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Firefox Slow?

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Firefox slow to load?

Do you find Firefox slow? Would you like to learn how to make Firefox load faster and how to speed up Firefox?

While my children tend to use the Firefox Browser (because Mummy does and Mummy is the PC Geek in this house!), my husband is resisting and still uses Internet Explorer, which I tend to call "Internet Exploder" because of all the trouble I used to have with it. However, exactly at the time I was trying to persuade Lovely Hubby to make the switch to Firefox for the umpteenth time, Firefox started playing up on my PC.

I had a large number of tabs open, so I closed them, did a Cleanup and then became very frustrated as Firefox took an eternity to reload. So I did some research, made some changes to my Firefox configuration and Bingo! Firefox is performing a lot faster.

Here is my step by step guide on how to speed up Firefox.

Are you sure it is Firefox that is slow?

Do you know how to clean up your PC?

Before making any changes to your Firefox configuration there are two other things you should do first:

1. Clean up your PC

2. Fix any corrupted registry files.

Is your PC Slow? tells you how to clean up your PC using some completely FREE software, CCleaner, that is fast to download and easy to use. There's no catches, no signups and I use this software every two or three days to stop temporary files building up on my PC.

The process usually takes less than a minute and I usually free up at least 50 megabytes of space each time - imagine how much rubbish would take up valauable hard drive space if I did not do this! .

CCleaner also has a process that will fix your Registry, which is also very fast. I also use this on a regular basis and also every time I use Photoshop Elements, which always seems to leave a mess behind it in the Registry.
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Disclaimer!

Just to be clear.....

Please note that this is how I reconfigured Firefox to work on my PC. All PCs are configured differently and I cannot be held responsible for any problems that you may experience if you choose to follow these steps on your PC.

Before making any changes to your Firefox configuration, I advise you to:

* Set a system restore point on your PC

* Back up all valuable files

* Copy your Firefox config file before you make any changes to it

* Make a note of ALL the steps you take, so they are easy to undo in the event that you want to

Don't be scared of the
technical phrases you are
about to come across!

You don't need to know
what they mean
unless you are curious of course!

There's links to more
tech explanations
further down the page

Speed up Firefox by making changes to the config file

Type about:config in the Firefox address bar

Firefox about:config



Type about:config into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down the screen to find the entries you need, which are listed alphabetically

Firefox warning

Be brave!

Firefox warning



You will get a warning from Firefox. Be brave and click on the button!

Scroll down the screen to find the entries you need, which are listed alphabetically. Any that have been changed from the Forefox default settings, since you first downloaded Firefox, will be bold.

Any settings that have been changed or added via Firefox add-ons will also be bold.

Step 1: Using keep-alive connections

Improves performance

Firefox slow



Using keep-alive connections improves performance.

Look for network.http.keep-alive. If it's false, double-click that line and change it to true.

Step 2: network.http.version

Check the setting

Firefox slow 2



Make sure network.http.version is set to 1.1

This is the Mozilla default and should not normally be changed.

Step 3: Enable pipelining

Speed up Firefox page loading

Firefox slow 3



Normally the Firefox browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which speeds up page loading.

Note: Pipelining will only work if your configuration is set as outlined in Step 1 and Step 2.

Scroll to:

network.http.pipelining, double click and set to true

network.http.proxy.pipelining, double click and set to true

Step 4: Firefox tabs

Increase the number



The next step relates to the number of tabs you have open in your Firefox browser. Increase the number if you normally work with a lot of tabs open at once. The default is 4 but I work with more than that and I have noticed that all my Firefox problems occur when I have a lot of tabs open.

Scroll to network.http.pipelining.maxrequests, right click, select Modify and change to the number that suits you.

I changed mine to 15 but I know some people who can have 20 or 30 tabs open at once.

Step 5: Reducing Firefox's reaction time

New Integer: nglayout.initialpaint.delay

Speed up Firefox



This step reduces the time it takes for Firefox to react to received information.

Right-click (Apple users ctrl-click) anywhere in the about:config window

Select New and then Integer from the pop-up menu.

Firefox slow - entering a new integer



Type nglayout.initialpaint.delay in the New Integer pop-up window and click OK.

In the next pop up box, you will be prompted to enter a value. Enter 0 and click OK.

This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives.

Step 6: Reducing browser reflow

New Integer: content.notify.interval

This step sets the minimum amount of time to wait between browser reflows.

Right-click (Apple users ctrl-click) anywhere in the about:config window

Select New and then Integer from the pop-up menu.

Type content.notify.interval in the New integer value pop-up window and click OK.

In the next pop up box, you will be prompted to enter a value. Enter 500000 and click OK.

What is Browser Reflow?

As explained by Google

If you want to know more about Browser Reflow, here's an explanation from Google. This video presents ways to minimize reflow on web pages. For more information, visit Google.com.
Minimizing browser reflow
by GoogleWebmasterHelp | video info

9 ratings | 8,133 views
curated content from YouTube

Step 7: Add a new Boolean configuration

content.interrupt.parsing

Note you must do Steps 7 and 8 to enable Step 9 to work

Right-click (Apple users ctrl-click) anywhere in the about:config window

Select New and then Boolean (NOT Integer) from the pop-up menu.

Type content.interrupt.parsing in the New Boolean value pop-up window and click OK.

In the next pop up box, you will be prompted to enter a value of true or false. Enter true

Step 8: Add another Boolean configuration

content.notify.ontimer

Note you MUST do Steps 7 and 8 to enable Step 9 to work

Right-click (Apple users ctrl-click) anywhere in the about:config window

Select New and then Boolean (NOT Integer) from the pop-up menu.

Type content.notify.ontimer in the New Boolean value pop-up window and click OK.

In the next pop up box, you will be prompted to enter a value of true or false. Enter true and click OK

Step 9: Speed up page loads

New Integer: content.switch.threshold

Right-click (Apple users ctrl-click) anywhere in the about:config window

Select New and then Integer from the pop-up menu.

Type content.switch.threshold in the New integer value pop-up window and click OK.

In the next pop up box, you will be prompted to enter a value. Enter 250000 and click OK.

Step 10: Disable Auto Update

But only as a last resort

Firefox logoIf you find that these steps do not speed up Firefox, then it could be due to the auto update. Disabling the Firefox auto-update feature may lead to improved loading time.

To disable the Auto Update:

Go to Tools

Select options

Select advanced

Select Update

Uncheck all the selections

Click OK

If you do this, then make sure that you do a manual Firefox update at least once a week

To manually check for a Firefox update, click the Help menu at the top of the Firefox window on the menu bar and select Check for Updates

Registry Fix

Software I use on a regular basis

CCleaner is great free software to clean up your PC, but every once in awhile I like to do a more in depth Registry Fix and for this I use the software provided by Registryfix.com.

RegistryFix will scan your system registry and hard drive for invalid file and system references. These may cause system instability, PC errors, constant crashes and general system slowdowns.

If you would like to see for yourself then you can get a free system scan that will check for:

* Missing file associations

* Missing startup programs

* Invalid device drivers

* Invalid application paths

* Missing DLL files

* Missing help files

* Missing system fonts

To get your free registry scan or to buy Registry Fix then visit Registryfix.com

Mozilla Firefox Blog

The latest news about Firefox

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My "Tech" Lenses

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Sources and Links to more information

More technical info is available at the Mozilla Knowledgebase

Network.http.keep-alive - MozillaZine Knowledge Base
This article describes the preference network.http.keep-alive.
Network.http.version - MozillaZine Knowledge Base
This article describes the preference network.http.version.
Network.http.pipelining - MozillaZine Knowledge Base
This article describes the preference network.http.pipelining.
Network.http.pipelining.maxrequests - MozillaZine Knowledge Base
This article describes the preference network.http.pipelining.maxrequests.
Nglayout.initialpaint.delay - MozillaZine Knowledge Base
This article describes the preference nglayout.initialpaint.delay.
Content.interrupt.parsing - MozillaZine Knowledge Base
This article describes the preference content.interrupt.parsing.
Content.notify.ontimer - MozillaZine Knowledge Base
This article describes the preference content.notify.ontimer.
Mozilla Firefox Support
Need Help with Firefox? You've come to the right place!
Firefox
Whether you're a beginning, intermediate or advanced user, these shortcuts and suggestions will help you get the most out of Firefox
TweakGuides.com - Firefox Tweak Guide
A central resource for PC optimization and troubleshooting information.

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  • Reply
    Ladymermaid Jan 16, 2012 @ 1:07 pm | delete
    I use the firefox browser constantly as it is so very much faster than other browsers. It even makes mac's safari look slow. I love Firefox and cannot say enough good things about it.
  • Reply
    phoenix-arizona-friends Jul 6, 2011 @ 8:23 pm | delete
    Cool lens.
  • Reply
    phoenix-arizona-friends Jul 6, 2011 @ 8:23 pm | delete
    Cool lens.
  • Reply
    newbizmau Jun 21, 2011 @ 4:20 pm | delete
    My sister said that she thinks Firefox is slow. She has a Dell PC. I use a Macbook Pro and it's super fast for me. Much faster than Safari and Internet explorer. I believe it has to do with the computers. Ever since I was given a Mac I haven't had the problems I had with PCs. I don't think I can go back to those days of crashes and trying to correct sluggish behavior, not to mention paying for internet security. I haven't purchases any type of firewall or Internet security since I've had it.
  • Reply
    SEM-SEO-SMM Jan 26, 2011 @ 7:52 pm | delete
    I just did everything that you suggested because I often experience this. I do hope that it works. Thank you for these tips if it does!
  • Reply
    SEM-SEO-SMM Jan 26, 2011 @ 8:06 pm | delete
    Firefox is now running like a bullet. I notice it is using up a lot more memory, but it is just so much faster now! Glad that I stumbled across your Lens!
  • Reply
    aj2008 Jan 27, 2011 @ 8:56 am | delete
    So pleased I could help you, but also remeber to do a clean-up every so often :)
  • Reply
    Mrmakingusmile Oct 14, 2010 @ 11:44 am | delete
    Awesome lens. Thanks for making me smile.
  • Reply
    Susan52 Oct 6, 2010 @ 9:52 pm | delete
    SquidAngel blessings for a very well presented, well-documented lens. I definitely need to read and heed your advice.
  • Reply
    ajgodinho Oct 6, 2010 @ 2:49 am | delete
    My FireFox has slowed down a bit since I first got my new laptop in January this year. I had tried a few under-the-hood changes as advised by some of the experts. It seemed to have worked for a few days and then slowed down again. I switched to Chrome now and it's much faster. Though, I still use FF, I will give these changes a try. Did you see a considerable change after making the changes you suggested above? Yeah, it's a good idea to make a restore point just before making such changes. Thanks for this resource...it's well presented!
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