I think the problem is Firefox but..........
 

I have an interesting problem which has shown up several times in the last few days. While using Firefox on Linux Mint I am finding that it stops getting a connection to websites in a number of open tabs. Any that have been streaming video stay working but all other pages fail to reload existing page or fetch new pages. If I open another Firefox window it fails to fetch any pages. The lockout clears if I close all of Firefox down and open it again, access to websites is restored.

As restarting Firefox clears the problem I am assuming that Firefox is the culprit but it may not be. I looked to see if a later version of Firefox is available but failed to find one. The machine has been stable and trouble free for over a year before this started a few days ago. As far as I know there has not been any software updates or new stuff installed for a long time.

Anyone, please?

Rans6....................

My version of Firefox is 101.0.1, but it is on W10.
Firefox has been less reliable for me over the last few weeks. For instance, I have to use MS E for internet banking and etc.

In what way does it fail? Does it not even try to load the page; spin the hourglass for ever; come back with an error; or something else?

Depending upon whether the page you are requesting has been fetched in the current session or a new tab requests the page the failure is either a timeout after much spinning of the hourglass equivalent or page not found message. It is like the DNS entry gets messed up somehow. I don't know if anything else fails to connect as I don't knowingly do anything else that accesses the internet outside of Firefox on that machine.

Rans6............

ps I don't have the machine to hand, it got left 250 miles away when we left last evening. We were trying to travel light.

pps I run Firefox in private mode as a matter of course.

I can't comment on private mode, but I run Firefox 101.0.1 on Linux Mint 20.3 cinnamon without any problems or noticeable lock ups. I assume you routinely apply all the Mint updates - usually at least once a day! - which will include the Firefox update. A very few web sites don't work properly with Firefox so I have a Chromium on my machine as an alternate. Also for a few weeks the Simple Flying web site was blocked as being insecure even though it was https, but whatever it was is now sorted

It might help to try a different ad blocker.

Since you use Private mode you will have no stored cookies (passwords).

Maybe try upgrading it first. There is probably an update a week or something so you are likely a bit behind:-)

If that fails - save your bookmarks, note any extensions you have and maybe save configs there, and re-install it. e.g. I have a configuration in my ad blocker that is important to me.

I remember when I installed Mint on this machine that Firefox 84.0.2 was the latest version available as the machine is only 32 bit. I don't think there are any updates to be had......

I am back in front of the machine, have been for a few days now, and the locking out issue seems to have gone away. The only change I have seen in anything is that the streaming video I usually keep an eye on has changed it's Youtube page. Previously, the live stream of the webcams at both Grosmont and Goathland stations (North Yorks Moors Railway) was a page that loaded the last 2 hours video when launched. Once loaded it then kept a 2 hour rolling buffer and allowed the viewer to click back and forth to watch any part that you want to replay. The link for that broke a few days ago and the page that is called up now doesn't allow user to rewind at all. If you miss anything it is gone for good. Perhaps there is something in the more user friendly page that is incompatible with the Firefox browser or inherently faulty.

Rans6..............

Have you considered the possibility that you have been banned from The Internet for crimes various?:rolleyes:

It is more likely that the page was changed at the server by the webcam operators or website operators. Can you post a link to the page that used to work like that and/or the new one?

I can't post a link to the previous live stream of either of the webcams at present, I replaced my bookmarks with the new ones as soon as the old became "private link" (or some similar error) when I loaded my tabs for the day. If you really want to try the old page URL's they will still be bookmarked on my other machine, which I will be in front of on 15th July.

Rans6....................