I think applications are complex enough without having to worry whether browser add-ons, plug-ins, toolbars or any other factors (like ServiceCapture) might be affecting our end-user experiences, testing, etc.

One way to dumb all that down to mitigate those effects might be to open up your Internet Explorer or Firefox browser in “safe mode”. Safe mode disables all add-ons and active-x controls from initializing on startup.

To Open Internet Explorer in Safe Mode:

Click Start –> All Programs –> Accessories –> System Tools –> Internet Explorer (No Add-ons)

To Open Firefox in Safe Mode:

Click Start –> All Programs –> Mozilla Firefox –> Mozilla Firefox (Safe Mode)

I found that you have to have all Firefox windows closed before opening up a new window in safe mode (not so in I.E.). But, once you do, you’ll see a preferences window open up where you can fine-tune your Firefox safe-mode settings: