jfchandler: A great post! Thanks for adding.

Admittedly, my girlfriend just arrived and I grabbed her netbook to try Google Music on yet another machine. (Her only "blocking" extension is AdBlock)

No go.

Probably won't have time to troubleshoot much tonight, but will try to convince her to leave it with me so I can play later.

Will post any findings.

Edit: Is anyone else also running HTTPS Everywhere?

Edit 2: All my Google sites auto load in HTTPS, which should theoretically be of no issue, however it is conceivable some extensions or coding may not be happy with using the protocol. Regardless, I am not sure if Google even allows users to revert back to plain HTTP anymore.

Some more data points:

I went into FF add-ons and used the web interface there to have FF check to make sure all my add-ons were up to date... They were...

Did the same via the FF web interface for plug-ins. Turned out several of my FF plug-ins were NOT up-to-date. Updated all those so listed, which included MS Silverlight, Adobe Shockwave and Google Earth. Restarted Firefox with those updates, and still no go for GM.

--When I start Google Music, it also comes up in https: mode...

OK.. now I restarted GM again and it IS playing songs in regular FF, at least for the last couple I've tried.

Well, scratch that... After that, I closed out of FF entirely, restarted and logged back into GM, and now still won't play again with the same "refresh your browser" message...

This is F'ing crazy....

Went further. Exited FF entirely, then installed fresh and full downloaded versions of Flash and Shockwave for FF... Restarted everything and tried again... GM didn't work when I tried via Album...then I tried via Songs and it worked for a couple songs...then it stopped working again -- all in the same browser session without restarting or changing anything.

phoenixblue -- Google Music will not let you run in regular http mode, it always revert back to https mode.

JF: I re-downloaded shockwave, flash as well, also updated java script. I'm inclined to think that one or the other is the common thread behind so many site problems. (Periodically, for another example, I cannot write a review on Netflix--it just disappears. At the moment, it is working just fine. Once again, someone changed something. But the common thread is always that it is FF that has the problem. IE and Chrome always worked fine.)

the "https" comment is interesting. In the past I found "https anywhere" created some problems on some sites. I uninstalled it. However, Google itself gives the option of https---so if it defaults now to https, it should work, right, as it comes from Google by their option? Or at least it shouldn't suddenly stop working. As someone mentioned, the Google Music problem is relatively recent. It coincided with a slew of MS updates and patches, as noted. In any event, I wouldn't be surprised if Google music changed something behind the scenes as well. Whatever happened--it doesn't affect configurations in IE or Chrome, only FF, which is another common thread behind all the problems on all the sites. Google doesn't much seem to care about that. I guess it is time to commit to opening a different browser on some sites. When that becomes too inconvenient, it is simply time to switch, as painful as that is.

Keep in mind, of all the things I fiddled with yesterday, the only thing that consistently enabled GM to run in FF without problem was restarting Firefox in Safe Mode.

So the question is, what thing(s) are getting turned off in FF Safe Mode that avoids the problem with GM?

That was the first thing I tried--but it does not work for me in safe mode. Just tried it again now to be sure.

I theorized that safe mode affected flash or java or both, but I'm surprised it works for you.

I have also tried FF in Safe Mode and GM still won't play. I also doubt if Windows Updates did something to GM since it affected both XP (which is what I have) and Vista (monsieurms ). As I understand, these Window Updates are different for both OS. And also even if it did, it should also affect other browsers as well since it's in the same system. As of now, the only alternative I have is to use the add-on "Chrome View", which will enable me to play GM in Chrome.

And of today, there are 46 users have this problem. I know there are more than that since not every FF user comes to this forum and this issue has been discussed in Google forum as well.

Actually I have Vista on my laptop, XPsp3 on my desktop. MS did release updates that affected both at about the same time --and quite a few of them. I remember at the time as my laptop was downloading and unresponsive that I didn't quite recall anything quite like it.

GM doesn't work with FF on either the Vista machine or the XP machine.

Wow... very strange and interesting... Thanks for that additional feedback...

Just to complete the circle, I mentioned above, my PCs are all running Win 7 32 bit, so different from both of you....

When I talked about FF working for GM in safe mode, that was on my laptop machine, and I tried it several times playing and stopping and then playing again, and it worked fine in that one test. I haven't yet tried to duplicate the same thing on my Win 7 desktop, but I'll plan to do that in my morning tomorrow, and update here with the result.

BTW, thanks for tip about Chrome View. Sounds like the Chrome version of the IE Tab extension... I'll give that a try as well on my machines and report back if it works or not.

Freaky freaky.... Try to follow this... tonight on my Win 7 laptop...

--It had Chrome installed at some time in the past, but I had later uninstalled it. So up until now, all my trials with Google Music have been in FF without even having Chrome installed on my PC. And GM wasn't working in FF.

--So tonight, first I installed Chrome View on that machine, not realizing it needed to have the Chrome program in order to function. The extension just basically calls on the Chrome program to open in a new, separate window from FF... So at that point, I installed Chrome so I had it on my machine together with Chrome View.

--Then did a test of GM in FF with Chrome View installed but not executed. The first time it did the browser refresh error... But then I tried the same song again, and it played. And then I tried other songs and albums and they all played in FF with Chrome View and Chrome installed but not executed.

--So then I decided to try uninstalling Chrome View and keeping the Chrome browser installed. Did that and restarted FF and went into GM. Tried to play again and repeatedly got the browser refresh error... Went back and reinstalled Chrome View, restarted FF and tried GM again and it played in FF.... with Chrome View and Chrome installed but not running.

I have no clue of what's going on here... But I have noticed several different times and even when FF balks the first time when I try to play a song, often if I repeat the play command after the first failure it will work on the second and subsequent play attempts... So in testing, always give the play command a couple of consecutive tries...just to be sure.

So to recap, right now, GM seems to be working fine on my Win 7 32 bit laptop through and using the FF 11 browser....but with the Chrome browser and Chrome View FF add-on installed in the background. When I kept everything else the same but uninstalled Chrome View, GM no longer worked in FF.

JF: I have an easy answer! Google must've had spyware checking on installations and once they saw that you had Chrome installed, they were momentarily fooled and allowed you to play GM in FF. You probably won't outsmart them forever, though. Beware. :)

"So to recap, right now, GM seems to be working fine on my Win 7 32 bit laptop through and using the FF 11 browser....but with the Chrome browser and Chrome View FF add-on installed in the background. " -- That's what mine is doing because GM is actually playing in Chrome, not FF.

"When I kept everything else the same but uninstalled Chrome View, GM no longer worked in FF. " -- Since you uninstalled Chrome View, GM will be playing in FF and not Chrome anymore, that's why it's not working again.

PS: FF has just released FF 12, I'll update as soon as it's available for me and they try GM again to see if any changes.

jfchandler: Funny, I was actually typing notes on Chrome View and IETab as your response came in. They are both extensions I was going to recommend as a temporary time fix to those switching between browsers. Personally, I'd suggest IETab since it allows the user to remain within Firefox... whereas Chrome View forces you out to the other browser.

Update: IE Tab 2 appears to have been updated and working better than my previously recommended IETab (Standard) - Am still verifying GM in IE Tab 2 but initial tests work on my system - See later comment

FYI: I was using IETab 2 for a while since the original wasn't being kept up to date (had A LOT of issues with IETab Plus). However, "2" started acting odd, and upon review found somebody had recently picked the original version back up. In the end, IETab (standard) seems to be working the cleanest at present.

On your notes regarding Chrome View, I also find the situation very interesting. And even more interesting I have always had both extensions installed on all of my machines, which as stated have continued to operate re:GM.

I am off to a project, but when I return I will replicate your test on my gf's netbook this evening.

phoenixblue -- I tried IE Tab Plus but it consumed a lot of memory which slowed down my FF a lot and sometimes even stop responding, that's why I use Chrome View instead. Maybe IE Tab 2 is better, I don't know.

Silk, no, I don't think it's the same... I tested the Chrome View extension by using the right click mouse menu and then choosing "View this page in Chrome" on just a regular web page in FF. Doing that opened an entirely new and separate browser window that was Chrome. And when I look at the settings for Chrome View, all it does when executed is point to the Chrome exe file on your machine.

When I'm listening to GM right now on my laptop, it's in a straight Firefox browser program and window without having called the Chrome View extension or the Chrome browser in any way -- though they're both installed on my laptop at this point.

Update: IE Tab 2 appears to have been updated and working better than my previously recommended IETab (Standard) - Am still verifying GM in IE Tab 2 but initial tests work on my system - See later comment

silkphoenix: In the chance my note wasn't clear, I suggest just using the newly revived, originally named IE Tab (no 2, V2, or Plus). My notes were to let others know the latter "three" have been acting weird.

Link to (standard IE Tab): https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ie-tab/

Further, IETab actually allows a fully functional Internet Explorer session to run INSIDE of a Firefox tab -vs- Chrome View which literally opens the Chrome browser and takes you away from Firefox (changes on-screen focus).

If your memory jumps, it is because with either option your system has opened a second internet browser.

Re IE Tab, the version I have and have had installed is IE Tab 2 (FF 3.6+) ver 4131. I tried viewing the GM pages previously in that and trying to play, and it didn't work (play) on my machines... Same failure to play either running straight FF or with that version of IE Tab as the viewer. That was a day or two ago when I had no Chrome or Chrome View installed on my laptop.

PhoenixBlue, thanks for clarifying that re IE Tab... Ya, I was confused by your earlier post as to which version you were using now... So are you saying you're able to play GM in Firefox using the basic regular IE Tab??? No Plus... No #2...

jfchandler -- Your paragraph on Chrome View is correct, which that's how Chrome View work.

You said now you are able to listen to GM within FF, without using Chrome View, how did you do that? I thought you couldn't listen to GM in FF.

Silk, what you asked me above is correct, though don't ask me to explain it...

Right now, I'm playing GM via my FF browser just fine. I now have the Chrome browser installed on my machine, but I'm not running it. Likewise, I have Chrome View installed as a FF add-on, but I'm not executing it to run the window with GM... It's just installed as an add-on, but I'm not calling it. And no Chrome windows open or in use.

Well, that success was short lived.... While doing all this, my Firefox also auto updated to v 12...and after restarting with everything else unchanged, I no longer can play GM in FF...even with the Chrome browser and Chrome View extension installed... Well, it works in FF 11 for a half hour or so... Geez...