Make firefox faster {revisited}

[o0Hubba0o]

Remember the last thread "How To: Make Firefox Go Faster" created by Whiteguy? Firefox has went through a lot changes over the years and some extensions like fasterfox are obsolete now, and there's an easier way to do this now than accessing the about:config command.

I recently bought an issue of MaximumPC's guide to windows and decided to make a new thread updating how to do this. I noticed a big difference on mine since I've never done any tweaking on my comp when I bought it, so enjoy and hope it helps you too. I'll also add a couple other suggestions for speeding up and securing Firefox.


INSTALL FIRETUNE

So we used to access Firefox's tweaks by going to about:config command in the browser's address bar. But now there's FireTune which gives you a simple interface to tweak Firefox without spending hours trying to comprehend what comes up using the about:config command.

So download FireTune and follow these steps:

1. Unzip and in the FireTune folder double-click the applications executable.
   
   
2. On the main menu click "Create backup of configuration". (You should get a message saying backup successful)
   
   
3. Select the computer/connection that best suits your setup and click the Tune it button at bottom. (You will get an alert about backing up your configuration, if you did the previous step click yes)
   
   
4. You'll get another prompt alerting you to close FireFox, do so now if you still have some open and click the OK button.

FireTune now creates the tweaks that will optimize Firefox on your system. Open Firefox again and check out the results of running FireTune. If all is good close Firetune, if they failed for whatever reason, click the restore original config button on the main window. After restoring, try tweaking again until you get the results you want.




BROWSE WITH OpenDNS

OpenDNS is a replacement DNS server for your computer or router. Basically it's like a phonebook for the internet, it translates a friendly internet domain (ie: www.karmicpower.com) into a routable IP address, which your computer then uses to navigate the internet. Internet service providers supply DNS to all their customers, but these servers tend to be overpopulated. So even if your connection can handle 18Mbps, you ISP's DNS server may waste several seconds looking up websites. Generally, the OpenDNS server is faster and more stable than the one provided by your ISP.

The easiest way to get going through OpenDNS is to key the settings into your network card's configuration within the OS. (If you ever format or install a different network card you'll have to do this again.

These directions are for Vista, you can visit the site to see other set up directions: OpenDNS

1. Go to your Windows Control Panel and click "View Network Status and Tasks", click the "View Status" button next to your "Local Area Network" and select properties.
   
   
2. Choose Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and go to it's properties.
   
   
3. Click the "Use the following DNS server addresses" option and type the following in the form:
   
   
   • Preferred DNS Server: 208.67.222.222
   • Alternate DNS Server: 208.67.220.220
   
   
4. Click OK and close the connection properties window.

EMULATE INTERNET EXPLORER

Some websites just can't see the light and have features that only work in IE. IE Tab will remedy that problem, it can emulate IE within the FF window. After installation you'll see an icon on the bottom right hand corner or your browser. When you want to (or need to) change to the IE engine, just click the logo and the page will refresh (you may need to re-log into some sites), click it again and it will revert back to the FF engine. Middle clicking the icon will switch the rendering into a new tab, and right clicking will open the IE Tab options for setting general settings and specific site filters.


These are a couple of very usefull features for making FF a better browsing experience, enjoy and feel free to add anything you may have found, because there's many more add ons and stuff out there yet.

[Morgalis]

Hey Hubba thank you very much for updating this!