Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

[hansdevr]

Some days ago, I switched off the computer (there was a thunder storm) and disconnected the network cable. After the storm, I reconnected the cable and rebooted. Firefox started in offline mode. I removed the tick in the tickbox and pressed F5, after which the webpage was loaded normally. After this time, FF ALWAYS starts up in offline mode, even after a complete reboot. I do have an internet connection, but somehow Firefox doesn't detect its status.

The connection in the systray is not the normal green, connected plug, but an unplugged version. Hovering over the icon renders a box that says "unmanaged" (in Dutch...).

What can be wrong and what should I do? It's just plain annoying...
It seemed to have come up before in 8...

[GreyGeek]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

Open a new tab and in the URL type
about:config
and hit the enter key.

In the search text bar enter "offline".

You'll see a line which contains this setting:

browser.offline false

If it is "true" toggle it to "false".

[hansdevr]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

Thanks, GreyGeek! I will try that!

[hansdevr]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

Alas!

Unfortunately that did not solve the problem!

[GreyGeek]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

"about:config" saves its changes in /home/youracctname/.mozilla/firefox/prefs.js in the line:
user_pref("browser.offline", false);

Is your prefs.js file "browser.offline" setting still set to false?

If so, try the nuclear option: close firefox, rename ~./.mozilla/firefox to ~./mozilla/firefox_bkup and run firefox. It should create a new hidden "firefox" subdirectory.

You'll lose your book marks, cookies, saved passwords, etc... If it works you can manually restore those things. IF it doesn't work then delete the new firefox subfolder and rename firefox_bkup back to firefox.

[zlow]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

Some days ago, I switched off the computer (there was a thunder storm) and disconnected the network cable. After the storm, I reconnected the cable and rebooted. Firefox started in offline mode. I removed the tick in the tickbox and pressed F5, after which the webpage was loaded normally. After this time, FF ALWAYS starts up in offline mode, even after a complete reboot. I do have an internet connection, but somehow Firefox doesn't detect its status.

The connection in the systray is not the normal green, connected plug, but an unplugged version. Hovering over the icon renders a box that says "unmanaged" (in Dutch...).

What can be wrong and what should I do? It's just plain annoying...
It seemed to have come up before in 8...

Firefox looks at your network to make sure you are online before it goes online. If you fix your unmanaged network connection problem, Firefox should start working right again.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

I do have an internet connection, but somehow Firefox doesn't detect its status.

He WAS connected. He unticked the "offline" status and hit F5 to get a good page.

Apparently you didn't read that bit ...

[hansdevr]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

That javascript file was in the folder /home/username/.mozilla/firefox/9i8yhgka.default and yes, the browser.offline entry was on "false"...
Still, your "nuclear" solution doesn't sound awfully attractive - from where do I get passwords etcetera back? From the backup folder?

[jglen490]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

The "browser.offline" entry SHOULD be false. That means that the "Work Offline" tickmark under File is NOT set. Negative logic. Hitting the F5 MAY have simply pulled up a cached page.

It still may be related to the status your systray connection widget is portraying.

But I could be wrong

[zlow]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

I do have an internet connection, but somehow Firefox doesn't detect its status.

He WAS connected. He unticked the "offline" status and hit F5 to get a good page.

Apparently you didn't read that bit ...

The op said:

"The connection in the systray is not the normal green, connected plug, but an unplugged version. "

As I said, the poster needs to fix his unmanaged connection problem. Having a network connection doesn't really matter if network manager thinks it is offline, firefox doesn't look at your routing table to determine online / offline status it talks to NetworkManager.

Example: when I tether my phone firefox always thinks my network connection is offline when it is in fact not offline.

To stop Firefox from using NetworkManager to determine your online status, set "toolkit.networkmanager.disable" to true in about:config. This doesn't fix your root issue though. From the sound of it, the op probably has a configuration for an ethernet or WIFI device in /etc/network/interfaces which makes NetworkManager flag the device(s) as unmanaged.

Don't assume that I didn't understand his issue, it just makes you look stupid.

[hansdevr]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

Hey, ppl, please don't get mad.. And please don't talk about me as if I am not here...
I don't use Wifi, just a simple ethernet connection to a router in the basement..

I will try your suggestion too, zlow... thanks for the info. But... any idea why the networkmanager suddenly no longer sees my eth0 connection device?!?

[hansdevr]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

And hey presto!! It works! And I am enough of a pragmatist to count my blessings!

(although I still would like to know the deeper solution...)

[zlow]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

Hey, ppl, please don't get mad.. And please don't talk about me as if I am not here...
I don't use Wifi, just a simple ethernet connection to a router in the basement..

I will try your suggestion too, zlow... thanks for the info. But... any idea why the networkmanager suddenly no longer sees my eth0 connection device?!?

Sorry, talking about you as if you weren't here was unintentional.

What do you have in /etc/network/interfaces?

[hansdevr]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp

[zlow]

Re: Firefox always starts in offline mode, after I had a problem.

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp

Remove this:

auto eth0
iface eth0 inet dhcp

Restart your network, then network manager or just reboot. NetworkManager should start managing your connection again and firefox should work normally again.