Author Topic: Solved: Why won't my laptop run Firefox? (Read 24822 times)

MilesAhead · « **Reply #25 on:** March 03, 2015, 02:39 PM »

Dependency Walker [DW] ... giving these error messages: (see attachment in previous post)
-Curt (March 03, 2015, 03:53 AM)

On stackoverflow a user listed the exact same DLLs (as shown in above screenshot), as being named by Dependency Walker as missing. He then installed three OCX files, and voila his problem was gone - even though DW still listed the many DLLs as "missing"! Maybe a coincidence. He never came back to name the OCX files.

http://stackoverflow...-64-bit-dll-problems

dependency walker is telling me that the following DLLs are missing:

API-MS-WIN-CORE-COM-L1-1-0.DLL
API-MS-WIN-CORE-WINRT-ERROR-L1-1-0.DLL
API-MS-WIN-CORE-WINRT-L1-1-0.DLL
API-MS-WIN-CORE-WINRT-ROBUFFER-L1-1-0.DLL
API-MS-WIN-CORE-WINRT-STRING-L1-1-0.DLL
API-MS-WIN-SHCORE-SCALING-L1-1-0.DLL
DCOMP.DLL
GPSVC.DLL
IESHIMS.DL
-Stack Overflow
-Curt (March 03, 2015, 02:33 PM)

Did you check via Dir command if the files are there? If they are it could just be a matter that somehow they got unregistered. If they are COM Dlls you may be able to put them back in use by running
regsvr32 DllName.dll
on each one. Maybe copy and paste all the dll names into a batch or something along those lines.

Curt · « **Reply #26 on:** March 03, 2015, 03:00 PM »

The listed files are not installed. But should they be?

----------------------
Info:
This 64-bits laptop was given to me "pre-registered" with 32-bits Win 7 PRO installed, without any disc or available key.
And without a disc drive. And only one (1) USB port.

I was very pleased that it also came with Microsoft Office 2010 Professional, which I never have had a copy of before (for longer than a trial). I have a key for MS Office 2003 Standard (and SoftMaker 2012), but I am prepared to go an extra mile or two, to keep MS 2010 Professional.

Which is why I haven't just replaced this 32-bits W7 PRO with the 64-bits Win 7 Home Premium I still have.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #27 on:** March 03, 2015, 03:16 PM »

The listed files are not installed. But should they be?
-Curt (March 03, 2015, 03:00 PM)

I have at least one copy of each on my Windows 8.0 Laptop

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

Info:
This 64-bits laptop was given to me "pre-registered" with 32-bits Win 7 PRO installed, without any disc or available key.

I mean "registered" in the COM sense. If you have COM DLL or OCX files the system doesn't know where to get them unless they are listed in the Registry. Regsvr32.exe just loads the OCX or DLL and calls the required RegisterServer function. This puts the entry in the Registry. But if the files are missing I must assume the dependency checker is finding the call to access them in Firefox. I forget most of the COM stuff I knew. But I believe the program uses the Clsid to call QueryInterface to see if a particular COM component supports what it wants to do. The clsid is looked up in the Registry to find the file to load. Then the COM component answers it does or doesn't support the requested interface.

Edit: Never mind. The Nirsoft product key finder is only for Windows Office.

Edit2: I found this article. Skip down to the part about the Magical Jellybean Key Finder.

http://www.pcworld.c...ice_product_key.html

Edit3: The first link to Magical Jellybean gets a 404 error. But the second one works:
https://www.magicalj...ybean.com/keyfinder/

The free one claims to find product keys for W7 and 8.

4wd · « **Reply #28 on:** March 03, 2015, 04:54 PM »

On stackoverflow a user listed the exact same DLLs (as shown in above screenshot), as being named by Dependency Walker as missing. He then installed three OCX files, and voila his problem was gone - even though DW still listed the many DLLs as "missing"! Maybe a coincidence. He never came back to name the OCX files.
-Curt (March 03, 2015, 02:33 PM)

Did you try the two VC++ Redistributables mentioned in that thread?

This problem is related to missing the Visual studio "redistributable package." It is not obvious which one is missing based on the dependency walk, but I would try the one that corresponds with your compiler version first and see if things run properly:

VS 2010
VS 2008

I ran into this problem because I am using the VS compilers, but not the full VS environment.

Curt · « **Reply #29 on:** March 03, 2015, 06:26 PM »

^ I tried..., but:

so I assumed this couldn't be it.

-----------
I have tested Google's browser; it too will launch, but not go anywhere.
-----------

I forgot to tell that Dependency Walker gave identical results each time I used it to launch Internet Explorer 11, PhotoFiltre Studio X, Sagelight Image Editor, Firefox 23, and Firefox 36. DW was unable to launch any of them, but except from Firefox version 36, they normally don't have any problems.

-various "Run..." via DW

Curt · « **Reply #30 on:** March 04, 2015, 03:18 AM »

The listed files are not installed. But should they be?
-Curt (March 03, 2015, 03:00 PM)
I have at least one copy of each on my Windows 8.0 Laptop
-MilesAhead (March 03, 2015, 03:16 PM)

According to msdn "Windows API Sets" they are not designed to work on Windows 7.

Maybe 'something' is installed that makes DW confuse my Win 7 for a Win 8 / RT 2012 ?

MilesAhead · « **Reply #31 on:** March 04, 2015, 09:02 AM »

The listed files are not installed. But should they be?
-Curt (March 03, 2015, 03:00 PM)
I have at least one copy of each on my Windows 8.0 Laptop
-MilesAhead (March 03, 2015, 03:16 PM)

According to msdn "Windows API Sets" they are not designed to work on Windows 7.

Maybe 'something' is installed that makes DW confuse my Win 7 for a Win 8 / RT 2012 ?

-Curt (March 04, 2015, 03:18 AM)

Maybe the Laptop came with W8 and the owner did a "free downgrade" to W7. Many people did.

Curt · « **Reply #32 on:** March 04, 2015, 09:13 AM »

Maybe the Laptop came with W8 and the owner did a "free downgrade" to W7. Many people did.
-MilesAhead (March 04, 2015, 09:02 AM)

I am scheduled to meet him in a week from now, so I will remember to ask him this. Thanks!

MilesAhead · « **Reply #33 on:** March 04, 2015, 09:19 AM »

Maybe the Laptop came with W8 and the owner did a "free downgrade" to W7. Many people did.
-MilesAhead (March 04, 2015, 09:02 AM)

I am scheduled to meet him in a week from now, so I will remember to ask him this. Thanks!

-Curt (March 04, 2015, 09:13 AM)

Have you tried the Product Key search utility? If nothing else, if the hw is good you could do a complete wipe and install and at least have a running Laptop with a clean OS on it.

Curt · « **Reply #34 on:** March 04, 2015, 09:44 AM »

^ oh, yes, Thank you for the adware-installing jelly thing! hehe

Not to worry; I have Abelssoft Keyfinder, so I know the keys in mention.

I was trying to avoid the New Operating System -solution, because of the many (count: "1, 2, many") license key problems there usually will follow for this and that "licensed per machine"-program. Somehow a new operating system often makes the old machine become a new machine, if you ask the third party suppliers' Sales-department.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #35 on:** March 04, 2015, 10:29 AM »

^ oh, yes, Thank you for the adware-installing jelly thing! hehe

-Curt (March 04, 2015, 09:44 AM)

Sorry about that. I just went by the blog. On reading the NirSoft description again is does seem ProduKey will detect the Product Key for the OS for Vista and W7 but W8 is not mentioned.

I should have suggested running that Jelly thing under Toolwiz Time Freeze. But I didn't think a blogger would link to such a utility without even mentioning it's adware. Naive I guess.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Registry was corrupted. Just lots of things seem weird. It might not hurt to try CCleaner's Registry cleaning option. It makes a .reg file to restore changes before making deletions(provided you click OK when asked.) So if the machine still boots you should be able to get back where you were. But a whacky registry can definitely produce strange behavior.

If CCleaner shows about 10 screens worth of "issues" then a repair install may be a minimum.

Curt · « **Reply #36 on:** March 04, 2015, 06:25 PM »

^thank you for showing concern.

Jelly' was both installed and removed by Revo Pro, so my machine is still clean; the adware was Uniblue-something, and though they are bad guys, I think they are not dangerous.

ewemoa · « **Reply #37 on:** March 05, 2015, 03:57 AM »

If nothing else, if the hw is good you could do a complete wipe and install and at least have a running Laptop with a clean OS on it.
-MilesAhead (March 04, 2015, 09:19 AM)

I'd not be so hasty to do this unless there is a recovery option available (alternatively, clone the existing drive and keep that or the source drive safe somewhere for future reference) -- if the OS that's on there is or "inherits" from an OEM install, there may be OEM-specific files that having access to later may make one's life easier.

I agree that determining the key via the likes of ProduKey as suggested is a good idea.

MilesAhead · « **Reply #38 on:** March 05, 2015, 05:41 AM »

If nothing else, if the hw is good you could do a complete wipe and install and at least have a running Laptop with a clean OS on it.
-MilesAhead (March 04, 2015, 09:19 AM)

I'd not be so hasty to do this unless there is a recovery option available (alternatively, clone the existing drive and keep that or the source drive safe somewhere for future reference) -- if the OS that's on there is or "inherits" from an OEM install, there may be OEM-specific files that having access to later may make one's life easier.

I agree that determining the key via the likes of ProduKey as suggested is a good idea.
-ewemoa (March 05, 2015, 03:57 AM)

Also try here:
http://www.dell.com/...roducts/?app=drivers

I didn't see Z600 listed. Autodetect if you can browse there may pick it up though.
If you have an external drive you can always make an image with Macrium Reflect. You can mount the image in Explorer to access files later.. if you can find what you want in the pile.

Curt · « **Reply #39 on:** March 12, 2015, 06:10 PM »

MS just pulled the W7 ISO images from Digital River too.
-MilesAhead (March 03, 2015, 02:35 PM)

^ but now:

New ways to get free Windows-installation media
by Fred Langa on March 12, 2015 in Top Story

http://windowssecret...-installation-media/
-windowssecrets

MilesAhead · « **Reply #40 on:** March 12, 2015, 06:29 PM »

I'm no attorney but if you can get a copy of a W7 iso from a friend and burn it to CD, since there is a mechanism to install it on a 30 day trial basis I don't think they can do anything about it. I have my copy with license if I get a desktop machine. Choice is pretty much limited to W7 Pro if you want to go the officially supported route. Although I don't think the flavor matters to hardware driver coders.

Curt · « **Reply #41 on:** March 30, 2015, 06:03 PM »

Last August I lost my PC and was forced to take this old laptop into use. To my surprise it won't run Firefox, but only Internet Explorer! (...)
-Curt (February 25, 2015, 06:00 PM)

Today I am running all browser marques!
Q:
So, what was wrong?
A:
My NET Framework was broken!

Ehm... Internet browsers don't ask for NET Framework, in order to work? No, not as far as I know, they don't. Nevertheless, this is all I did to cure my laptop: I was looking in Revo Uninstaller Pro, and somehow managed to be aware that NET Framework was not listed. I knew that it was installed, so why wasn't it listed? I downloaded the newest version (4.5.2) and the installer asked if I wanted to remove or repair my Framework? - so obviously it was installed, as I thought it was - and therefore I clicked Repair: and Voilà! All sorts of Internet browsers are now running on my laptop!

ewemoa · « **Reply #42 on:** March 30, 2015, 06:58 PM »

Congratulations on your working environment

mouser · « **Reply #43 on:** March 30, 2015, 07:05 PM »

Glad to hear you got it worked out -- maybe this will help someone else down the line

MilesAhead · « **Reply #44 on:** March 31, 2015, 05:31 AM »

That is a weird one. Nice fix.