Using Firefox has broken Zotero's internet connection

cricketbird
I am at work (Windows 7 machine) behind a corporate proxy. I normally use Zotero Standalone and Chrome and everything works fine. Yesterday I needed a second web browser, so I opened Firefox, which I normally never use. It wouldn't connect to the internet at first, so I changed the Firefox settings from "No proxy" to "Use system proxy settings". This fixed Firefox, but then Zotero Standalone (and Zotero within FF) wouldn't connect to sync servers. Zotero says "Error connecting to server. Check your Internet connection."

I put Firefox back to the way it was at "No proxy", which breaks Firefox again (it won't connect to the internet anymore), but Zotero still remains connection-less. What can I change or fiddle with in either FF or Zotero settings to get it back to the way it was? I'm okay not using FF any more.

Thanks,
CB
  • dstillman
    I don't think we've ever heard of anything like this.

    Firefox should be set to "Use system proxy settings", which is the default. You should then check your system proxy settings to make sure they're correct.
  • cricketbird
    Everything else on my machine is working and connecting to the internet fine. I uninstalled the Zotero addon in FF just in case, but that hasn't fixed anything. Is there a way to adjust Zotero Standalone's internet/proxy settings? I can't find them...

    Error Report is:
    PAC file installed from http://swg:9001/proxy.pac
    [JavaScript Error: "bad script XDR magic number"]
    [JavaScript Error: "sync.zotero.org:443 uses an invalid security certificate.

    The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is unknown.

    (Error code: sec_error_unknown_issuer)
    "]
    [JavaScript Error: "Error connecting to server. Check your Internet connection." {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/sync.js" line: 652}]
    [JavaScript Error: "sync.zotero.org:443 uses an invalid security certificate.

    The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is unknown.

    (Error code: sec_error_unknown_issuer)
    "]
    [JavaScript Error: "Error connecting to server. Check your Internet connection." {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/sync.js" line: 652}]
    [JavaScript Error: "repo.zotero.org:443 uses an invalid security certificate.

    The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is unknown.

    (Error code: sec_error_unknown_issuer)
    "]
    [JavaScript Error: "sync.zotero.org:443 uses an invalid security certificate.

    The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is unknown.

    (Error code: sec_error_unknown_issuer)
    "]
    [JavaScript Error: "Error connecting to server. Check your Internet connection." {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/sync.js" line: 652}]
    [JavaScript Error: "sync.zotero.org:443 uses an invalid security certificate.

    The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is unknown.

    (Error code: sec_error_unknown_issuer)
    "]
    [JavaScript Error: "Error connecting to server. Check your Internet connection." {file: "chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/sync.js" line: 652}]

    version => 4.0.23, platform => Win32, oscpu => Windows NT 6.1; WOW64, locale => en-US, appName => Zotero, appVersion => 4.0.23, extensions => Zotero LibreOffice Integration (3.5.9.SA.4.0.23, extension), Zotero Word for Windows Integration (3.1.17.SA.4.0.23, extension), Google Update (1.3.26.9, plugin), Shockwave for Director (12.1.6.156, plugin), Adobe Acrobat (11.0.10.32, plugin), Citrix Online Web Deployment Plugin 1.0.0.104 (1.0.0.104, plugin), NPLastPass (2.5.5.0, plugin), iTunes Application Detector (1.0.1.1, plugin), QuickTime Plug-in 7.7.6 (7.7.6.0, plugin), Java(TM) Platform SE 7 U67 (10.67.2.1, plugin), Java Deployment Toolkit 7.0.670.1 (10.67.2.1, plugin), Silverlight Plug-In (5.1.30514.0, plugin), Microsoft Office 2010 (14.0.4761.1000, plugin), Microsoft Office 2010 (14.0.4730.1010, plugin)
  • adamsmith
    start by updating Zotero to the most recent version, 4.0.26.1
  • aurimas
    See https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/ssl_certificate_error though the odd part here is that Zotero Standalone is functioning properly. Try loading https://sync.zotero.org in both Chrome and Firefox (as described on that page) and see what happens. Chrome always uses system proxy settings, so if Firefox is set to do so as well, the result _should_ be the same (both should complain that the page is using an untrusted SSL certificate). It's possible that your computer has a root CA certificate installed for the network proxy, which may not be getting picked up by Firefox (Firefox uses a separate certificate store IIRC, but I'm not sure if Standalone does as well).
  • dstillman
    I can't explain why Standalone was working originally or why changing a setting in Firefox affected anything else, but if you're getting an invalid cert error, your connection is most certainly not fine — your proxy is intercepting your secure connections. Your browsers (Chrome and Firefox) are likely using a custom root certificate installed by your institution, which is why they work when set to use the proxy. (When set to "No Proxy", they presumably can't connect to the Internet at all.) Standalone won't work on intercepted connections unless you take special steps to whitelist the proxy's root certificate. The linked page explains the issue.
  • aurimas
    Can you open Control Panel -> Internet Options -> Connections -> LAN Settings... and tell us what is configured in that dialog?
  • cricketbird
    Looks like I'm having sync issues even at home without any proxies (https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/47640/trouble-syncing-d1780230249/#Item_1). Will work on that later and see if that clears up my issues at work. Thank you :)
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