A problem has arisen with Firefox v1.06 in a new install of SUSE v9.3. Initially the program worked properly. Then I started to install extensions, and the "fun" started.

In the usual way, I installed a number of extensions, all of which were then
marked that their installation would be complete after a shutdown and reloading of FF. When I tried to shut FF down, it told me that I this would mean the loss of eight pending downloads. In fact, there were no pending downloads, so it must have been talking about the incomplete installation of the extensions. I shut down anyway, which meand abandoning the alledged "downloads". I reloaded FF and found that the extenstions were still waiting for me to shut the browser down and restart it. So I shut down again, and rebooted SUSE. -- which, oddly enough, caused the extensions to be installed and ready. This is VERY erratic behavior.

I installed another few extensions, and also a theme (I don't like the cartoon
buttons in most themes. I was surprised to be told that I needed to download
the theme rather than install it. I am sure that it was not always this way,
and that the "install" button actually used to install a theme, and put it into the
list of available themes.

Having no idea how to install the jar file into the theme manager, I found
another extension that promised to do this for me, and installed it, then shut
down FF.

NOW the fun REALLY starts: When I tried to start FF, what came up was the
dialog for choosing a profile. I have only one FF profile, and at the moment
don't want more. But pressing the "Load Firefox" button got me a message that this profile is already in use. There was no way to make FF actually start.
After I repeated this exercise several times, the reaction changed. I no longer
get the choose-profile dialog -- now FF begins to start, and I can see for an
exceedingly short time a frame surrounding the window that FF would be in. This frame then vanishes, and nothing more happens.

In this situation, is there a way to remove all the extensions that I
installed? I would like to start over, install only those extensions which I
know from the past, and which I have reason to believe will behave themselves properly. I would also make do with one of the themes suppliled with FF. In other words, I would leave well-enough alone.

The alternative, I think, is simply to uninstall Firefox and install it again
from the Mozilla site. Or is this better done with YaST?

I think the best way to solve your problem is to delete your profile. There is a folder inside of ~/.mozilla/firefox/ that called "some_alfanumeric_name.default" - this is your profile folder. If you have a bookmarks that you want to save, just copy bookmarks.html from this folder to some temp location. Another good idea is to copy cert8.db, formhistory.dat, key3.db and signons.txt too - FF stores an information about your passwords and logins in these files. Then just delete ~/.mozilla/firefox directory and start Firefox. New default profile will be created. Close Firefox, then move files you saved to the new profile.
Now, if you have a Firefox theme in .jar file, just open the theme manager and drag and drop this file from your filemanager into the theme manager window, then you will know what to do...
I never used Suse, so i can't say a thing about it and it's FF installation, but in any distro i use i'm just installing Firefox manually in /usr/local/firefox: i don't love these default installs when parts of the browser are spreaded in separate locations.
Regards.

MANY THANKS for the details. I would not have known how to chase down these odds and ends, nor even been awae of their existence. The scattering of elements of a program is, I agree, one of the more off-turning aspects of Linux.

Thanks again.

You're welcome.

This has not worked out as expected.

Before delving into the directories, I tried (for good luck =;-/8 ) to start FF, and the "choose a profile" dialog came up. I deleted the only profile from this dialog, and felt that I was lucky.

I next dropped a theme jar file into the FF theme manager; this produced no effect. I then tried to replace the existing theme by selecting one of the existing themes and choosing the "use this theme" button. The only effect was to dim out the "use thie theme" button; the theme was not replaced, even after reloading FF.

Out of curiosity, I used the "My Computer" folder, and found that there were no fewer than three profiles. I deleted two of them.

I tried to download a file. I can select the desired file at the remote URL, but nothing happens when I try to download it. Firefox is sick.

I then thought to uninstall FF and replace it with a clean copy. I found that FF is a protected file; I was not able to find how to unprotect it. Several other programs depend on it, which must be the reason it is locked in.

My comment about this, if I may: I do not think much can be said for the rococo manner in which Linux permits programs to depend on libraries that are integral parts of other programs. Much can be said for program independence, and for putting libraries of common use in a directory intended for that purpose -- but who am I to cavil.

If there is an orderly way out of the present "Catch-22", I hope somebody wil tell me what it is. I am beginning to be thankful that I do not have a lot of money tied up in Linux.

Try opening Firefox with the profile chooser. But first make sure there are no hidden processes of it running.

firefox -profilemanager or /usr/bin/firefox -profilemanager

You can also open firefox in safemode to uninstall "bad" extensions or themes.

firefox -safe-mode
Then uninstall the bad extensions/themes.

The problem isn't Linux, the problem is extnsions/themes sometimes tend to not play nice with Firefox. Especially themes. Which is why I stick with the default theme.

If you need more help check out the Firefox forum

I'll do as you suggest, but I don't think there is anything there to uninstall: The Extensions window is empty, and the Themes window contains only the three themes that came with it.

I am using the same Firefox release under OS/2, and have for years (Mozilla before it). I use a fair number of extensions, but have never had one make the browser unusable. For the most part, if an extension is inappropriate, if refuses to install. And in fact, several extensions that I am using successfully on FF for OS/2 (the same release, mind you) have failed to install on FF for Linux.

My complaint about Linux was only indirectly connected with this specific problem. It was about being unable to uninstall FF because other packages depend on it. To construct a web of interdependency is looking for trouble. It is bad system design.

I'll do as you say, and will in all probability be back to report on the results.

Well. I think my explaination was clear enough to solve your problem. I know that you're completely messed up your FF configuration. I did provide you a working solution for your problem. Try to read my post one more time and follow a given instructions.
In your case you need to delete an entire ~/.mozilla/firefox directory.

Your explanation was very clear and thorough. The clarity and completeness of your response is not an issue. What I said is that the results were less than satisfactory. As you say, FF is comletely messed up, and it goes way beyond profiles. There is no need for me to reread your instructions; I did as you suggested, except that there was no need to backup the password and similar files, because the FF installation was too new to have any data of that sort.

I did nothing to cause this mess, I am quite clear about that. I know exactly how to go about configuring FF and installing extensions and themes -- I have done this many times in the past. If Firefox is in a mess, it got there all by itself.

More to the point, I have said that I see now alternative to removing FF and reinstalling it. The difficulty is that Linux, in its awareness that other pachages depend on FF, and unawareness that I fully intend to reinstall FF, won't let me uninstall it. That's way I have characterized the present situation as "Catch-22".

Are you telling me that it WILL let me remove the directory, and that this would allow me to install the browser anew?

Firefox should uninstall quite easily. The only thing it is tied to on my system is mozilla-firefox-gnome-support. Although each distro is a little different.

I am curious about the 3 themes it came with. Any install I have ever seen only comes with the default theme.

Try going following the "Standard diagnostic".

Hm... well, sorry. What exactly are the FF-depend packages? Uninstall Firefox with all his dependencies and then reinstall them once again without FF, maybe?

I could not agree with you more, if we remember that the operative word is "should". In reality, it is protected, because Open Office is dependent upon it. In my view, that is indefensible, but it is a fact.

Every Mozilla browser I have ever installed came with two or three themes. Two of these are the usual kind, with cartoony buttons, and one is aparently a Novell contribution to the art, with mor business-like buttons.

The chief dependency is Open Office.

I think that "dependency" means that Open Office won't install without the needed elements of Firefox. That would make it hard to reinstall it without Firefox. I think Firefox would have to be installed first -- unless it is dependent upon something in Open Office, of course. =;-/8

I think this is what Bill Gates calls "Integrated Software".

Must be a SUSE thing. OpenOffice doesn't depend on Firefox or the other way around in Debian.

I agree with craigevil. Clearly a SUSE thing: I'd never seen such behaviour in other distros.