Mint17.3 Browser connects only to cable not WLAN [SOLVED]

[Daddylongleg]

Hello, community!
Changing from Win7 to Mint 17.3 with little experience in Linux I have succesfully installed it. With some help from forums minor problems were solved. Only when I try to connect Firefox 42.0 via WLAN to the internet (it works with cable) I run into trouble.
I use USB-ASUS-AC56 WLAN-Adapter with latest Driver (DR_USB_AC56_4314_Linux). Driver Installation and connecting to AVM Fritz!Box 7490 seems working correctly as I can update and install missing software ect. Network indicator on bottomline show activatet network for cable and wlan. Terminal comands $ iw config and others show no strange results.
But: when I disconnect the internet-cable (wired connection) to go via WLAN and start the browser it indicates: No internet connection.
Two files are attached. Is there a helpful person who might know the solution which in my feeling is not far away. Thanks in advance.

[Cosmo.]

Open in FF preferences -> advanced -> network -> settings: Which is your current setting?

[Daddylongleg]

Hi Cosmo!
In FF networksettings is set to "Proxy of System". By the way: FF starts only when I logon as Administrator. With limited rights-user FF does not start at all.
Thanks for fast reply. Daddylongleg

[Daddylongleg]

Hello again to Cosmo!
Your question directed me to look at the network-indicator on the bottom-line, which shows the wireless-icon. A rightclick on the symbol asks if I want to change settings. In case of "yes" all network-connections are shown: 1. wired connection 2. wireless connection. A click on wireless offers to change it = yes. Then in option "general" one has to mark "automatic connect" and "all users may use it". The later was the solution, but only when I am logged on as Admin. Admin can now start Firefox but not a user with limited rights, which I normaly use to surf the web. So, this waits now for the final step. Any idea? Perhaps give more rights to a non-admin user and how? Regards

[Cosmo.]

Seems to be a permission problem. Let me guess: Didi you use the Command "sudo firefox"?

What do you mean with "logged as Admin" exactly?

As I understand, that you was never able to use FF on this system, there should not be any individual adjustments. So close Firefox, than delete the folder .mozilla. You must make hidden files visible in the file manager (ctrl-h). Then restart FF.

[Daddylongleg]

Hi Cosmo,
before I go on with your proposals, please let me clear up the situation:
admin or administrator (as in WIN7) means to have an account with all rights to change the system (when installing Mint, you will be logged on as superuser.
I created an additional account as desktop-user which has only limited rights and cannot change system-settings (used for internet-surfing). With Ethernet-cable to the router there is no problem at all: desktop-user and superuser (admin) may access the internet via Firefox. Now, with cable disconnected and power-up start of Mint means: superuser can start FF and connection to router works perfectly via wireless-connection. When desktop-user is logged-on FF won't start. Sorry for this lengthy description, but the situation should be clear now. My question, Cosmo, should I proceed as you suggested? I believe too, that it might be a permission problem. But which way to go? Does the desktop-user perhaps needs to have another right to use the wireless connection? (which I granted as superuser already for all users). Thanks for your patience. Daddylongleg

[Cosmo.]

admin or administrator (as in WIN7) means to have an account with all rights to change the system (when installing Mint, you will be logged on as superuser.

And here is the point, why I asked, what you mean with "logged as Admin".
If you mean a user account, which is member of the group sudo (the first account, created during the installation, belongs to that): No this is not the superuser. It is a user, which is privileged to ask root doing system changes. On some places this member is also called Admin; I don't like this name, because it is confusing. This Mint-Admin works technically quite differentially to the Windows-Admin.
Some people try to log in as root.
So I repeat my question: What do you mean?

You did not answer my other question:
Did you ever use "sudo firefox"?
And to be sure: Can the firefox-profile get deleted without loosing anything?

Reading your description there is another possibility coming to my mind: Open the network settings for the WiFi-connection and check, if other users may use this connection. This is on by default, but it might be, that you did set it to off erroneously.

[Daddylongleg]

So, a lot of questions which I will try to answer:
1. Let me call the first Mint-install-user "Mint-Admin" which is member of group sudo, no log-in as root.
2. Mint-Admin can start and use wireless connection with FF: yes
3. Log-on as desktop-user can not use wireless connection with FF, but in terminal-mode $ sudo firefox > Firefox will work!
4. Desktop-user was not member of group sudo, which I changed now
5. Network settings for WiFi-connection is set to all users (this I set earlier, was not by default)

Is it now still helpful to delete the firefox-profile? If yes: where to find and who should do this, Mint-Admin or desktop-user?
To be sure: desktop-user still cannot start FF in normal mode (from Icon on display bottom line), only in terminal-mode.

[Cosmo.]

but in terminal-mode $ sudo firefox > Firefox will work!

Now we have, what I suspected.

You have a permission problem, which you did generate with this command.
A general rule: Never launch any(!) graphical program via sudo. In case elevated rights are really needed, use only gksudo instead. (For FF this is never needed, otherwise something is corrupted, as in this case.) ignoring this will lead to several problems, in the worst case you are not even able to log into your user account.

As you did still did not clearly answer my question about the need to preserve the firefox-profile, do it this way:

Firefox must be completely closed.
Open your file-manager and make hidden files visible. (Press ctrl-h to switch this setting)
Rename the folder .mozilla to .mozilla.bck
Start FF, this will create automatically a new FF-profile.

[Daddylongleg]

Hi Cosmo!
I am very grateful to you, how you treated my problem with obviously much inside knowledge. As mentioned earlier, I am new to Linux Mint coming from WIN7. Our discussion was very helpful for me and I hope also to others. I will certainly support the forum team. Shortly after posting my last reply I found by chance another solution besides your proposal. By right clicking the Firefox icon on bottom line I changed the command-feature to "firefox %u" which I found on another PC and it worked. Don't ask how this was changed. It is very clear now that my problem is not due to Mint-software. Both connections to the router, wireless and cable work. Many thanks. [How to mark it as solved]?