height of startup window to <value>.
	-h or -help		Print this message.
	-width <value>		Set width of startup window to <value>.
	-v or -version		Print Firefox version.
	-P <profile>		Start with <profile>.
	-ProfileManager		Start with profile manager.
	-UILocale <locale>		Start with <locale> resources as UI Locale.
	-contentLocale <locale>		Start with <locale> resources as content 
Locale.
	-console		Start Firefox with a debugging console.
- firefox -v |more answers "Mozilla Firefox 1.4, Copyright (c) 1998 - 2005 
mozilla.org"
- firefox -console |more produces no non-blank output to the console; another 
window, apparently a Dos Box, opens and closes too fast to see if it contains 
anything; GUI does not appear
- Using the "Mozilla Firefox (Safe Mode)" icon makes no difference.
- This is not a "hang": Task Manager shows no "firefox" process.
- Quality Assurance Program doesn't get fired up.

- Note: Thunderbird 1.5 beta1 exhibits the same symptoms.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
Method I.
1. enter "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" at the CMD.EXE prompt.

Method II.
1. Start -> Mozilla Firefox -> Mozilla Firefox
Actual Results:  
Nothing (see Description at top).

Expected Results:  
Firefox should have started normally.

Comment 1

[Kevin Brosnan]

Most likely this is something that can be solved by
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic

Comment 2

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

(In reply to comment #1)
> Most likely this is something that can be solved by
> http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic

I'll try it the next time I reboot (since that is the first step in the 
procedure). Any results, positive or negative, will be reported here.

Comment 3

[Kevin Brosnan]

Please do not report every step. Just let us know once either you have gone
through all the steps and the problem still exists or that this fixed the problem.

Comment 4

[Tony Mechelynck [:tonymec]]

Attachment: step-by-step log of "standard diagnostic" procedure

I got it working (plain-vanilla style). Nothing had the slightest effect short
of a complete uninstall with registry cleanup, followed by a reinstall. I still
don't know what had gone wrong. Manual log is attached if anyone wants to see
it but I expect most of you gurus won't need it.

I am now going to set preferences and install (one by one) themes and
extensions. If I get all I want and the problem doesn't reappear, I suppose
I'll have to mark this bug RESOLVED WORKSFORME.