Firefox 137.0 no longer plays any Video's for me, after switching from 136

Kobold · 4 April 2025 11:13

Hello, anyone know why Firefox refused to play all kind of streaming video’s? I only upgraded today the Firefox version and nothing else. Yesterday with Firefox 136, everything was fine.

No matter if i go on Steam or Youtube or a news website…

When i click on playbutton on a Video, there is just the loading cycle but nothing happening, besides infinity loading.

Anyone know a fix or how i can rollback Firefox? I have no clue how to rollback packages.

Update:
No problem with my AMD Laptop with Video playing, possible nvidia related.

linux-aarhus · 4 April 2025 11:25

firefox is fairly easy to deal with -check with pacman cache

 $ ls -l /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-13*.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77057308 18 feb 23:03 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-135.0.1-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77359025 12 mar 11:37 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-136.0.1-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77333615  4 mar 20:18 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-136.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77351268 19 mar 17:30 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-136.0.2-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77399032 26 mar 08:28 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-136.0.3-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77416388 27 mar 19:43 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-136.0.4-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77752808  2 apr 17:54 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-137.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

Then install the version you want e.g.

sudo pacman -U /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-136.0.4-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

Kobold · 4 April 2025 11:40

Hmmm, its not working:

$ ls -l /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-13*.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77057308 18. Feb 23:44 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-135.0.1-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77359025 12. Mär 11:37 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-136.0.1-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77333615  4. Mär 20:42 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-136.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77351268 19. Mär 17:30 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-136.0.2-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77416388 27. Mär 19:54 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-136.0.4-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 77752808  2. Apr 19:17 /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-137.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
[koboldx@koboldx-z170 ~]$ sudo pacman -U firefox-136.0.4-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
[sudo] password for koboldx: 
loading packages...
error: 'firefox-136.0.4-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst': could not find or read package

linux-aarhus · 4 April 2025 11:45

Nah - I know why - you need to be in the folder - I could have been more clear - my apology

cd /var/cache/pacman/pkg

or specify the full path.

sudo pacman -U /var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-136.0.4-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

That said - I am not sure Firefox is at fault - if I remember correct you are using Nvidia 16xx or 20xx - and it could be related to the driver - I have no way of knowing or testing the idea - I don’t use Nvidia.

Kobold · 4 April 2025 11:55

I have a big problem now, it looks like that firefox is absolute not fairly easy to deal with a rollback

After the rollback, firefox refused to start and gave me 2 option.

A message showed up, that i am using a older version and to protect my profile i should create a new profile or quit.

Now my whole firefox looks total different and messed up.

How can i fix this?

soundofthunder · 4 April 2025 11:57

So, which did you do?

Kobold · 4 April 2025 12:00

i pressed quit first but the message with the 2 buttons showed up again.

Atleast i created a full system restore point before i did the rollback option for firefox.

How can i use my old firefox profile again?

soundofthunder · 4 April 2025 12:03

Well, you could try this;

Close Firefox (fully)
Rename the profile (~/.mozilla/firefox)
Start Firefox again (it will create a new profile)
Import your bookmarks from the old profile

You might still need to add any extensions/themes again.

There should have been a bookmark backup made when you updated. I think it’s located in;

~/.mozilla/firefox/{old-profile-folder}/bookmarkbackups

Kobold · 4 April 2025 12:09

I just rolled back to the newest version again and my profile is gone now…

The title bar and everything looks total difference…

I just created a new profile… how does it help me?

I have much much more adjustments as just simple bookmarks. This takes easily hours to restore it.

Bookmarks makes just 3% of my settings.

soundofthunder · 4 April 2025 12:10

Import the old bookmarks.

In Firefox:

Bookmarks → Manage Bookmarks → Import and Backup → Restore

Then navigate to your old profile and import the latest bookmark backup file.

Kobold · 4 April 2025 12:12

I think i try to overwrite my whole profile again with my backup.

Or isn’t that working?

I dont want to create a new profile… bookmarks are nothing… i have tons of tons of adjustments.

And they are all gone now!

soundofthunder · 4 April 2025 12:24

Occasionally the profiles are no longer compatible with the new Firefox version, for whatever reason; it happens with Thunderbird every few years as well.

If bookmarks are no concern, fine, but sometimes trying to reuse a complete profile isn’t possible with the new version. I mean, you did get the warning popup.

You could restore the system and try again, but is your whole user account backed up, including firefox profiles? I’m uncertain.

Kobold · 4 April 2025 12:33

Okay first things first. This is the Popup thats showing up ONLY because it detects a newer version.

I already could restore my OLD Profile (which wasn’t deleted btw. in the folder).
My old profile is working fine with firefox 137 but the rollback option to 136 refused to use my current profile for a reason that is beyond everything that is even close logic, i mean it refused to to load my settings to protect me from corruption but forced me to create a new profile that im exactly losing all my settings… how does it makes even sense?

My question is now, how i can use firefox 136 with my old profile? Maybe i need to delete firefox 137 when i rollback 136, that the pop up above, doesn’t show up anymore and can’t detect firefox 137 anymore?

But how i gonna do that? Simple going in:

/var/cache/pacman/pkg/firefox-137.0-1-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst

and manually deleted that? Or is there a better way?

soundofthunder · 4 April 2025 12:56

I don’t know whether that strategy would work well. Firefox will update again to 137 at the next update anyway, and you might be back to square one. I don’t think downgrading or ignoring Firefox is an effective option.

However Mozilla has always published instructions on how to manage Firefox profiles. The following article is surprisingly current and explains how to do it.

I suppose first you need to decide whether to use 137 or maybe revert to the most recent extended service release (esr), which looks to be 128esr (quickly looking at their ftp site).

I don’t know if Manjaro can provide the ESR version.

Kobold · 4 April 2025 13:04

After the rollback to Firefox 136, the videos all playing again… i just wished i never updated the broken Firefox 137 version.

I just need to wait till Firefox release a hotfix and manjaro rolled it out… or if someone else know a fix.

Edit:
Right now i have 2 option… use my current profile with 137 and have absolute no video streaming anymore.

Or use 136, that refused to load my profile and it takes hours and hours to restore my adjustments… only till this firefox issue is solved.

I never expected that a rollback, could create such a terrible user experience…
This is a big pain.

terashy88 · 4 April 2025 13:07

Firefox sync would have help with restoring your settings, if you have set that.

Kobold · 4 April 2025 13:14

Im actually not sure if i want to use that sync option. That required a Mozilla account and cloud service?

I just want to restore my profile backup locally… not some cloud service which stealing my user data and possible gives mozilla a perfect way to track me all the time. Do you know what that sync option actually really does?

I just need to know, which files i should overwrite in my profile and which not…

I already copied the whole content from my old profile to my new profile, but then the message showed up again that i posted above in my screenshot.

terashy88 · 4 April 2025 13:19

Now that you still have your original profile, you can still sync it, maybe on a burner account.

And restore it to the new version. But if fully Privacy is a concern, then that would also not work.

Bookmark could be sync with floccus plugin and
setting with Firefox.

Kobold · 4 April 2025 13:24

The Sync option looks ultra shady to me, i bet even on a burner account this could be used for additional fingerprinting. Maybe used for better tracking, even when choosing it one time only. And that this e-mail adress could still be stored in my profile or somewhere else to track me after that.

As i mentionend above, bookmarks makes only 3% about my adjustments.

My Firefox Titlebar used normally my Manjaro Theme and it looks total different now.
And i have additional tons of adjustments in about:config + addons with also additional adjustments.

terashy88 · 4 April 2025 13:27

Use a burner Mail?

I’m out…