459029 - KB article: Firefox launches automatically when your computer starts

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(support.mozilla.org :: Knowledge Base Articles, task)

Description

[Johnathan Nightingale [:johnath]]

A conversation in dev.apps.firefox recently came up with this subject, and beltzner provided some obvious avenues to try:

>> On 8-Oct-08, at 1:51 AM, [e-mail] wrote:
>> I have the latest version 3.0.3 on my Mac.  Everytime I start my
>> computer, firefox automatically starts and opens a window.  I find
>> this highly annoying and can't figure out how to make it stop.

> There's one of two things happening:
> 
> 1. Firefox.app is in your account's "Login Items"
> 2. Some other application is in your account's "Login Items" and
> starts by loading a webpage

> To check, go to System Preferences > Accounts and select your account,
> then select the "Login Items" tab. Make sure that Firefox isn't
> listed. Further, make sure that you want everything that is listed to
> actually open at startup.

I can't find a comparable article in the KB already, but I think beltzner's replies are a good base for an article on the subject.

Comment 1

[[:Cww]]

Other possibilities (Windows) are 1) Virus, virus, virus.  2) Web page is in start-up items.

Related, here's how I'd diagnose it in livechat:

1) Check Program Files > Startup for Firefox or a Firefox preloader (they exist)
2) What page is it taking you to when it tries to start?  Your homepage or a specific page?  Change your homepage, does it take you to that new page or still bring you to a specific page?  (I know of at least instance of where a print driver launched the printer config page on loading because it wasn't taking the settings)
3) Make IE your default browser, restart, does Firefox still launch or does IE?
4) Run one of those startup program detection programs (I know MS publishes one but I can't remember the name right now) and figure it out from there.

Comment 2

[Tobias (:Tobbi) Markus]

I published the first draft of an article. Review, please: https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Firefox+launches+automatically+when+my+computer+starts

Comment 3

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

Does this not exist on Linux?

Comment 4

[Chris Ilias [:cilias]]

Reviewed and moved to KB at:
Wed 15 of Jul, 2009 13:11 EST

Points from review:
- We should change the name to use 'your' not 'my'
- The intro paragraph doesn't really help explain the article title
- Page is blank for linux. Found that Linux has a "Startup Applications" panel, so I added that.
- Added {SHOWFOR(spans=on)/}
- No need for toc (any OS has 2 headings at the most)
- Changed the windows showfor name to "windows"
- "Firefox or a Firefox document..." sounds weird, so I renamed it to "Firefox items"
- I think we can assume that Windows users know there the start button is
- Mac users know where system prefs are
- On Mac it's login items, and it's a tab
- It's Firefox, not Firefox.app
- Syntax on buttons needs to be fixed
- On both Windows XP and Vista I don't see any Autostart folder in All Programs. I assume you're referring to the Startup folder.

Thanks a lot for your work Tobbi. It's really appreciated!