Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron has been giving me a good time lately except for the web browsing experience. Firefox 3 beta 5 is included in Ubuntu 8.04 final as the default web browser even though its not stable. Above all, its not even compatible with WordPress 2.5 and will keep bugging you now and then with new problems.
So whats the solution? Either get Opera for Linux or get back the old and mighty Firefox 2. Many users think that as Firefox 3 beta 5 has been included in the final release of Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy so probably there is no easy way to get rid of it and install Firefox 2 instead but in reality its very easy to do so.
Go to System → Administration → Software Sources and make sure you have enabled all software package repositories. Now open the Synaptic Package Manager and look for the following packages.
- firefox
- firefox-3.0
- firefox-3.0-dev
- firefox-3.0-gnome-support
Right click on all of these packages and “Mark for Removal”. Now find the following packages and right click to “Mark for Installation”
- firefox-2
- firefox-2-gnome-support
Click Apply once and then again click Apply. This will remove Firefox 3 beta 5 and will download and install Firefox 2. The web browser can then be accessed from Applications → Internet → Firefox 2 Web Browser
When you remove Firefox 3 select the complete removal option instead of just the remove option.
Thanks for sharing. I had installed firefox 2 on my Hardy Heron, which is through wubi installer on my Vista. But, I am not able to install any of the add-on on firefox 2. It says “firefox can’t install the file”. Simply not a single add-on I could install. I tried to find solution on google. But unfortunately nothing worked. If some1 can help.
Thanks.
i like the knew firefox…but i also need the plugins that firefox 2 had….so instead of removing it i use swiftweasel and firefox 3.
just a suggestion as not everybody wants to remove it. but still needs firefox 2.
I have installed Hardy Heron through wubi along with Vista. I have installed firefox 2 as you have mentioned. Now installation of google toolbar fails with firefox2 with error -203. I dont know whats wrong here.
Darshak, I had the same problem and it was that something in the ~/.mozilla/ dir was only compatible with firefox-3 so I blew that dir away since its just profile stuff and it was a new install anyway. I ran firefox-2 again and it was happy.
@Darshak You need to do the complete removal as suggested by Michael. Possibly look in your home directory and remove any folders for firefox there.
Darshank, I’m having the same problem. I look at the Ubuntu forums and half the time the people answer the wrong question.
@Darshak:
After getting back to firefox-2 with this method. I managed to install the add-ons making a new user profile in firefox-2.
In case that you have not tried yet, here it goes:
run firefox with
$ firefox-2 -PCreate a new profile named “Firefox2” (or any other name)
and then make sure to launch firefox now with
$ firefox-2 -P Firefox2That worked for me.
@Darshark:
Before install FF2, search for every folders lft by FF3 ( usr/lib/firefox ), delete all. In home folder ther will be one that is hidden. Delete all. And then install FF2
The same problem 🙁
@Darshak
I had the same problem. It is because Firefox 3 is still installed and Firefox 2 and 3 use the same .firefox folder to store their data. So essentially, it is trying to install the add-ons on BOTH 2 and 3, and since it doesn’t work on 3, it refuses to install.
Same here. Problems eith firefox-gnome-support package when trying to install FF2.
Hi,
I had the same problem, firefox 2 does not run, neither extensions.
I solved it removing the firefox lib directories:
rm -r /usr/lib/firefox
rm -r /usr/lib/firefox-addons
Regards!
I removed firefox 3 and installed 2 because I use a lot of plugins and very few were working under v3.
I used a similar process to the original article. The details are described on http://notatplay.blogspot.com/2008/05/ubuntu-804-downgrading-firefox-and.html
I didn’t need to remove any directories. I especially did *not* remove the ~/.mozilla/ dir which has got all of the profile details in it.
Looks like a partial upgrade removed FF3…I had to install 2, it wouldn’t let me install 3 at all! Interesting. I haven’t found out why yet.
The whole thing is too messy. I gave up and installed Flock. All of the Firefox extensions that I use work in Flock too, and the browser is just as fast.
I had to abandon FF3 because of system freezes and Mozilla is not fixing the bug until “later this year.”
THX, before i run a FF2 from WINE emulator, but that is so much better.
Hi,
The problem Darshak, Dave and others mentioned above appears to be due to a problem in the extensions.rdf in your home directory’s .mozilla sub-dir. I found this bug post https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox/+bug/65609 and the workaround of removing only the extensions.rdf not the entire .mozilla dir worked for me.
I had already removed firefox 3 though and since both 2 & 3 use the same dir you may find the problem reoccurs if you decide to keep firefox 3.