Speed-Tweak Firefox

[xpgeek]

Out of pure boredom, I just spent a few hours going over various Firefox tweaking sites, because there is sooo many differant ones and sooo many have completely differant values for tweaks. So I spent the last few hours, literally hours, comparing tweak values with ones I already knew and also comparing them to values used by what I consider to be the best of the best optimized build, and also testing them all myself one by one with differant values to judge the effects for myself.

Sooo, after all my testing I have now compiled my personal list of the very best speed tweaks for Firefox, that even made my optimized build even faster.

A couple of the keys don't exist by default so user.js is by far the easyiest way to apply them all at once, instead of manually creating keys, which you still are with user.js, just automatically.

Open up Windows Notepad, copy and paste the following exactly as it is into notepad.

user_pref("browser.cache.memory.capacity", 18432);
user_pref("browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewers", 0);
user_pref("config.trim_on_minimize", true);
user_pref("content.interrupt.parsing", true);
user_pref("content.max.tokenizing.time", 3000000);
user_pref("content.maxtextrun", 8191);
user_pref("content.notify.backoffcount", 5);
user_pref("content.notify.interval", 750000);
user_pref("content.notify.ontimer", true);
user_pref("content.switch.threshold", 750000);
user_pref("network.dns.disableIPv6", true);
user_pref("network.http.max-connections", 48);
user_pref("network.http.max-connections-per-server", 16);
user_pref("network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-proxy", 8);
user_pref("network.http.max-persistent-connections-per-server", 8);
user_pref("network.http.pipelining", true);
user_pref("network.http.pipelining.maxrequests", 8);
user_pref("network.http.proxy.pipelining", true);
user_pref("network.prefetch-next", false);
user_pref("nglayout.initialpaint.delay", 0);

Thats it, nothing else in the notepad file but these lines. Now, save the notepad file with the file name user.js . Case sensitive, no capitalization.

Now, first to make sure you can see the profile folder, open Windows Explorer, then click Tools on the top file menu, then Folder Options. Now click the second top tab, the View tab, and then find the option named 'Hidden files and folders', check the circle for Show hidden files and folders, and click ok.

Now, browse to the following folder.
C \ Documents and Settings \ YourWindowsLogonAccountName \ Application Data \ Mozilla \ Firefox \ Profiles \ RandomFolderName.default

The application data folder is a hidden folder and would not be visible until you turned on show hidden files. The standard profile folder's name is totaly random, jus named wat the heck ever by firefox, but ends in .default.

Copy the user.js file into this folder, into the watever.default folder.

And thats it. Run Firefox, and all the tweaks in user.js are automatically applied in about:config, Firefox has to be completely closed and reopened for the tweaks to be added and take affect. And the user.js file is checked everytime you run Firefox too, takes a microsecond so won't slow anything down checking every time, so nothing can change them to anything else either.

A few notes on some :

* Setting browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewers to 0 completely disables Firefox 1.5's new BF Cache, so this is up to the user. Disabling it results in much much better memory handling by Firefox, but if still want it on, jus don't add that line to the user.js file.

* network.http.pipelining.maxrequests to 8 is the maximum limit. Even tho many, many many, tweak sites say set this value to 30 or 100 or whatever, it is completely pointless to do so, because Firefox's built in limit for this is 8. Any value higher then 8 is automatically assumed to be 8.

* network.prefetch-next to false completely disables Firefox's prefetching ability, or the downloading of linked pages you haven't even clicked on yet. Whether you want this on or not is up to you, if not jus don't add that line. Personally I only find it useful for people on dialup, and a waste of bandwidth, yours and the sites, if on a high speed connection.

Happy faster surfing.

[Micron]

Excellent Post. My firefox was fine a while ago, but seems to be dragging somewhat. Will add this and see if its faster.

[Micron]

Worked ok for me. And working loads faster. Thanks.

[FisionChips]

Now, browse to the following folder.
C \ Documents and Settings \ YourWindowsLogonAccountName \ Application Data \ Mozilla \ Firefox \ Profiles \ RandomFolderName.default

The application data folder is a hidden folder and would not be visible until you turned on show hidden files. The standard profile folder's name is totaly random, jus named wat the heck ever by firefox, but ends in .default.

Being typically awkward, I have in my profiles folder two folders called: default.in9 and q7e5fvk8.cas.

I am using Firefox version 1.5.0.2...

:blink1: :?:

[xpgeek]

Hmm, either been a really long time since you've completely reinstalled Firefox, and just been updating it since a version that named the default folder that way, or you use some extension, or profile backup utility maybe?, that names em that way.

Either or, just go into the folders, do the array of files look like the same files in my profile folder (see screenshot above) ?

If so, then it doesn't matter what its named, those are your profile folders. Place the user.js into one or both of them.

[FisionChips]

:lol: I never reinstall something unless I have to so option one sounds probable. I checked the contents of those folders and both look likely candidates; If it does no harm to place the user.js in both, then I'll do that. Thanks Mike.

[Micron]

Firefox should always be updated to keep it risk free :)

[AmericanWoman]

Great tweak Mike! Worked like a charm and really sped my Firefox up. Thanks for the post!

[L-knot]

Or you could just get Mr. Techs extension: http://www.mrtech.com/extensions/local_install/

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/6082/user9dg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[odidio]

Definitely works, nice increase in speed.
Good stuff xpgeek.