Firefox and Safari not loading most internet pages

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Level 1

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Firefox and Safari not loading most internet pages

My computer was working perfectly fine this morning. This afternoon I had an update available ( Firmware update 1.8 OS X V 10.8.5 supplemental update 1.0 iTunes 11.1.1 ) I did the update and my computer restarted. It hasn't been working right since. I had to force it to re-start several times since it would freeze on start up. After the 4th attempt I started it in the Disk Utilities ( by holding command R while it was rebooting ) I then fixed the disk through there as it said there was an issue with hard links or something ( I am NOT a computer whiz, so I have no clue what that even meant! ) But, it rebooted and was fine, until I went to the internet. I am connected on my iMac through the ethernet wire ( since my wireless was always "searching" ) I can access Google and Facebook and that's about it! I have tried through FireFox ( version 24.0 ) and I have tried through Safari ( 6.0.5 ) and the issues are through both browsers. I get an error message on Firefox saying:

"The connection was reset

The connection to the server was reset while the page was loading.

The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments.

If you are unable to load any pages, check your computers network connection.

If your computer is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that FireFox is permitted to access the Web"

And Safari just stays blank the whole time. So, I don't think it is a matter of my internet service or whether I am connected to the internet or not. My husbands macbook pro is fine ( he hasn't done the update yet since I have been having all of these issues ). I would think that it would have something to do with the update I did this afternoon. I am able to get email through my Mail appand I can access iTunes and the app store. Any ideas or advice??

iMac, OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.5)

Posted on Oct 5, 2013 7:28 PM

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Answer 1

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Oct 5, 2013 8:19 PM in response to LauraCraig

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, or by corruption of certain system caches.

Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Boot in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. Note: If FileVault is enabled on some models, or if a firmware password is set, or if the boot volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to boot and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal boot may also be somewhat slow.

The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

After testing, reboot as usual (i.e., not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of the test.

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Answer 2

LauraCraig Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 6, 2013 12:26 PM in response to Linc Davis

My husband booted it in safe mode and everything worked fine. He was able to open FireFox and Safari and get to different web pages. Rebooted as normal and the problem still persists.

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Answer 3

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Oct 6, 2013 2:08 PM in response to LauraCraig

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

I've tested these instructions only with the Safari web browser. If you use another browser, they may not work as described.

This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

Third-party system modifications are a common cause of usability problems. By a “system modification,” I mean software that affects the operation of other software — potentially for the worse. The following procedure will help identify which such modifications you've installed. Don’t be alarmed by the complexity of these instructions — they’re easy to carry out and won’t change anything on your Mac.

These steps are to be taken while booted in safe mode.

Below are instructions to enter some UNIX shell commands. The commands are harmless, but they must be entered exactly as given in order to work. If you have doubts about the safety of the procedure suggested here, search this site for other discussions in which it’s been followed without any report of ill effects.

Some of the commands will line-wrap or scroll in your browser, but each one is really just a single line, all of which must be selected. You can accomplish this easily by triple-clicking anywhere in the line. The whole line will highlight, and you can then copy it. The headings “Step 1” and so on are not part of the commands.

Note: If you have more than one user account, Step 2 must be taken as an administrator. Ordinarily that would be the user created automatically when you booted the system for the first time. The other steps should be taken as the user who has the problem, if different. Most personal Macs have only one user, and in that case this paragraph doesn’t apply.

Launch the Terminal application in any of the following ways:

☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Terminal in the icon grid.

When you launch Terminal, a text window will open with a line already in it, ending either in a dollar sign (“$”) or a percent sign (“%”). If you get the percent sign, enter “sh” and press return. You should then get a new line ending in a dollar sign.

Step 1

Triple-click anywhere in the line of text below on this page to select it:

for k in {,/S*}/L*/E*/{,.?}*.kext; do test -f "$k/Contents/Info.plist" && /usr/libexec/PlistBuddy -c "Print :CFBundleIdentifier" "$_" | egrep -qv "apple|Accusys|ArcMSR|ATTO|CalDigit|HighPoint|hp-fax|JMicron|print|SoftRAID|stex" && echo $k; done | open -ef

Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Then click anywhere in the Terminal window and paste ( command-V). A TextEdit window will open with the output of the command. If the command produced no output, the window will be empty. Post the contents of the TextEdit window (not the Terminal window), if any — the text, please, not a screenshot. You can then close the TextEdit window. The title of the window doesn't matter, and you don't need to post that. No typing is involved in this step.

Step 2

Repeat with this line:

{ sudo defaults read com.apple.loginwindow LoginHook; echo; sudo crontab -l; } 2> /dev/null | open -ef

This time you'll be prompted for your login password, which you do have to type. Nothing will be displayed when you type it. Type it carefully and then press return. You may get a one-time warning to be careful. Heed that warning, but don't post it. If you see a message that your username "is not in the sudoers file," then you're not logged in as an administrator.

Note: If you don’t have a login password, you’ll need to set one before taking this step. If that’s not possible, skip to the next step.

Step 3

Repeat with this line:

{ ls -A /e*/{cr,la,mach}* {,/}Lib*/{Ad,Compon,Ex,Fram,In,Keyb,La,Mail/Bu,P*P,Priv,Qu,Scripti,Servi,Spo,Sta}* L*/Fonts .la*; echo; crontab -l; } 2> /dev/null | open -ef

Important: If you formerly synchronized with a MobileMe account, your me.com email address may appear in the output of the above command. If so, anonymize it before posting.

Step 4

osascript -e 'tell application "System Events" to get name of login items' | open -ef

Remember, Steps 1-4 are all copy-and-paste — no typing, except your password. Also remember to post the output.

You can then quit Terminal.

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Answer 4

Samac86

Level 1

8 points

Jun 5, 2014 7:08 AM in response to Linc Davis

Hi Linc, I've this exact problem too with the exception that Firefox works but Chrome does not.
I've followed the first steps: safemode had no problems.

I've followed the terminal commands, here is what they show:

Step 1
--------------------------------------------------------------

/Library/Extensions/SophosNetworkInterceptor.kext

/Library/Extensions/SophosOnAccessInterceptor.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/ACard6280ATA.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/ACard62xxM.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/ACard67162.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/ACard671xSCSI.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/ACard6885M.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/ACard68xxM.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/ImmersionForceFeedback.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/LogitechForceFeedback.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/Pen Tablet.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/SophosNetworkInterceptor.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/SophosOnAccessInterceptor.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/hp_psa640_io_enabler.kext

/System/Library/Extensions/hp_qc_io_enabler.kext

Step 2
--------------------------------------------------------------
(Blank)

Step 3

--------------------------------------------------------------

/Library/Components:

/Library/Extensions:

SophosNetworkInterceptor.kext

SophosOnAccessInterceptor.kext

/Library/Frameworks:

Adobe AIR.framework

DRS_DPE.framework

Format_DPE.framework

HPSmartPrint.framework

MacFUSE.framework

NyxAudioAnalysis.framework

PluginManager.framework

SAVI.framework

SUMScanKit.framework

WacomMultiTouch.framework

iLifeFaceRecognition.framework

iLifeKit.framework

iLifePageLayout.framework

iLifeSQLAccess.framework

iLifeSlideshow.framework

iTunesLibrary.framework

/Library/Input Methods:

/Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

DirectorShockwave.plugin

Flash Player.plugin

Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

Quartz Composer.webplugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

Unity Web Player.plugin

Unused

WacomNetscape.plugin

flashplayer.xpt

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

nsIQTScriptablePlugin.xpt

/Library/Keyboard Layouts:

/Library/LaunchAgents:

com.avg.LinkScannerAgent.plist

com.avg.LoaderAgent.plist

com.hp.help.tocgenerator.plist

com.sophos.uiserver.plist

com.wacom.pentablet.plist

/Library/LaunchDaemons:

com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

com.apple.third_party_32b_kext_logger.plist

com.avg.apiServices.plist

com.avg.avgconfigd.plist

com.avg.avgnotifyd.plist

com.avg.avgprivd.plist

com.sophos.autoupdate.plist

com.sophos.configuration.plist

com.sophos.intercheck.plist

com.sophos.notification.plist

com.sophos.scan.plist

com.sophos.sxld.plist

com.sophos.webd.plist

/Library/PreferencePanes:

Flash Player.prefPane

LinkScannerSettings.prefPane

MacFUSE.prefPane

NTFS-3G.prefPane

PenTablet.prefPane

/Library/PrivateFrameworks:

AVGLnscServices.framework

/Library/PrivilegedHelperTools:

/Library/QuickLook:

/Library/QuickTime:

AppleIntermediateCodec.component

AppleMPEG2Codec.component

/Library/ScriptingAdditions:

AVGScriptingAdditions.osax

/Library/Spotlight:

AppleWorks.mdimporter

GBSpotlightImporter.mdimporter

LogicPro.mdimporter

Microsoft Office.mdimporter

iWork.mdimporter

/Library/StartupItems:

AvgNetShieldLoader

HP IO

/etc/mach_init.d:

dashboardadvisoryd.plist

/etc/mach_init_per_login_session.d:

/etc/mach_init_per_user.d:

Library/Address Book Plug-Ins:

SkypeABDialer.bundle

SkypeABSMS.bundle

Library/Fonts:

Library/Input Methods:

.localized

Library/Internet Plug-Ins:

Library/Keyboard Layouts:

Library/LaunchAgents:

com.apple.FolderActions.enabled.plist

com.apple.FolderActions.folders.plist

com.google.keystone.agent.plist

com.spotify.webhelper.plist

com.valvesoftware.steamclean.plist

Library/PreferencePanes:

Perian.prefPane

Library/QuickTime:

AC3MovieImport.component

Perian.component

Library/Services:

ENService.app

Library/Spotlight:

EndNote.mdimporter

Step 4

--------------------------------------------------------------

Safari, OpenOffice.org alias, iTunesHelper, Caffeine, Caffeine, JustNotes, Dropbox, CrossOver CD Helper, TextEdit

Much appreciated in the effort you make especially putting it into laymans terms.
Cheers

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Answer 5

Samac86

Level 1

8 points

Jun 7, 2014 7:05 AM in response to Linc Davis

Linc, if you're not going to reply (I can understand if this is too big of a problem to address), let me know - I'm keen to get moving but if I have to reinstall everything, I will.

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