Internet Explorer Vs. Firefox

[wayfaring man]

Greetings ,

I'm relatively new to computers and have been having trouble with Internet Explorer shutting down for an hour or more ( for no apparent reason ) about once or twice every week or two .

I've heard some good words about Firefox , and was wondering if I'd have better , less troublesome , browsing if I switched ?

Also , is it possible to have both on the same computer , with the option of using either one ?

Appreciate any replies .

wm

 

[Wahwax]

I love Firefox. It's free. Try it. I haven't had a problem with it crashing. Of course the problem could be your PC.

 

[Battie]

I would definitely make the switch to Firefox, but I feel like in your case that would be solving the problem by ignoring it.

Have you done any spyware/virus scans yet? If not, download and run Spybot S&D and Microsoft AntiSpyware. Both of these are excellent programs that will clean up most of the malware downloaded to your system. If you do not already have an antivirus program, you can try this one. You can also get a free online scan here, and I would highly recommend using this site even if you do have your own program. It can catch problems that other programs may not find.

Finally, go to Start --> Run and type "msconfig." Go to the startup tab. Expand the window so that you can see the whole list at once. Take a screenshot (hit alt + prt sc and paste it into a program like MS Paint) and post it here. We can tell you if there is anything fishy that should be removed.

You'll love Firefox and be much safer with it, but I think you still ought to fix the original problem. If spyware is involved, it will still be lurking in your system whether you actively use IE or not, and some of them will do some rather nasty things to your machine.

Hope that helps!

 

[Veiled Viper]

Yes you can have both Firefox and IE and use them interchangeably.You can have as many browsers as you have room for.

Greetings ,
I'm relatively new to computers and have been having trouble with Internet Explorer shutting down for an hour or more ( for no apparent reason ) about once or twice every week or two .

I've heard some good words about Firefox , and was wondering if I'd have better , less troublesome , browsing if I switched ?

Also , is it possible to have both on the same computer , with the option of using either one ?

Appreciate any replies .

wm

 

[doofus125]

How often do you restart your computer??? I've had a few people with that problem and it was because they were leaving there computer on for weeks and never restarting.

 

[trunks2k]

I use Firefox almost exclusively now. I love it, it hasn't given me any problems. Only time I use IE is when I need to connect to a remote desktop at work.

 

[Confused and alone]

Firefox is a great browser. I do think its takes a little getting used to since it operates a little differently then IE but all in all its a much safer one. Many things could be causing your problem and i recomment spybot S&D and ad-aware which can be downloaded at http:www.lavasoftusa.com and is free. These two programs work very well together and can really clear some spyware related problems.

 

[Belle0985]

Yeah, I love Firefox as well and use only it. When I have to use FTP though (I drag and drop pictures into the browser) I use IE, because FF doesn't support that, as well as other weird stuff that only programmers would be bothered by. It's also great because I choose the option to block popups, and I have NEVER gotten any. I also use Microsoft Antispyware.

 

[superfly]

hmmm... i'm suprised none of these anti-firefox people has responded yet. if they do, ignore them. firefox is great. use it and half your problems disappear. things like spyware and adware almost become a thing of the past.

then again, you could move to linux and avoid all these nasty things altogether.

firefox: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

 

[hjs_sector7g]

I agree, in general Firefox is great, and the ability to use tabs, and have multuple home pages is great.

The only problems I have encountered with FF is that on some webpages some of the features don't display properly, whether this is down to poor HTML coding I cannot comment.

Before FF I used IE exclusivley, but FF is now my default browser, and has been for some while.

I agree with comments above though you do need to sort out the cause of your problem, as IE shouldnt crash out (well not that frequently!!), Spybot S&D , and MS antispyware are both excellent products, makre sure you run an AV scan too.


Craig

 

[doofus125]

hmmm... i'm suprised none of these anti-firefox people has responded yet. if they do, ignore them. firefox is great. use it and half your problems disappear. things like spyware and adware almost become a thing of the past.

then again, you could move to linux and avoid all these nasty things altogether.

firefox: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

That's probably because they are tired of the arrogance like I am of firefox users.

 

[StromRider]

That's probably because they are tired of the arrogance like I am of firefox users.

Firefox users aren't arrogant, we just know it's better then other browsers .

Seriously, are you a user of Opera or some other good browser or IE? Because IE just can't cut it compared to anything. Even Maxthon is better.

As far as running into pages that firefox can't handle (through the fault of the programmer, not firefox), there is the 'View this page in IE' extension. You gotta love the extensions available. And tabbed browsing!!! Once you've had tabs you can never go back.

 

[pgp_protector]

How often do you restart your computer??? I've had a few people with that problem and it was because they were leaving there computer on for weeks and never restarting.

That shouldnt cause any problems, some of the computers I use are left on 25/7 and are only re-booted when I half to after a security update.

Firefox will help, but I have a fealing that it's not your only problem, take a look into a Good virus scan & spyware / trojen scan.

 

[Internet Missionary]

Firefox is night and day different that IE. It is substantially better in my opinion. I monitor the newsgroups, lists and messageboards that deal with new security holes in various programs and almost every single day I see notes about another security hole or hijaak of IE. Switch to Firefox, but solve the problem you are having as well.

 

[Veiled Viper]

Heh,I just installed Maxthon and username effects work in it,unlike Firefox.This is my 1st use,I'll check back when I learn more.

 

[wayfaring man]

I Appreciate the many prompt replies , and will begin to look into the suggested courses of action , and will post again ( Lord willing ) with an update on how things work out !

Peace And Joy In Christ's Spirit .

wm

 

[StromRider]

Heh,I just installed Maxthon and username effects work in it,unlike Firefox.This is my 1st use,I'll check back when I learn more.

I used Maxthon for several months before switching to Firefox and it was good but what is this 'username effects' you speak of? I don't know what you are referring to.

 

[wayfaring man]

Oh , And to answer a few of the questions ... I do have anti-spyware ( Adaware , Spybot , Microsoft Anti-spyware , & Spyware Blaster ) And AVG antivirus Also Windows service pack 2 , and run Zone Alarm , Sygate , and Windows Firewall at the same time ( someone said that might be the problem ? ) I update everything about once or twice a week , and run scans fairly frequently , with nothing threatening showing up in the past couple of months . I also usually don't go on line as " Administrator " and I set the Internet Security settings to " Empty Temporary Internet Files when browser is Closed ; And To " Not save encrypted files to disc ", and To " Check for Publisher and Server certificate revocation ".

 

[wayfaring man]

Also , I only have computer on while using it , I even turn off the power surge protector and unplug the phone line while not in use. I have dial-up 56kps , but sometimes I stay on for several hours at a time ... ( I'm not a fast typer ).

 

[WalksWithChrist]

Just a quick sound-off. I've been non-IE for over a year and my stress level is *way* down. = ) *scans the horizon for lurking IE trolls*