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Firefox is a free, open-source web browser you can install on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. It is developed by Mozilla and is best known for its privacy protections, tab management, and support for add-ons. Use it if you want a browser you can customize heavily, sync across devices, and inspect or modify at the source-code level. The steps below cover installing it, setting it as your default, adding extensions, and fixing the most common problems.

What Firefox Is and Who Makes It

Firefox is a browser built and maintained by Mozilla, a organization that develops open-source software. Because its source code is publicly available, anyone can review how it works, report bugs, or contribute improvements — the same open-source model described by communities like MyBrowserAddon, which hosts documentation, tutorials, and bug-report forms for free browser-based projects.

That openness matters for two practical reasons:

• Transparency: you or a security researcher can inspect the code rather than trusting a closed binary.
• Choice: independent developers can build add-ons, forks, and alternative implementations on top of it.

Firefox is not the only browser, and it is not automatically the right pick for everyone. If you rely on a specific site or internal tool that only supports another browser, that constraint should decide your choice before any feature comparison does.

Key Features You Will Actually Use

Privacy protections reduce tracking but do not make you anonymous. They are a default, not a guarantee, and some sites may break until you adjust the protection level for that site.

How to Install Firefox

On desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux)

1. Go to the official Mozilla website and download the installer for your operating system.
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts. On Linux you can also install it through your distribution's package manager.
3. Open Firefox. On first launch it offers to import bookmarks and settings from another browser — accept if you want your existing data carried over.
4. Sign in to a Mozilla account if you want Sync. This is optional; the browser works fully without it.

Expected result: Firefox opens to a start page, and your imported bookmarks appear in the bookmarks menu.

On mobile (Android, iOS)

1. Install Firefox from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
2. Open the app and optionally sign in with the same Mozilla account you used on desktop.
3. If you signed in, your synced tabs and bookmarks appear within a few moments.

Setting Firefox as your default browser

• Windows: Settings → Apps → Default apps → choose Firefox.
• macOS: System Settings → Desktop & Dock → Default web browser → choose Firefox.
• Android: Settings → Apps → Default apps → Browser app → choose Firefox.
• iOS: Settings → Firefox → Default Browser App → choose Firefox.

Menu names shift between operating-system versions, so if a path does not match, search your system settings for "default browser."

How to Find and Install Add-ons

1. Open the official Firefox add-ons site (addons.mozilla.org) or go to the Add-ons manager inside the browser.
2. Search for the extension by name.
3. Check the developer, the number of users, the rating, and the permissions the extension requests before installing.
4. Click Add to Firefox, then confirm the permissions prompt.

Expected result: the extension's icon appears in the toolbar, and it is listed in the Add-ons manager where you can disable or remove it.

Install only from the official add-ons site or a source you trust. An extension that asks for permission to read data on all websites can see everything you do in the browser, so match the permissions to what the extension is supposed to do. If you are unsure whether a plugin or extension is safe, treat the permission list as the deciding factor.

Common Problems and Fixes

Pages load slowly or the browser feels sluggish

• Close unused tabs, or use the browser's task manager to find the tab consuming the most memory.
• Disable extensions one at a time to identify a heavy one.
• Clear the cache if a specific site keeps loading stale content.

A page will not load at all

• Try the page in a private window. If it works there, an extension or cached data is the likely cause.
• Turn off tracking protection for that specific site if the site depends on blocked scripts.
• Check whether the site requires a browser or plugin you do not have.

Sync is not updating

• Confirm you are signed in with the same account on both devices.
• Check that Sync is enabled for the specific data types you expect (bookmarks, tabs, passwords).
• Sign out and back in if changes still do not appear.

An extension stopped working

• Check the Add-ons manager for a pending update.
• Confirm the extension is still compatible with your browser version; some are abandoned by their developers.

Who Should Use Firefox

Choose Firefox if you want an open-source browser with strong default privacy protections, deep add-on customization, and cross-device sync. Consider a different browser if a site or tool you depend on only supports another engine, or if you need a feature that Firefox does not offer. The open-source model means you can verify how it works and contribute fixes — but it also means support for any given add-on depends on its individual developer, not on Mozilla.

Arx Libertatis is an improved, cross-platform, open-source engine for Arx Fatalis, the 2002 first-person RPG/dungeon crawler/immersive sim from Arkane Studios. To play on Linux, you install Arx Libertatis (official Linux builds are provided), then point it at a copy of the original Arx Fatalis game data — the engine itself does not include the game. You need to own or otherwise obtain Arx Fatalis or its demo before you can play.

What Arx Libertatis actually is

Arx Libertatis is a port and modernization of the Arx Fatalis engine, based on the publicly released Arx Fatalis source code and available under the GPL 3+ license. Version 1.2.1 supports modern systems, brings the game to new platforms, and removes bugs and limitations of the original release.

Two things follow from that:

• The engine is free and open source. You can download, inspect, and redistribute the code under the GPL.
• The game data is not included. The license covers the engine only. The art, audio, levels, and other assets remain part of the commercial game, so you must supply them yourself.

The game itself features crafting, melee and ranged combat, and a distinctive spellcasting system where you draw runes in real time to cast the spell you want.

What you need before installing

The original game is sold through storefronts such as GOG.com, the Microsoft Store, and the Bethesda Store, and it also has a demo. Any of these gives you the data files the engine needs.

Installing Arx Libertatis on Linux

Arx Libertatis provides official builds for Windows and Linux. Beyond those, it has been packaged for macOS (Homebrew), FreeBSD, DragonFly BSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, Haiku, and Pandora, and will likely compile and work on other operating systems.

On Linux, you have two practical routes:

Option 1: Use a distribution package

Check whether your distribution ships Arx Libertatis in its repositories. If it does, install it through your normal package manager. This is the least manual path and keeps updates tied to your system.

Option 2: Use the official Linux build

Download the Linux build from the project's download page and unpack it. This works regardless of whether your distribution packages the engine, and it lets you run a specific version such as 1.2.1.

If neither fits, the source is available on GitHub, so you can build it yourself — the project notes it will likely compile on other systems too.

Pointing the engine at your game data

The engine needs to find the Arx Fatalis data files. The general flow is:

1. Install or unpack Arx Libertatis using one of the routes above.
2. Locate your Arx Fatalis data. If you bought the game from a storefront, the installer places the data files somewhere on disk; if you have the demo, it comes as its own set of files.
3. Tell Arx Libertatis where that data is when you first launch it, or place the data where the engine expects it.
4. Launch the game and confirm it reaches the main menu.

The expected result at each step is simple: the engine starts, finds the data, and loads the game rather than exiting with a "data not found" style error.

If the game does not run

Check these in order:

• Data path is wrong. The most common failure is the engine not finding the Arx Fatalis data. Re-check the path you gave it.
• You installed the engine but not the game. Arx Libertatis alone cannot run — it has no assets of its own.
• Graphics/driver problems. Since the engine targets modern systems, most rendering issues trace back to drivers or to running an old build. Try the current release (1.2.1).
• Wrong build for your system. Make sure you grabbed the Linux build, not the Windows one, if you installed manually.

Where to go next

The project plans to keep improving and modernizing the engine and to enable community customizations and mods. If you want to follow development or get help, the project links to its GitHub repository, Mod DB page, and community forums such as the TTLG Forum and the GOG.com forum. There are also community projects built around the game, including the Arx Insanity Mod and other Arx mods.

Chrome is Google's free web browser: the program you open to visit websites, run web apps, and manage tabs, bookmarks, passwords, and extensions. You use it by installing it on a device, signing in with a Google account if you want your data synced across devices, and then browsing normally. The steps below cover installation, the features you will actually touch day to day, and the settings worth checking early.

What Chrome actually is

A browser sits between you and the web. It requests pages from servers, renders the HTML/CSS/JavaScript it receives, and gives you controls for navigation, storage, and security. Chrome is one implementation of that, made by Google and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Two things follow from that definition:

• Chrome is not the web. If a site misbehaves, the problem may be the site, your network, or an extension — not the browser itself.
• Chrome is extensible. Its add-on system is why a browser can gain features (ad blocking, password managers, developer tools) without Google shipping them. MyBrowserAddon, for example, describes itself as a community for open-source projects that hosts documentation, tutorials, FAQs, and bug-report forms for free browser-based projects such as add-ons and plug-ins.

Installing Chrome

Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux)

1. Go to Google's Chrome download page and download the installer for your operating system.
2. Run the installer. On Windows and macOS this is a standard install; on Linux you typically install a .deb or .rpm package, or use your distribution's package manager.
3. Open Chrome. On first launch you can choose to sign in, set Chrome as your default browser, and optionally send usage statistics.

Expected result: Chrome opens to a new tab page with the address bar (omnibox) at the top.

Mobile (Android, iOS)

1. Install Chrome from Google Play (Android) or the App Store (iOS).
2. Open the app. On Android you can set Chrome as the default browser in system settings; on iOS, default browser selection is handled in iOS Settings.
3. Sign in with your Google account if you want bookmarks, history, and passwords to sync.

The features you will use most

Signing in and syncing

Signing in to Chrome with a Google account turns on sync for whatever categories you allow. This is the mechanism that makes a bookmark added on your phone appear on your laptop. You can control which categories sync (bookmarks, history, passwords, extensions, settings) and turn sync off entirely without signing out.

Extensions

Extensions are installed from the Chrome Web Store or, for development, loaded unpacked from a local folder. Once installed, they appear on the Extensions page, where you can enable, disable, remove, or restrict them to specific sites. Because extensions run with real permissions over your browsing, install only from sources you trust and review the permission prompt before accepting.

Privacy and security settings worth checking

• Safe Browsing — warns you about dangerous sites and downloads.
• Site settings — per-site control over camera, microphone, location, notifications, and cookies.
• Clear browsing data — remove history, cookies, and cache on a schedule or on demand.
• Password manager — stores and autofills credentials; check for compromised-password warnings.
• Privacy controls — limits on tracking and third-party cookies, which Google has been changing over time.

Common problems and fixes

Chrome is slow. Close unused tabs, disable extensions you do not recognize, clear the cache, and check whether a single site is the culprit by opening it in Incognito (which disables extensions by default).

Chrome crashes or a tab keeps crashing. Update Chrome, then test in Incognito. If it works there, an extension is likely responsible — disable them one at a time. If it crashes everywhere, try a fresh profile.

Pages will not load. Check your connection, try another site, and confirm the date and time on your device are correct (certificate errors often come from a wrong clock).

Sync is not working. Confirm you are signed in on both devices, that sync is enabled for the category in question, and that neither device is paused.

Where open-source browser projects fit

Chrome itself is not open source, but its engine (Chromium) is, and many extensions and add-ons built for Chrome are open-source projects. Communities like MyBrowserAddon exist to host documentation, tutorials, FAQs, and bug reports for those projects, and to connect developers who want to contribute. If you are choosing an extension, open-source ones have a practical advantage: anyone can inspect the code to see what it does, which is exactly the transparency argument the site makes for open-source software generally.

Microsoft's Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) is a Windows feature that automatically creates point-in-time copies of your files, letting you retrieve older versions of files you deleted or modified. It is enabled by default on all Windows editions, but Microsoft only exposes those copies through the normal interface in the Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise editions. On Home editions, you need a third-party tool such as ShadowExplorer to browse and restore them. This article explains how VSS works, why the edition gap exists, and how to get your files back.

How VSS creates point-in-time copies

From time to time, Windows creates point-in-time copies of your files. These are stored as "shadow copies" and let you pull back an earlier version of a file you accidentally deleted or changed.

Key facts about how it works:

• It runs automatically. The service is enabled by default across Windows editions, so shadow copies are typically already being created without any setup.
• It is edition-agnostic at the storage level. The Volume Shadow Copy Service is included in all Windows editions, so the copies exist regardless of which edition you run.
• Access is the restriction, not creation. Microsoft only grants access to these copies in the Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise editions. On Home editions the data is there but not reachable through the built-in interface.

ShadowExplorer's own description frames this precisely: it "allows you to browse the Shadow Copies created by Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 and Vista Volume Shadow Copy Service," and it is "primarily intended for users of the Home editions, who do not have access to the shadow copies by default."

Why Home editions can't see shadow copies

This is the core of the problem VSS tools solve. The service runs everywhere, but the user-facing access is gated by edition:

Because the service is already running and the copies already exist, the only missing piece on Home editions is a tool that can read the shadow storage and present it to you. That is exactly what ShadowExplorer is: a graphical front end for the Volume Shadow Copy Service.

How to restore a previous version of a file or folder

The general workflow for retrieving an older version of a deleted or modified file is:

1. Open a tool that can read shadow copies. On editions without built-in access, use a third-party front end such as ShadowExplorer. On editions with built-in access, you can use the native previous-versions interface.
2. Show the available point-in-time copies. The tool lists the snapshots Windows has taken. Each one represents the state of your files at a particular moment.
3. Browse the shadow copy. Navigate the folder tree inside a chosen snapshot to find the file or folder you want.
4. Retrieve the version you need. Select the older version and restore or copy it out.

ShadowExplorer lists these capabilities directly: show available point-in-time copies, browse shadow copies, and retrieve versions of files and folders.

What to expect: you are not recovering a file from a backup archive — you are reading a snapshot of the disk as it existed at an earlier time. If the file existed at the moment a snapshot was taken, it will appear there.

Common snag: if no snapshot was taken after the file was created, or before it was deleted, the version you want may not exist in any shadow copy. Snapshot timing determines what is recoverable.

The limitation you must not ignore

Shadow copies are not a replacement for regular backups. ShadowExplorer states this emphatically, and the reason is structural:

• A shadow copy is stored on the same disk as the original data.
• In the event of a disk failure, all data is lost, including the shadow copies.

So the correct way to think about VSS and tools like ShadowExplorer is as a good addition to regular backups, not a replacement. Use it for quick recovery of accidentally deleted or modified files; keep real backups for anything that must survive hardware failure.

Quick decision guide

• You're on a Home edition and want an older version of a file: use a third-party VSS front end such as ShadowExplorer, since built-in access isn't available.
• You're on Ultimate, Business, or Enterprise: the built-in previous-versions access may already cover you.
• You need protection against disk failure: shadow copies won't help — maintain separate backups.
• You deleted a file recently: check the available point-in-time copies first; recovery depends on whether a snapshot captured the file before deletion.

PlayStation is Sony's video game console brand, launched with the original PlayStation in 1994. That first machine is now usually called the PS1 (or PSX), and it began a line of generations that runs through the PS5. If you want to place a specific console, game, or term like "PSX" in context, the generations below are the main map.

PlayStation vs. PS1 vs. PSX

The naming trips people up because the same hardware has several labels:

• PlayStation — the brand name for all Sony consoles, and also the original 1994 console's official name.
• PS1 — the common retroactive name for that original console, used to separate it from later generations.
• PSX — originally a shorthand for "PlayStation" (from "PlayStation Experimental," the console's pre-release codename). It now often refers to the same original console and its game library, which is why retro sites advertise "PSX games."

So when a site says it hosts PS1 or PSX games, it generally means titles from the original PlayStation era.

The main console generations

The key differences across generations are the media format, the graphics capability, and how far back each console can play older games.

Backward compatibility, by model

Backward compatibility is the ability of a newer console to run older games, and it is not consistent across the line:

• PS2 plays most original PlayStation discs.
• Early PS3 models play both PS1 and PS2 discs; later slim models dropped PS2 support.
• PS4 does not play PS1 or PS2 discs. Older titles return only as digital re-releases.
• PS5 plays most PS4 discs and downloads, but PS1-era games come through digital offerings rather than original discs.

Because support varies by model, check the specific console revision before assuming an old disc will work.

Where you can still play PS1 and PSX games

Original discs and hardware still work if you have them, but there are lighter options. Browser-based retro sites host PS1 and PSX libraries that run directly in a web page, with no console or disc required — for example, PS1FUN describes a large retro PlayStation 1 library playable in your browser, covering genres such as action, adventure, puzzle, RPG, and fighting. These collections are a practical way to revisit the PS1 era or try titles you never owned, though availability of individual games varies by site.