Symptom

Probable Cause

Solution

Netscape core dumps on startup, crashes all the time, or gives an error message about a bus error. This could actually be the Messenger Freezes on Startup problem if your Netscape is setup to automatically run messenger on startup.

Netscape loads fine but locks up hard as soon as you click on any widget within the Netscape window. You may also notice that your modem lights blink ocassionally.

• Netscape is hanging on trying to complete asynchronous DNS host lookups.
• Netscape cannot find it's paths b/c the MOZILLA_HOME env variable is not set.
• Netscape cannot find it's classpath.

Netscape starts up but Messenger freezes up on startup. Quite often Netscape runs fine but when trying to access email freezes or crashes.

Sometimes when you add bookmarks or have been editing your bookmarks when you restart Netscape you get the default bookmarks or the bookmarks you added are gone.

• 1. You have been editing your bookmarks and then explicitly saved them or did a save as then on restarting Netscape you get the default bookmarks. 
• 2. You have added bookmarks while running multiple instances of Netscape and on restart they disappear but you still have your old bookmarks. 

When you open Netscape it shows you the License window and runs as if running for the first time.

You run Netscape and messenger won't open, loses your email (i.e. it shows the default setup for email that being an Inbox, Unsent Messages, Drafts, Sent and Trash with no email in them), or complains that it can't find your Netscape email (nsmail) directory.

You've installed Mandrake and you can't get to sites that are secure (such as online banking) b/c they say you need a browser with 128bit encryption.

cd

Next rename your .netscape directory to .old by typing 

mv .netscape .netscape.old

Then start Netscape again and reconfigure your Netscape. Then copy over your bookmarks.html file. See Importing Bookmarks for information on how to do this. Be careful not to explicitly save your bookmarks however. After importing them just select close from the file manager. To import your address book see Importing Address Books. If you want to start multiple instances of Netscape then shutdown Netscape and restart it first. Then you can invoke more Netscape processes. 

Netscape Communicator has the ability to do asynchronous DNS host lookups. This feature is on by default and nothing needs to be done to configure it. If you experience DNS lookup problems, you can turn this feature off by setting the environment variable MOZILLA_NO_ASYNC_DNS to true.

You will want to set the following environment variables in your .bashrc/.cshrc/.kshrc or other respective shell resource file.

csh, tcsh (using 'setenv'):
MOZILLA_NO_ASYNC_DNS True
MOZILLA_HOME /usr/lib/netscape
CLASSPATH $CLASSPATH:/usr/lib/netscape/java/classes
sh, bash, ksh (using 'export'):
MOZILLA_NO_ASYNC_DNS=True
MOZILLA_HOME=/usr/lib/netscape
CLASSPATH=${CLASSPATH}:/usr/lib/netscape/java/classes

ls -asl

If you see any files named after one of your mailboxes with a .lockor .summary at the end delete these files. You can remove all of the .summary files by typing 

rm .*.summary

Then before starting Netscape again make sure that that your user configuration is correct if unsure repeat the Netscape configuration. Then re run Netscape messenger. Each mail box will have ??? listed as the number of messages read and unread. When you double click on the folders/mailboxes it will then rebuild the cache files. If this still doen't work you could have a corrupt mailbox or your email server could be down. 

cat bookmarks.html > bookmarks2.html

and then try and move out the old file and move in the new one. 

mv bookmarks2.html bookmarks.html

If these steps don't work submit a service request and to have the permissions on the bookmarks changed. Next time you edit the bookmarks file just select close instead of save. The bookmarks changes get saved this way as well. 

• Click on the communicator menu. 
• Go to the bookmarks menu and select edit bookmarks. 
• You can delete the existing bookmarks if you wish. Otherwise highlight the folder you want to import your bookmarks into. 
• Click on the file menu of the edit bookmarks window. 
• Select import. 
• You will get the file selection window. Select the file you import and click OK. 
• Continue to edit your bookmarks. When you are finished select closefrom the file menu not save or save as 

• Click on the communicator menu. 
• Click on Address Book 
• In the drop down box beside the text box labeled "Type in the name you are looking for" make sure it reads "Personal Address Book". 
• Click on the file menu and select import. If it is grayed out you have not completed the previous step. 
• You will get the file selection window. Select the file you import and click OK. 
• When you are finished select close from the file menu notsave or save as 

• Go to www.fortify.net and click on the download link at the bottom of the page.
• On the download page you want to get the version appropriate to your hardware that is listed under the UNIX section. (For example. If you have an Intel processor aka Pentium, Pentium II, etc. click on the link labeled x86-v1.4.5 click here
• Then find the nearest download site and download it. If you get garbage on your screen hit stop, go back and hold down shift as you click on the link.
• Once you've downloaded it open up a Konsole window and become the superuser or root by typing su and then entering the appropriate password.
• Next uncompress the files by typing:
  
  tar -zxvf Fortify-1.4.5-unix-x86.tar.gz Or the appropriate name of the file in place of Fortify-1.4.5-unix-x86.tar.gz Here I've shown the one for Linux on a Pentium.
  
  Then cd into the directory cd Fortify-1.4.5-unix-x86 again, replace the directory name with whatever one you downloaded
• Once in the directory run Fortify.sh by typing ./Fortify.sh
• It will ask you for your language. Enter the corresponding number and hit enter. I entered 2 for English.
• Next you'll see this:

  Please select your language [1-7,<Enter>]: 2
  ==== Fortify 1.4.5; Copyright (C) 1997-1999 Farrell McKay ====
  == This software is free for all forms of non-commercial use. ==
  == Commercial use of this software must be licensed. ==
  1 = fortify "/usr/bin/netscape"
  2 = enter some other full path name
  <Enter> = quit
  Please make a selection [1-2,<Enter>]:
  

  
  
  
• You'll have to enter 2 because /usr/bin/netscape is merely a "wrapper script". Kind of like a batch file in DOS. It automatically selects the appropriate Netscape to run and sets up some default "preferences" for you.
• Next you'll see this:

  Enter your Netscape full path name ('c'=copyright, '?'=help, <Enter>=quit):

  To which you should enter this:/usr/lib/netscape/netscape-communicator

• The rest should be straight forward. :)