One aspect of SL that is often underestimated is the importance of your network bandwidth setting. Having this too high or too low can lead to all kinds of problems, from simple TP failure to being disconnected - among other things. So it is advisable to not rely on the bandwidth stated by your provider, but to check for yourself.

• Log out of Firestorm if you are currently logged in
• Measure your download speed to the city where SL has servers¹⁾, by clicking this link, then select YOUR PREFERRED SERVER; make note of the download speed they indicate at the end of the test:
  Tucson, AZ. ²⁾³⁾
• The speeds are given in Mbps; multiply the speed you get by 800
• Set your Firestorm bandwidth to 1500, or the result you got above - whichever is smaller: in Firestorm, go to Preferences→ Network & Files -> Connection; Maximum Bandwidth is at the top.

Based on our experience, we strongly recommend the following maximum settings for bandwidth - unless the calculations above suggest lower values:

• Any type of wireless connection, including home wireless: 500
• Hardwired DSL: 1000
• Hardwired cable or better: 1500.

SpeedTest will give some indication of the quality of your connection. But another very useful indication is ping and packet loss.

You can determine these from within the viewer by accessing the statistics bar (press Shift-Ctrl-1). Look for Packet Loss and Ping SIM. Ideally, these should be 0.0% and under 150ms, respectively. The stats bar gives data based on your present location in the SL grid.

Choose your Linux distribution for specific applicable steps. If your distribution is not listed, choose one that is closest, adapt as needed and, optionally, submit your adaptation to us for inclusion

• Ubuntu 17.04
• Ubuntu 17.10
• Ubuntu 16.04 / LinuxMint 18
• Ubuntu 14.04 / LinuxMint 17
• openSUSE 13.1/13.2
• Gentoo

Canonical did not provide support for gstreamer0.10 in this release, which should be assumed as deprecation of gstreamer0.10, and Firestorm is not yet able to use gstreamer1.0. In order to hear and see media and to use voice, you must install gstreamer0.10.

The easiest way to manage this is to create a separate list for the LTS (xenial) repositories.

Use your favorite text editor to create /etc/apt/sources.list.d/xenial.list (you must be root when you do this) Enter the following lines:

xenial.list

# Added LTS repos
# Added LTS repos
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial main universe multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates universe
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ xenial-security universe multiverse
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ xenial partner

Save and close the file, then

sudo apt update

Note that most 32-bit libraries cannot be installed on 64-bit Linux using Synaptic or the Software Center; use apt in a terminal instead.

Ensure 32-bit architecture support is enabled

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update

Install the base libraries

NOTE: These files can't be installed using Synaptic or Software Center.

sudo apt install libglu1-mesa:i386 libgtk2.0-0:i386 libidn11:i386 libpangox-1.0-0:i386 libpangoxft-1.0-0:i386 libqtwebkit4:i386

You may need to install additional plugins:

sudo apt install pepperflashplugin-nonfree

NOTE: one or more of these packages may attempt to remove their 64-bit counterpart. Consult your distribution's help documents and/or forums to see if there is a means of installing both.

Additionally, depending on your particular Linux and hardware setup, you may need to locate and install some additional packages:

If you find that you are running into problems running Firestorm, or are receiving a media-plugin-webkit error, Manwa Pastorelli recommends the following packages:

Install the following packages

Packages shown in red may attempt to remove other packages from your system, which may lead to system instability. Install these packages one at a time and observe any mention of packages to be removed.

Packages shown in green may be already installed as a result of installing one of the other packages listed on this page.

sudo apt install libstdc++-4.8-pic:i386 
sudo apt install libapr1:i386 libaprutil1:i386
sudo apt install libatk1.0-0:i386 libdb5.3:i386 libfontconfig1:i386 libfreetype6:i386 libuuid1:i386 libx11-6:i386 libxinerama1:i386 libxrender1:i386

If you run across the media_plugin_cef failure message, installing these packages may help:

sudo apt install libnss3:i386 libnspr4:i386 libxtst6:i386 libgconf-2-4:i386 libxss1:i386

Regardless of the method you choose, rebooting at this point can ensure that all required 32-bit libraries are referenced, though this may not be necessary.

http://www.firestormviewer.org/downloads/#synved-tabs-1-2

cd ~/Downloads
mkdir Firestorm
tar xf Phoenix_Fire{tab to expand} -C Firestorm --strip-components=1

At this point, you can launch Firestorm from a terminal:

cd ~/Downloads/Firestorm
./firestorm

And watch the output, optionally copy it for analysis since not all of it made its way to the viewer log.

You can also create a desktop shortcut, either manually or by running this script in a terminal:

~/Downloads/Firestorm/etc/refresh_desktop_app_entry.sh

If you crash continually, it will be helpful to get a backtrace, like so:

cd ~/Downloads/Firestorm
sed -i "/^#export .*gdb/ s/^#//" ./firestorm # This enables gnu debug
./firestorm

At the (gdb) prompt, type r to launch Firestorm. When Firestorm crashes, you should be back at a (gdb) prompt.
Type bt to get a backtrace. Copy everything from the terminal screen to a text file (there may be several pages, press Enter until you get the gdb prompt again).
Type q to exit gdb.
Create a Support Request on our Jira and attach the backtrace as well as crash logs. JIRA can guide you through the process.

NOTE: You can turn off debugging with:

sed -i "/^export .*gdb/ s/^export/#export/" ./firestorm

Log out of Firestorm.

cd ~/Downloads/Firestorm
sed -i "/^#export .*BAD_OPENAL/ s/^#//" ./firestorm
./firestorm

Now run Firestorm and try streaming audio. You may experience a delay in in-world sounds; if so, relogging might help.

Default Linux voice files may not properly connect as it may depend on obsolete audio libraries. As a workaround, install wine and use the included Win32 voice files:

sudo apt install wine
env WINEARCH=win32 winecfg

Launch Firestorm and log in, disable voice, then press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S to open Debug Settings. Search for FSLinuxEnableWin32VoiceProxy, set that to TRUE, then close Debug Settings. For good measure, relog, then enable and test voice.

• Manwa Pastorelli
• Jean Horten
• ShortyObrien

If you have Intel Graphics HD, Intel Graphics HD2500 and Intel Graphics HD4000, and are using the 64bit version of Firestorm 5.0.7 or later, on Windows 10, refer to this page.

This is a known issue with recent Intel graphics drivers, affecting other graphics applications besides SL viewers.

• Many people have received this graphics driver update without realizing it.
• The problem sometimes appears after a crash.
• Many users on HP laptops with OEM drivers are having this problem, although it is also affecting others.

What to do:

• Try rolling back to a previous driver that worked for you. See https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/graphics-drivers/000008628.html for instructions.

• If you are unable to rollback to older drivers, contact your laptop manufacturer for support. Here's a list of sites if you need it https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/topics/oems.html?wapkw=manufacturer+support Explain the issue, and tell them you need Windows Graphics Driver Version: 21.20.0016.4627, OpenGL Version: 4.2.0 - Build 21.20.16.4627 which is the last known non-buggy driver.

• Some users have reported that the following newer driver fixes the problem: Intel® Graphics Driver for Windows* [15.46] Version: 15.46.05.4771 (Latest) Date: 8/23/2017. Download from https://downloadcenter.intel.com. This driver may or may not be available to you depending on your computer.

• Workaround: Run the viewer in Full Screen Mode. Preferences → Graphics → General → Fullscreen Mode, then relog.

More information: Please refer to FIRE-21264 for more information and to report any additional details about the issue.

If you start experiencing graphics issues after a Win10 update, such as driver crashes, or simply very poor performance, the first thing to try is a full computer reboot.

If that doesn't help, reinstall your graphics card driver from the card maker's website, not from Windows. That is, from nVidia, AMD, or Intel.

If you have Intel HD 2000 or 3000 graphics, refer to this page.

If your laptop has an Intel CPU and also has either an AMD or Nvidia graphics system, it may have the ability to switch between the Integrated Intel graphics or power savings, or the AMD/Nvidia for performance. But sometimes Firestorm isn't automatically configured to use the high performance graphics.

You can confirm this issue by looking at Help → About Firestorm and checking the name of the graphics card listed. If it says Intel, please follow the steps on this page.

This mysterious flashing problem has been reported numerous times now and after some investigation we believe we finally have a repro for what's causing the issue. We do not yet know the specifics of exactly which systems are affected.

Typically the issue arises when Worn Rigged Mesh is in view and has at least one texture containing alpha and set to alpha blend mode. Alpha masking and emissive mask do not reproduce the problem.

We have also verified that this reproduces using the Official LL Viewer.

The Following Table shows which systems and drivers we have tested and whether they reproduce the Flashing Issue.

The Driver Version linked in the above table (DRIVER VERSION: 15.40.14.64.4352 & 15.40.14.32.4352) Has not reproduced the issue for us and is the Driver we recommend that you download direct from Intel.

If you receive the following Message when installing the Intel Driver:

This is an indication that you have an OEM Driver installed by the manufacturer. This Leaves you with two options:

• Check the website (or contact support) of your specific PC manufacturer and check for updates.
• Uninstall the OEM Driver and install the Intel Driver direct from Intel. This method is carried out At Your Own Risk

If decide to wait for an update from your computer manufacturer, or are simply uncertain about removing an installed driver, the following steps may help to make things more tolerable for you until your drivers are updated.

• If ALM is disabled the flashing will always reproduce unless Hardware skinning is disabled.
• If ALM is enabled the flashing will only reproduce when the avatar wearing the alpha blended rigged mesh is standing in Linden water.
  • If Hardware Skinning is disabled, the flashing stops in this case too.

Note: If you install the recommended driver above and still experience issues please read the related jira FIRE-17290 and add your details to the comments. Instructions for using the Jira can be found HERE

Firestorm stores usernames and passwords in an encrypted credentials file inside your user settings folder. This file can only be used on one computer, it can't be decoded on a different computer.

If you don't want the viewer to store passwords:

1. Launch the viewer but do not log in.
2. Uncheck both the Remember username and Remember password options (just to the right of the Log In button)
3. If there is a username listed in the Username field, click the Trashcan icon next to it. Repeat as desired for other stored credentials.

Firestorm may complain that it cannot decode the credentials when you launch the viewer. This can be due to actual corruption in the file, or because the file came from a different computer, or because of an operating system update. In some cases you can simply re-enter your credentials and the file will self-repair. If it warns you on each login, it will be necessary to delete the credentials file.

1. Launch Firestorm, then find your user settings folder by going to Preferences→ Network & Files -> Directories and click Open Settings Folder.
2. Quit Firestorm
3. Locate and delete the file called bin_conf.dat.

If you backup your settings, also delete the same file bin_conf.dat before attempting to use the restore option.

• Downloads
• Firestorm Release Notes

• For New Residents
• Basic Info on Getting Help
• Troubleshooting Guide
• Hot LL JIRA Issues Of The Day
• How to File a JIRA
• How to Contact Support
• Is my Viewer Safe?
• Office Hours
• In World Support Locations
• Firestorm Gateway Team

• Firestorm Classes

• Firestorm Gateway and the SciFi Community
• Latest Gateway Events News
• Firestorm Gateway SciFi Portal

• Login Screen Layout
• Viewer Modes
• The Viewer Layout

• Movement and Camera
• Chat
• Inventory
• Profiles
• Outfits
• Gestures
• Mouselook
• Editing Shapes and Other Body Parts
• People Panel Nearby (Radar), Friends and Groups are accessed here
• Contact Sets
• Using Search
• Streaming Audio and Video
• Voice
• Uploading Textures, Sounds, etc

• Top Menu Bar
• Preferences
• Backing Up Settings
• Quick Preferences
• Cache - What It Is
• Keyboard Shortcuts

• Reporting Abuse
• Avatar Complexity Settings

• Client AO
• Managing Groups
• Parcel Management
• Region Management
• Windlight: Water and Sky
• Avatar Physics
• LSL Bridge
• Move Lock
• Adjusting Font Sizes
• Building, Editing, Terraforming
  • Edit: General tab
  • Edit: Object tab
  • Edit: Features tab
  • Edit: Texture tab
    • Local Textures
  • Edit: Content tab
• Running Multiple Firestorm at Once
• Exporting and Importing Linksets
• Pathfinding
• Displayed Time Format
• Joystick and space Navigator

• Firestorm LSL Preprocessor
• Debug Settings
• Understanding Lag

• Phototools
• Backup / Restore
• Render / Derender
• Pose Stand
• Quick Preferences
• Custom Default Prim Parameters
• Customizing In-World Sounds
• Customizing the Button Bar - FS 4.0.1
• Client AO
• Camera Control
• Autoreplace
• People Panel / Radar
• Contact Sets
• Using the Command Line
• Build Tools

• Firestorm Class Recordings

• Obsolete Tutorial Videos

• Colour Scheme Tutorial

• Firestorm Source repository
• How to Make a Patch
• How to be a Good Development Neighbor
• Compiling Firestorm ViewerUnder Construction
• Translating the Firestorm UI

• Firestorm Blocks
• SL 2.0 - Explanation and Discussion Reference
• Firestorm Q&A Recordings
• Freebie Donations - In-World Vendors
• Applying to Beta Test
• Team April Fools' Pranks
• MOTD Blurbs

• For Phoenix documentation, please click here.

• Firestorm Licenses
• Firestorm Privacy Policy
• Firestorm Viewer Communications to the Firestorm Server
• Firestorm Credits
• Message of the Day Advertising
• Main website

These classes are based on our official Firestorm release and are conducted in voice and text except when otherwise noted. There's no need to talk, but you may want to be able to hear. We also usually have help available to answer questions in text. This schedule is subject to change.

Note that it is best if you are on Firestorm for the classes.

Locations are indicated in the far right column as follows:

• FS: Firestorm Support region classroom, http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Firestorm%20Ghost%20Town/24/11/4000
• JU: Junkyard University, http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Junkyard%20Blues%20South/112/204/22

Class times and days change regularly. Classes may be held any day of the week, with start times from 8am to 7pm SLT. Nonetheless, if the class times are still inconvenient you may prefer to watch recorded versions of some of these classes on YouTube.

*All times SLT*

Canonical ended support for the transitional package of ia32-libs. And because both the 32-bit and 64-bit viewers have 32-bit dependencies, viewers may not perform as expected, or at all in some cases.

Note that most 32-bit libraries cannot be installed on 64-bit Linux using Synaptic or the Software Center; use apt in a terminal instead.

Ensure 32-bit architecture support is enabled

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386
sudo apt update

Install the base libraries

NOTE: These files can't be installed using Synaptic or Software Center.

sudo apt install libglu1-mesa:i386 libgtk2.0-0:i386 libidn11:i386 libpangox-1.0-0:i386 libpangoxft-1.0-0:i386 libqtwebkit4:i386

You may need to install additional plugins:

sudo apt install gstreamer0.10-pulseaudio:i386 gstreamer0.10-plugins-base:i386 gstreamer0.10-plugins-good:i386 pepperflashplugin-nonfree

NOTE: one or more of these packages may attempt to remove their 64-bit counterpart. Consult your distribution's help documents and/or forums to see if there is a means of installing both.

Additionally, depending on your particular Linux and hardware setup, you may need to locate and install some additional packages:

If you find that you are running into problems running Firestorm, or are receiving a media-plugin-webkit error, Manwa Pastorelli recommends the following packages:

Install the following packages

Packages shown in red may attempt to remove other packages from your system, which may lead to system instability. Install these packages one at a time and observe any mention of packages to be removed.

Packages shown in green may be already installed as a result of installing one of the other packages listed on this page.

sudo apt install libstdc++-4.8-pic:i386 
sudo apt install libapr1:i386 libaprutil1:i386
sudo apt install libatk1.0-0:i386 libdb5.3:i386 libfontconfig1:i386 libfreetype6:i386 libuuid1:i386 libx11-6:i386 libxinerama1:i386 libxrender1:i386

If you run across the media_plugin_cef failure message, installing these packages may help:

sudo apt install libnss3:i386 libnspr4:i386 libxtst6:i386 libgconf-2-4:i386 libxss1:i386

Regardless of the method you choose, rebooting at this point can ensure that all required 32-bit libraries are referenced, though this may not be necessary.

http://www.firestormviewer.org/downloads/#synved-tabs-1-2

cd ~/Downloads
mkdir Firestorm
tar xf Phoenix_Fire{tab to expand} -C Firestorm --strip-components=1

At this point, you can launch Firestorm from a terminal:

cd ~/Downloads/Firestorm
./firestorm

And watch the output, optionally copy it for analysis since not all of it made its way to the viewer log.

You can also create a desktop shortcut, either manually or by running this script in a terminal:

~/Downloads/Firestorm/etc/refresh_desktop_app_entry.sh

If you crash continually, it will be helpful to get a backtrace, like so:

cd ~/Downloads/Firestorm
sed -i "/^#export .*gdb/ s/^#//" ./firestorm # This enables gnu debug
./firestorm

At the (gdb) prompt, type r to launch Firestorm. When Firestorm crashes, you should be back at a (gdb) prompt.
Type bt to get a backtrace. Copy everything from the terminal screen to a text file (there may be several pages, press Enter until you get the gdb prompt again).
Type q to exit gdb.
Create a Support Request on our Jira and attach the backtrace as well as crash logs. JIRA can guide you through the process.

NOTE: You can turn off debugging with:

sed -i "/^export .*gdb/ s/^export/#export/" ./firestorm

Log out of Firestorm.

cd ~/Downloads/Firestorm
sed -i "/^#export .*BAD_OPENAL/ s/^#//" ./firestorm
./firestorm

Now run Firestorm and try streaming audio. You may experience a delay in in-world sounds; if so, relogging might help.

Default Linux voice files may not properly connect as it may depend on obsolete audio libraries. As a workaround, install wine and use the included Win32 voice files:

sudo apt install wine
env WINEARCH=win32 winecfg

Launch Firestorm and log in, disable voice, then press Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S to open Debug Settings. Search for FSLinuxEnableWin32VoiceProxy, set that to TRUE, then close Debug Settings. For good measure, relog, then enable and test voice.

• Manwa Pastorelli
• Jean Horten
• ShortyObrien

For instructions for Phoenix, please refer here.

Some anti-virus programs will incorrectly flag a viewer - or necessary components of a viewer - as a virus or threat. They may remove the suspected part completely, rendering all or part of the viewer non-functional. There is nothing we can do about this. However, it should be possible for you to tell your anti-virus that the viewer is safe; you will need to whitelist the viewer program as well as some components.

The following is a list of anti-virus software and how to whitelist. Naturally we cannot provide instructions for all existing anti-virus software, and the information here may be outdated. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you consult the software manual for the specific program you use, for accurate and up to date information.

Here are the steps to follow to reinstall and whitelist a viewer in such as way that the anti-virus program doesn't “mangle” the viewer yet again:

1. Uninstall the viewer normally.
2. Disable the anti-virus software completely (in a few cases, this requires rebooting to make sure that the AV is not running anymore).
3. Reinstall the viewer, but make sure you do not install it back to the default folder suggested; install to a new folder. This step is vital.
4. In your anti-virus program, whitelist the following, per the instructions below (or better, consult the manual for your anti-virus software):
   • the viewer install folder
     • inside this, the viewer itself (firestorm.exe), slplugin.exe, slvoice.exe and llceflib_host.exe (for FS 4.7.9 and later).
   • the viewer cache folder
     • In its default location, the folder is hidden on most OSs. To find it, you will need to show hidden folders. Now you need to locate the cache folder:
       • Windows Vista/7/8/10: C:\Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Firestorm
       • Mac: /Users/[USERNAME]/Library/Caches/Firestorm
5. Run the viewer to ensure that it is working correctly; do a test of search and voice to ensure that both work, checking that the respective plugins get loaded. Log out of the viewer.
6. Re-enable your anti-virus software and run the viewer again, repeating the tests above.

• Open the Adaware user interface
• Click Scan Computer (second icon from top)
• Go to Manage Exclusions and click View
• Click Add
• Navigate to main Firestorm application folder
• Click OK
• Repeat for Firestorm folders in User/Local and User/Roaming

• Open the Avast user interface
• Click Settings
• Click Components
• Click File-System Shield Customize
• Click Exclusions
• Click Add
• Click Browse and navigate to the Firestorm install folder
• Click OK
• Repeat for the Firestorm cache folder
• Click OK all the way out

• Open the AVG user interface.
• Click Tools→Advance Settings.
• Resident Shield→Exceptions.
• The Add the program (or file, directory) you wish to be excluded from scans.

Please see the User Manual, pages 99-100, for how to add exceptions to the Advanced Threat Defence Whitelist.

(derrived from https://community.f-secure.com/t5/Security-for-PC/How-do-I-exclude-a-file-or/ta-p/15398)

• Open Computer Security.
• On the main page of Computer Security, click Settings.
• Select Computer Security > Virus and spyware scanning.
• Select Other settings > Manual scanning.
• Click the Exclude files from the scan link. The Exclude from scanning dialog is displayed.
• Select the Objects tab.
• Select the Exclude objects (files, folders…) check box.
• Click Add.
• Navigate to and select the Firestorm install folder
• Click Add again
• Navigate to and select the Firestorm cache folder
• Click OK to close the Exclude from scanning dialog.

If Gatekeeper prevents you from opening Firestorm, there is a simple workaround: See “How to open an app from a unidentified developer and exempt it from Gatekeeper” on this page. Once you have allowed Firestorm to open via this method, Gatekeeper will not flag it on subsequent launches (until you reinstall Firestorm again).

For a longer-term method, please visit here for a tutorial on whitelisting using the Gatekeeper software.

In order to create an exclusion rule:

• Open application settings window.
• Select Protection on the left.
• Click the Trusted Zone button in the Exclusions block.
• Go to the tab Exclusion rules and click Add.
• Select an exclusion type in the Properties field: Object and/or Threat type.
  • Object
    Click select object and choose a file, folder or a mask to exclude.
  • Select a Component in the corresponding field. The rule will apply to the selected component.
  • Threat type. Click enter threat type to select a file, folder or a mask to exclude.

Rules can apply to the following protection components:

• Virus scan,
• File Anti-Virus,
• Mail Anti-Virus (Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Workstations 6.0.4.x only),
• Proactive Defense (Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Workstations 6.0.4.x only),
• Web Anti-Virus (Kaspersky Anti-Virus 6.0 for Windows Workstations 6.0.4.x only).

A scan if a disk or folder containing excluded objects scans the entire disk/folder except the excluded objects. Yet you can force scan excluded objects from the contextual menu (by right-clicking).

Also you can create an exclusion rule from within a report window:

• Right-click the report object you want excluded.
• Choose the option Add to Trusted Zone.

An Exclusion rule window will open. Make sure that you are satisfied with the new exclusion rule settings. Object name and threat type fields are assigned automatically on the basis of the report data. Click OK to create the rule.

See the bug reports filed
Firestorm JIRA https://jira.phoenixviewer.com/browse/FIRE-21578
Second Life Bug Tracker https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/BUG-139337

Bad Image not designed to run on Windows. Windows Error 0xc0000020 can be reported on various DLL files. This issue first arose in August 2017, long after the prior two releases of Firestorm versions. Can be triggered by different events, including but not limited to, Windows updates.

McAfee has refused to acknowledge that this issue affects not only Second Life, but other applications as well. The only solution is to completely remove McAfee from your system and use another security software.

How to remove McAfee products from a PC running Windows
https://service.mcafee.com/webcenter/portal/cp/home/articleview?articleId=TS101331

Reinstall Firestorm following the steps at the top of this page.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4028485/windows-add-an-exclusion-to-windows-defender-antivirus

For Win 10 (possibly also Windows 8.x):

• Open Settings and in the search field at the top right enter defender
• Click the Windows Defender Settings option.
• Exclude the cache
  • Click Add an Exclusion
  • Click Exclude a folder
  • Click in the address bar and type %LOCALAPPDATA% and press Enter
  • Click the Firestorm folder
  • Click the Exclude this folder button
  • Repeat this if you have more than one Firestorm folder (64-bit and 32-bit, for example)
• Exclude the viewer executables
  • Click the Exclude a .exe, .com or .scr process button
  • Navigate to C:\Program Files\Firestorm-Release64
  • Click Firestorm-bin
  • Click the Exclude This file button
  • Repeat this for SLPlugin and SLVoice - and llceflib_host (for FS 4.7.9 and later).
  • Repeat this for 32-bit Firestorm ( C:\Program Files (x86) )

Add exclusion to Auto-Protect and Risk scan

• Start Norton 360.
• Click Settings.
• Click Antivirus Protection.
• On the Scans and Risks tab, under Exclusion/Low Risks, click Configure next to Scan Exclusions.
• Under Scan Exclusions, click Add.
• Browse and select the disk drive or folder or file you would like to exclude and click OK. If you want to include subfolders within the folder, check Include Subfolders.
• Under Auto-Protect Exclusions, click Add.
• Browse and select the disk drive or folder or file you would like to exclude and click OK. If you want to include subfolders within the folder, check Include Subfolders.
• Click Apply > OK.
• Click Apply > Close

Norton Internet Security includes a feature called Download Intelligence. This works such that the user community reports downloads as good or bad. While this may be very helpful, it can also be unfairly detrimental to programs, especially when they are updated as they are then treated as totally new.

Therefore, if you use Download Intelligence, you are urged to disable it before attempting to download any of our viewers, in order to avoid them being incorrectly reported as infected with a virus. Refer to this page for instructions.

• Click on the “Antivirus” section of the UI.
• Click on “Advanced Settings” (bottom of the panel current version)
• Click on “Exclusions” tab
• Choose “Add”, then navigate to your Firestorm installation folder and put a check in the box to the left of slplugin.exe (and llceflib_host.exe for FS 4.7.7 and later), and everything else you want to exclude. Once you've checked something, the “exclude” button at the bottom of the panel is enabled. Click it when you've finished checking off everything you want to exclude.
• Click “OK” at the bottom of the “Exclusions” tab.

See this page for additional Panda tips for whitelisting files and folders: http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/downloads/docs/product/help/is/2012/en/709.htm The page is out of date but the methods may still work.

• Right click PC Tools icon in taskbar → Open
• Go to Settings → Global action list
• Click “Add”, choose “File” & browse to your Firestorm installation folder & choose slplugin.exe - and llceflib_host.exe (for FS 4.7.9 and later).
• This will add the plugin(s) to the global whitelist.

To date (August 2015), there is no way to whitelist the entire cache folder in WebRoot. Therefore WebRoot may continue to cause severe problems including slow rezzing and viewer freezing.

If you test with WebRoot off and find your SL experience greatly improved, the only suggestion we have is to choose another antivirus program.

Some more more info on Webroot and the problems it has been known to cause, see this page.

For additional information:

• https://community.webroot.com/t5/Webroot-for-Business/how-to-set-file-and-folder-exclusions-in-the-webroot-console/td-p/189775
• https://community.webroot.com/t5/Webroot-SecureAnywhere-Antivirus/How-to-exclude-a-folder-from-being-scanned-in-the-latest-WSA-AV/td-p/78063

If, after upgrading to High Sierra, you are experiencing low performance and extremely low FPS, follow the steps for a full clean install of the viewer as set out here Full Clean Install

Download AMD Drivers & Software https://support.amd.com/en-us/download
How to Uninstall AMD Drivers http://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/GPU57RemoveOldGraphicsDrivers.aspx
How to Clean Install Drivers https://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/AMD-Clean-Uninstall-Utility.aspx

If you have an AMD/ATI graphics card then you may need to do these steps (ATI drivers don't seem to support OpenGL graphics very well, and SL viewers use OpenGL, as opposed to DirectX).

Graphics Artifacts

If you occasionally see an explosion of colored shards and shapes across your screen, these are graphics visual artifacts, and there are various causes for them. One is the lack of OpenGL support with ATI/AMD graphics cards and drivers. While ATI/AMD graphics can be good graphics cards, the drivers can also be finicky for SL.

The workaround to clear away the artifacts is found in Preferences - Graphics - Hardware Settings - Enable OpenGL Vertex Buffer Objects. Toggle that setting off, then back on again when you see the artifacts. You want to keep this setting enabled as it gives a considerable boost to your FPS.

For ease of access, you can add this setting to your Quick Preferences. The debug setting is RenderVBOEnable and use a simple Radio on/off option http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/fs_quick_preferences#adding_removing_settings

VBO is known to cause crashes in multiple different scenarios with older graphics cards. So one thing to try:

• Disable VBO: Run the viewer and before logging in, press Ctrl-P to bring up the Preferences window. Then click on Graphics → Hardware Settings tab. Make sure that “Enable OpenGL Vertex Buffer Objects” is not checked. Note this may result in lower FPS.

The AMD Raptr software is known to cause viewers - and games - to crash. This has been discussed on Steam; for example, see this thread. Check to see if you have Raptr installed; if so, try uninstalling it.

If you are seeing everything pink, the issue is the graphics card driver. The best solution is to update the graphics card drivers.

If for any reason, this is not an option:

• Enable the Advanced menu with Ctrl-Alt-D, if it isn't already
• Then Advanced → Debug settings → RenderMaxTextureIndex → Set this to zero
• This should fix the pink textures but may also cause a drop in your FPS (Frames per second)

Alternately, you can go to Preferences→ Graphics -> Hardware Settings→ Enable OpenGL Vertex Buffer Objects - and disable that.

This page gives guidance for Windows 7; more information is here.

Catalyst 15.7.1 drivers or newer.

• Catalyst 15.7.1 drivers or newer.
• Rather than relying on the built-in Windows driver update function, visit the AMD site directly and update from there; click here to locate the drivers for your system.

Quite a number of issues are related to HTTP fetching, including some unexpected ones:

• all avatars except your own appear grey
• in-world objects remain grey, or they repeatedly go blurry and focus
• mesh objects do not rez in
• your avatar bakes, then goes blurry, then rebakes, etc
• inventory is stubborn to load fully
• problems with voice
• music/video doesn't work or is intermittent

All of these issues can boil down to one common cause: problems successfully using HTTP to fetch textures and avatar bakes from SL servers.

Please try these things one at a time. If one fixes your problems, stop there, don't continue to the next.

• If you are wearing any HUD, including Catwa, WowMeh, Toodledeedoo, The Shops/The Mesh Project/TMP, Maitreya or similar, detach it. These (and a few other high texture HUDs) are known to cause in-world textures to rez then blur repeatedly.

• Power down your router and/or modem. This generally means unplugging it from the power source and removing any batteries. Leave them disconnected for at least a full minute before reconnecting (and reinstalling batteries). Wait for them to complete the power up sequence, then reboot your computer.

• If you don't have the Advanced menu enabled, enable it with Ctrl-Alt-D. Then, Advanced → Debug Settings. Type in TextureFetchConcurrency - set the value to 4, then close the Debug Settings window and relog.

• Preferences → Graphics -> Hardware Settings→ Viewer Texture Memory Buffer:
  

32bit versions only. This setting is hard limited to a maximum of 512MB. Try with a setting of 384. If you reduced this yourself as a result of the "Textures Discarded" error, then be aware that increasing this value will likely cause that problem to return.

64bit versions only. This setting is hard limited based on the VRAM available with your graphics card. It is recommended you increase the slider to use the maximum available to prevent texture thrashing.

• * GPU 1GB = up to 768MB
  GPU 2GB = up to 1024MB
  GPU 4GB+ = up to 2048MB

• Preferences → Graphics -> Hardware Settings→ Enable Lossy Texture Compression: Enabling this, and then restarting the viewer, will cause the viewer to compress textures while they are in Texture Memory, thus reducing the amount of memory each texture requires. This can help reduce or eliminate the constant re-blurring of textures. The caveat is that the compression is lossy, meaning some parts of the texture are simply lost, so overall texture quality might be reduced and may be noticeable especially along sharp edges.

As noted above, the problems are caused by the HTTP protocol - more specifically, it overwhelms some lower end routers. Many people find that HTTP makes rezzing MUCH faster; others instead, those with lower end routers, wireless ones in particular, have the issues described at the start.

If the fixes above work for you, then great. BUT we strongly recommend looking to upgrade to a better router. In particular, Belkin G series and the LinkSys WRT are two which are best avoided.

For an introduction to the basics of troubleshooting, please refer to this page.

Phoenix has some video tutorials on YouTube; you may want to visit and bookmark the Phoenix Viewer channel.

• Firestorm 64-bit

• Updating the viewer

• Crashing During Install or Startup

• Crashing While Running Firestorm

• Login Failures

• Texture Discarded Due to Insufficent Memory

• Graphics Glitches and Crashes

• How to Manually Clear Cache

• Clearing settings manually

• Full Clean Install of Firestorm

• Media Related

• Web Feed Items (Search, Web Profiles, or Destinations) Don't Work, Remain Black

• Voice Related

• Bridge Issues

• Camera is Pointing Wrong

• Friends/Groups Detached from Conversations

• Nearby Chat Detached from Conversations

• Firestorm Locks Up on "Initializing VFS"

• Hands Flickering

• I Can't See Worn Mesh

• I Cannot Log in Unless I Clear Cache First

• Clicking on a SLURL Doesn't Activate Firestorm

• AO Folder issues

• Finding a Missing Window

• My Friends List is Empty!

• The Viewer Seems to Freeze Every So Often

• How do I Get Rid of all this Debug Stuff?

• Issues Related to Shadows

• Large Flexi Prims, Like Tree Fronds, Vanish

• Objects Vanish

• Small Prims Vanish Even when Quite Close

• Making WindLight Setting Persist after Teleport

• How do I Derender/Re-render things?

• Restore to Last Position - Workaround

• My avatar won't move

• My saved outfit is empty

• HUD issues

• Attachments Detach then Reattach at Login

• Current Outfit Folder Corruption

• My feet are in the ground, or I'm floating

• I Am Missing Inventory

• Rezzed Items Have Vanished

• Help! I'm Wearing my Entire Inventory!

• Failed to Find Item in Database

• Fixing Avatar Issues - Cloud, Ruth, Clothing not rezzing

• I Can't Log In Because It Says I am Already Logged In

• Persistent Typing Animation

• Stuck Inventory Folders Work-Around

• I am Stuck Running

• Why Does Teleport Fail so Much?

• Worn Attachment not Showing as Worn in Inventory

• HTTP Inventory Issues

• Determining Optimal Bandwidth Setting

• HTTP Fetching Issues

• I See Everything Grey

• Why am I so Laggy?

• ATI Graphics Issues

• Intel Graphics Issues

• Nvidia Graphics Issues

• Everything is Black

• I See Things Like Stars in the Sky

• My CPU is Always at 100%

• Laptop Dual Graphic Card Issues

• Crashing While Editing or Wearing Mesh

• Problems Navigating in Mouselook

• Firestorm Won't Open on my Secondary Monitor

• Windows 10 Issues

• Webroot and SL Viewers

• Viewer Not Responding - Vista/Win7 64-Bit

• "Display driver stopped responding and has recovered" error in Windows

• I Get a User Account Control (Security) Pop-up

• Frame Load Interrupted by Policy Change

• Copy/Paste No Longer Works

• Clicking on a Link in Firestorm Causes a Crash

• Error Importing itdownload.dll

• Failed to Decode Login Credentials

• Firestorm Flagged as a Virus or Malware

• No Mouse Cursor - Vorpx Incompatibility

• Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks Problems

• Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite

• Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan

• Mac Sierra (10.12) Issues

• Mac High Sierra (10.13) Issues

• Crash on Upload

• Linux: Left Mouse Button Stops Working

• Alt-Click Not Working on Ubuntu

• Linux: Wrong Browser being opened

• 32-bit Firestorm on 64-bit Linux

• How to Minimize Firestorm when Running Fullscreen in Linux

• Screen Tearing with Ubuntu 14.04 (or derived, like Mint 17)

• Message About Account Compromised

• The "ExDepart Virus"

• I Can't Sit on Things

• Chat Lag

• "Couldn't convert the image to jpeg2000"

• Deleting Stored Passwords

• DNS Fail when Trying to Log in

• How to Get Inventory Back

• Login Fails Unless Cache is Wiped

• Object Contents Fail to Load

• Offline Instant Messages not delivered to email

• Web Profiles Not Displaying Properly

The events we promote on the viewer Message of the Day are:

• Not for profit, community events organized, hosted and/or sponsored by the community.
• Charity events that benefit good causes.

The idea behind what we agree to promote and what we don't are simple. If it's going to benefit you financially either directly or indirectly (publicity stunt), we are not going to promote it. However, if it's purely for residents, hosted by residents with no profits or financial benefits either directly or indirectly to you or those involved, we will consider it. We have always been, and will always be, about the community.

We cannot however promote religious events or anything that may offend or exclude other races, creeds, cultures or persons. For example, we were asked to promote Memorial Day, and while we support troops all around the world 100%, it is an American event which other countries do not participate in. That makes it exclusionary and not something that qualifies for us to promote.

Note: we do not promote anything on the login page itself. Just the Message of the day.

(Information extracted from this blog post.)

Partial day events, events that don't run all day and only run for a few hours¹⁾ will not receive a 24 hour Message of the day. It's a waste of valuable Message of the Day space. Approved partial day events Message of the Day will be run for two hours preceding the event and will end five minutes after your event has begun.²⁾The rule regarding this is still being discussed internally, it may go into effect or be removed.

Your Event must be suitable for a 'General' audience.
This includes the region hosting your event, as well as your web site and all its contents including any advertisements that may appear on your web pages, (not only the page we will be linking to in the MotD).

Events on 'Mature' regions will be considered on a case by case basis only and we must be given early access to your event space for assessment. ³⁾
If your event space is closed to the public prior to your event opening, please add “Animal Resident / a46fc033-40e8-4378-927c-81f35451be0c” to any necessary access list or group so your event space can be checked for anything that may need to be addressed before your requested message of the day run time.⁴⁾

Adult events and events on 'Adult' regions will not be promoted in the Firestorm Message of the Day.

If in doubt, ask yourself these questions:
Would I want my grandmother attending my event?
Would I ask a kindergarten class to attend my event?
Would I ask my co-workers to attend my event?

See Maturity ratings - Second Life, for more information about Second Life maturity ratings.

Make sure the page on your website we will be linking to in the Message of the Day:

• Has an easy to find and prominently displayed SLURL to your event.
• Is clear and to the point about your event. ⁵⁾
• Is easy to read. ⁶⁾
• Has your contact information if you wish to provide it.
• Doesn't send people clicking on other links to find what they want to get to your event.

You should save promoting your overall web site and more information about your event for your event. Once people are at your event you can tell them what ever you want, it's your event! The page we link to in the Message of the Day should be focused on getting people to want to go to your event.

When designing the web page we will link to for your event;
Keep in mind, when people see the Message of the Day they are trying to log into Second Life, not your web page, if your web page doesn't give them what they want, and quickly, most won't stick around to find it.

Please please please be sure and promote your event in other mediums as well! See Priorities below as to why this is important!

• Message boards.
• Classifieds.
• Profile pics.
• Etc.

The Firestorm Message of the Day priorities governing what Message of the Day will be run at any time are as follows:

1. Real life global crisis. ⁷⁾
2. Linden Lab requested MotD issuing critical information regarding Second Life. ⁸⁾
3. Firestorm viewer related news.
4. Firestorm viewer related events.⁹⁾
5. Firestorm hosted events, not viewer related. ¹⁰⁾
6. Important Second Life community events. ¹¹⁾
7. Hot support topics from the in-world support groups.
8. Other messages of the day, these will be rotated as needed to keep people from getting bored with the MotD.
   1. Other organization hosted events. Your MotD request. Rotated with other events as needed.¹²⁾
   2. Other organization event application requests. Your MotD request. Rotated with other application requests as needed.
   3. Firestorm classes. ¹³⁾
   4. Firestorm tips.¹⁴⁾
9. Linden Lab standard MotD.¹⁵⁾

If you have a community event that you would like promoted on our MOTD you can send a request to lassie@phoenixviewer.com for consideration. We do not charge for promoting your event nor will we accept any benefits, financial or otherwise. Though you can expect we may attend your event . Please provide your in-world name and details to the event. All events we promote are required to have a website we can link to.

The name of your event in the subject of your email. For example, MotD Request for Watching Grass Grow Event.

And in the body of your request:
If the following info is not in your request your Message of the Day will not run.

• Tell us a little about your event.
• The specific date range you would like your MotD to run.¹⁶⁾
• The URL for your event website.
• A contact name and email if different than yours.
• An in world name we can contact if needed.
• Optional, what you would like your Message of the Day to say.¹⁷⁾

Once this is received your request will be evaluated for inclusion in the Firestorm MotD. If you don't hear back from us in a few days consider everything good to go. We will email you if we need more information or if something is missing.
If your MotD is declined you will be replied to as to why your event MotD wasn't accepted.


Good luck with your event!

Included for transparency.

• Better define what is acceptable as a MotD and what isn't.
• Discuss whether or not to include an upcoming, in progress and or past MotD reference list, (and what to include in it).
• Finish the MotD application form.

Coming soon!
Click here to apply for a Firestorm MotD (Doesn't work yet.)
But is still a good template for what you should send us in an email about your event!

If your camera is suddenly pointing straight up - or straight down - or some impossible direction, then try these:

• Disable RLV and/or detach your collar or other RLV scripted items.

• Press the Escape (Esc) key a few times. Pressing Escape will clear focus from any windows that have focus, and finally, will reset camera position to your current settings.

• Press Shift-Escape (Esc), once or twice, to reset camera angle to Firestorm default settings. If Shift-Esc did not work, then go to the top menu, Advanced (Ctrl-Alt-D, if not enabled) → Shortcuts → Reset Camera Angles.

• Press Ctrl-9 - this will reset camera zoom. If the zoom did not reset, then go to the top menu, Advanced (Ctrl-Alt-D, if not enabled) → Shortcuts → Zoom default.

• Go to the top menu, World → Photo & Video → Camera Tools. Click all the buttons with the label 'D', on all tabs.

• Go to Advanced (Ctrl-Alt-D if the Advanced menu is not visible) → Show Debug Settings and enter “FocusOffsetRearView” ¹⁾ in the input field. Click “Reset to default” at the bottom.

• If that doesn't work, hold down Shift or Control, then use the mouse wheel to change the camera angle.

• Detach all worn HUDs and prim attachments. Sometimes worn items can control your camera perspective. If this fixes the problem, then re-add your items back on one at a time until you find the one causing the problem.

• If all of these fail to work, then the only remaining solution is to reset all your settings to defaults.

Try pressing the left and right arrows on your keyboard at the same time, several times.

If you are using a mouse/keyboard sharing program, such as Synergy, or running Parallels on your Mac, then go to Advanced menu (ctrl-alt-d, if not showing) → Show Debug Settings → search for MouseWarp and set to True.

This can happen when you have a non default value set for Font DPI within Windows operating system settings.

• Windows 10: Right click your desktop → Display settings → Display → Change the size of text, apps, and other items → Make sure this is set to 100%.
• Windows 8: Right click your desktop → Personalise → Display → Adjust font size (DPI) → Make sure this is set to the default value of 96.

If prompted, reboot or sign out and back in.

Many thanks to Crypticzynergy for much of this information.

• Windows 10:
  • Right click your desktop → Display settings → Display → Change the size of text, apps, and other items → Set this to the scaling you prefer (default is 125%).
  • Click Apply, then click Sign Out Now
• Windows 8:
  • Right-click on desktop and select “Personalize → Display → Adjust Font Size (DPI)”. Click “Continue” to verify making changes to the settings.
  • Click on the “Custom DPI…” button. (Win8: This will be in a “DPI Scaling” window that pops up,)
  • A “Custom DPI Setting” window is displayed. Set your DPI as you would like it and ensure that the “Use Windows XP Style DPI scaling” is CHECKED.
  • Click on the “OK” button to close the “Custom DPI Setting” window.
  • OK the request to Restart computer.

• Right-click on the viewer's shortcut/icon/executable on your desktop (or in Windows Explorer) and select “Properties.”

• Go to the “Compatibility” tab. Place a check in the box that says, “Disable display scaling on high DPI settings.”

• Click “OK” to save the changes and close the popup window.

• Log into SL and verify that Mouselook View now works as intended. You're done!

“Windows XP style DPI scaling” does not actually scale a program's GUI; it only scales/enlarges the system fonts and other system UI elements at higher DPI settings. Basically any text drawn using system fonts is suddenly bigger.

Windows Vista's method is ambiguously called “display scaling”, or better known as “DPI virtualization”. Windows still performs “XP style scaling” when this option is enabled, but programs/software that can handle high DPI settings are now expected to tell Windows they can handle it by setting a “DPI-aware” flag. If that flag is missing, Windows first renders the entire program window to an internal bitmap using 96 DPI (the default setting), and then scales up that bitmap to the current DPI setting before finally displaying it on your screen.

Apparently, having the checkbox marked ENSURES the EXCLUSIVE use of the legacy “Windows XP style DPI scaling” method and DISABLES the additional use of “DPI Virtualization” for programs that lack the DPI-aware flag. Microsoft/Windows dislikes non-conformity by 3rd party programs to the point where it won't play nice with said software/programs, like SL! This is where the tantrum comes – in the form of Mouselook view issues. (Basically when the checkbox is unchecked, you're actually enabling the newer method – DPI virtualization.)

Updating your viewer need not be a daunting task. The Method explained below is for a straightforward Update. DO NOT follow this method if you are reverting to an earlier version.

Ideally, use the Programs & Features Control Panel [Win7, Win8, Win10], or Add/Remove Programs Control Panel to remove the Firestorm application. If you have a Firestorm folder in your Start Menu, there may be an Uninstall link there (32-bit Firestorm only).

Navigate to Applications and trash the Firestorm App.

The Firestorm install directory will be wherever you extracted the download archive. Typically this will be in your home directory somewhere, such as ~/Phoenix-Firestorm_*. Delete this directory and everything inside it.

If you used the install script as root, look in your /opt directory. You will need to su root or sudo rm to delete the firestorm directory there.

Having done all those steps, you may now install Firestorm. Installing Firestorm is done in pretty much the same way as any other application on your computer.

Get the installer: For the current release, go to the Downloads page.

Run the downloaded installer. The 32-bit installer will offer you the chance to change the destination directory; the 64-bit installer shows the destination when you click the Options button.
The installer will create a shortcut icon on the desktop.

Note: The 32-bit installer offers you an option to start the viewer when it's done, and you should choose No. Choosing Yes tends to cause problems for some people, especially if they restore during that session. The shortcut is the preferred way to launch the viewer.

Find the .dmg file you just downloaded and double-click it to mount it. Then drag the Firestorm app icon into your Applications folder. More detailed instructions can be found here

Extract the downloaded tar.bz2 or tar.xz into any directory and run the firestorm script inside that directory to launch it. You can optionally install by running the install script inside that directory. And you can optionally create a desktop launcher. Refer to the README files for more information.
If you are installing on a 64-bit Linux system, you will need to install some 32-bit libraries. Refer to this page for guidance on required compatibility libraries.
If you use the Nautilus File Manager and double clicking the firestorm launch script opens the script in an editor, you will need to modify how Nautilus handles scripts.

It must be noted that a different flash player is required for different versions of Firestorm. Version 4.7.7 and newer requires flash player for Opera and Chromium. Go here, select your operating system, then select the appropriate flash player.

The following explains how to do a proper clean install - which is more than simply removing the viewer and reinstalling it. You may need to follow this procedure if you have problems.

If you save chat transcripts, they are by default saved in your per-account settings folder (named for your avatar). Before you delete that folder (below), you will need to identify the chat files and move them. See here for steps to relocate your chat transcripts. This only needs to be done once if you then backup your settings. But you must log in on each account (i.e., alts) to save that account's chat files.

As a just-in-case measure for any situation, and to make upgrading or downgrading your viewer much easier, make a backup of your settings. It's a good idea to make a backup right before upgrading, downgrading or otherwise wiping settings so that the backup is current (teleport history, contact sets, etc. can change dynamically). You must log in on each account (i.e., alts) in order to back up that account's settings.

REMINDER: If you want to save chat transcripts and or settings, make sure you do Steps 1 and 2 before deleting your settings.

Firestorm settings can become corrupt, particularly if you recently crashed; the files may not save completely, so important information can become “scrambled”. And when installing a different version of the viewer, using settings from the previously installed version may cause undesirable behavior in the viewer.

Here is how to remove the old settings:

• Launch the viewer but do not log in.
• Click the Viewer menu at the top, choose Preferences, then Network & Files, then Directories.
• Click the Open Settings Folder button.
• Close the viewer.
• In the file window, navigate up one folder, to the Firestorm* folder. If you see a folder called user_settings and one or more named for your avatars, you're in the right place.
• Select everything in that Firestorm folder and delete it.

*Note that the Firestorm folder name may differ slightly.

Note also that if you have both a 32-bit and 64-bit version installed, you will only be deleting settings for the version that you launched at the beginning of this step. You would have to repeat this step if you want to delete settings for the other version that's still installed.

You will need to use a file manager (like Windows Explorer for Windows system, Dolphin, the Mac Finder, or some such) to locate the settings folder. In its default location, the folder is hidden on most OSs. To find it, you will need to show hidden folders. Refer to this page to locate your settings folders.

Clearing cache should only be done when there is a problem with the cache, or when there is a significant change in the viewer that requires it (such as a change to the KDU render code). The viewer will automatically clear cache in such cases, but manual clearing may be quicker.

When downgrading, you should always clear the cache.

If you have to clear cache in order to use the viewer version you are about to install, please see this page.

Ideally, use the Programs & Features Control Panel [Win7, Win8, Win10], or Add/Remove Programs Control Panel to remove the Firestorm application. If you have a Firestorm folder in your Start Menu, there may be an Uninstall link there (32-bit Firestorm only).

Navigate to Applications and trash the Firestorm App.

The Firestorm install directory will be wherever you extracted the download archive. Typically this will be in your home directory somewhere, such as ~/Phoenix-Firestorm_*. Delete this directory and everything inside it.

If you used the install script as root, look in your /opt directory. You will need to su root or sudo rm to delete the firestorm directory there.

Having done all those steps, you may now install Firestorm. Installing Firestorm is done in pretty much the same way as any other application on your computer.

Get the installer: For the current release, go to the Downloads page.
For any previous supported version, go to the Older Downloads page.

Run the downloaded installer. The 32-bit installer will offer you the chance to change the destination directory; the 64-bit installer shows the destination when you click the Options button.
The installer will create a shortcut icon on the desktop.

Note: The 32-bit installer offers you an option to start the viewer when it's done, and you should choose No. Choosing Yes tends to cause problems for some people, especially if they restore during that session. The shortcut is the preferred way to launch the viewer.

Find the .dmg file you just downloaded and double-click it to mount it. Then drag the Firestorm app icon into your Applications folder. More detailed instructions can be found here

Extract the downloaded tar.bz2 or tar.xz into any directory and run the firestorm script inside that directory to launch it. You can optionally install by running the install script inside that directory. And you can optionally create a desktop launcher. Refer to the README files for more information.
If you are installing on a 64-bit Linux system, you will need to install some 32-bit libraries. Refer to this page for guidance on required compatibility libraries.
If you use the Nautilus File Manager and double clicking the firestorm launch script opens the script in an editor, you will need to modify how Nautilus handles scripts.

It must be noted that a different flash player is required for different versions of Firestorm. For version 4.7.5 require flash player for Firefox (NPAPI); Firestorm 4.7.7 and newer require flash player for Opera and Chromium. Go here, select your operating system, then select the appropriate flash player.

Once you have the viewer installed or reinstalled, you will want to make sure the viewer is operating correctly:

• Log back into SL, to a quiet region (try Hippo Hollow, Aich or Hatton). Don't change any settings.
• Test any functions that didn't work for you in the previous version that had been reported fixed.
• If downgrading, test any functions that failed in the newer version.
• If you needed to clear cache in Step 4 above, open your Inventory and wait for it to fully populate.

At this point, if the viewer is performing as it should, you can restore your settings and again relog. You must log in on each account (i.e., alts) to restore that account's settings.

Log back in to SL once again and confirm that the viewer is still performing as it should; then you can adjust any new or changed settings and then back those up.

Note that some settings are not restored, such as graphics. This is because the graphics settings could be incorrect and may cause problems.