Help with Firefox Browser Issues

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around issues experienced with the Firefox browser, particularly regarding crashes and difficulties accessing email. Participants share their experiences and troubleshooting steps taken on different operating systems, including Windows 7 and Windows 10.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant reports that Firefox crashes daily, requiring a hard restart of the computer, and questions whether the issue is browser-related or if the entire operating system is freezing.
  • Another participant mentions that their computer freezes completely when using Firefox, while other browsers like Internet Explorer and Chrome function normally.
  • A participant experiencing similar issues upgraded from a 32-bit to a 64-bit version of Firefox but found no improvement, suggesting a potential conflict with the underlying server software.
  • Some participants note that Firefox crashes when multiple tabs are opened, particularly on specific forums, while others report no issues with Firefox on different operating systems like Linux Mint.
  • There are suggestions that problems may be related to add-ons or plugins, with recommendations to run Firefox in safe mode to troubleshoot.
  • One participant expresses frustration with the latest Windows 10 update affecting Firefox performance, while others discuss uninstalling and reinstalling Firefox without resolving the issues.
  • Concerns are raised about the persistence of bookmarks and user data after reinstalling Firefox, with inquiries on how to completely wipe the profile for a fresh start.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express a lack of consensus on the root cause of the issues, with multiple competing views on whether the problems are related to Firefox itself, the operating system, or specific configurations. Some participants agree on the potential influence of add-ons, while others suggest the issue may stem from recent updates or server conflicts.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include varying experiences based on different operating systems and versions of Firefox, as well as the potential impact of recent updates to both Firefox and Windows. Some participants have not resolved their issues despite multiple troubleshooting attempts.

yungman
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My firefox browser is not behaving.

1) For a while, it crash like ones a day and I had to push and hold the power button to turn it off and then restart it.

2) Since this morning, I cannot get into my email and said that maybe my server prevent exchange of some cookies.

Things I did before I post here to ask:

a) I gone into Windows and recovered to yesterday, it did not help.
b) I uninstalled the Firefox and went to their site and download/install the new firefox. Still I cannot get into my email.
c) I unplugged both the boxes that connect to the DSL phone line and the wifi, wait for 15 seconds and plug back into reset them. It did not help.
d) I use my other older laptop, It works normally, I can get into the email and all.

So the problem is confined to this computer. What else can I do?

Thanks
 
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yungman said:
1) For a while, it crash like ones a day and I had to push and hold the power button to turn it off and then restart it.
The power button is the computer. Does the whole operating system crash? Are you sure it is browser-related?

Where do you access emails, and why do you use a browser for that?
Does a different browser on the same computer work?
yungman said:
d) I use my other older laptop, It works normally, I can get into the email and all.
Firefox and windows there?
 
mfb said:
The power button is the computer. Does the whole operating system crash? Are you sure it is browser-related?

Where do you access emails, and why do you use a browser for that?
Does a different browser on the same computer work?Firefox and windows there?
Thanks for replying.

The whole computer is frozen, Ctrl-Alt-Del does not work, the mouse does not work, the computer does not respond to anything, no way to get out of it except pushing the power button.

I have all 3 browser running, the IE always works, so is the Chrome. Problem only with Firefox.

Both computer has Firefox and Windows. The older one that is working has Win10, the one that has problem is Win7. Both laptop are very new, The older one is 4th generation I5, the newer one that has problem is 6th generation I7. So both are very new.

Thanks
 
I have had EXACTLY the same problem for the last few days. I thought it was because I was running an older 32-bit version of FireFox so I upgraded to the latest 64-bit version and it made no difference at all. There's something about the combination of FireFox and the current version of PF that causes my computer to become a doorstop about once a day. A hard restart is the only solution. I think it also happens with the Wood Barter Forum, which not coincidentally runs exactly the same base server code as PF.

My guess is that the underlying base server software has had an upgrade that causes a very severe conflict with FireFox.
 
That is interesting. My Firefox crashes once in a while when I open multiple PF tabs together. It doesn't crash the computer and I can directly restart Firefox, but it is something that started happening recently (2-3 weeks?).

yungman said:
The whole computer is frozen, Ctrl-Alt-Del does not work, the mouse does not work, the computer does not respond to anything, no way to get out of it except pushing the power button.
That doesn't have to be the program that is currently running.
 
mfb said:
That doesn't have to be the program that is currently running.
Well, it's one hell of a coincidence that it only happens when I open PF or WB with FireFox.
 
I can't use Firefox, it's an absolute nightmare. I have Win 10 and the latest version of Firefox was installed, had to uninstall it.

After the "level 3" Microsoft tech called me about the issues I was having with "Creator", they had me revert to the old version, admitted they had made a serious mistake and would start working on a fix. I have heard nothing since, haven't received any notices to change. The techs had me try all of the browsers and IE and Chrome had the least issues.

LOL, I see that they are now touting a "new" Creator due in September. I hope they worked out the bugs. Ok, who am I kidding? You know they wait for complaints to alert them of the bugs.
 
Last edited:
Wow, I did not expect this. I always like Firefox. Funny it all started to happen about a month and half ago when I have to keep restarting the computer. Then I cannot get into my email.

Also, it seems to be very slow for a while compare to the other two.
 
yungman said:
I have all 3 browser running, the IE always works, so is the Chrome. Problem only with Firefox.
Which suggests to me that it's not a hardware problem...
 
  • #10
Firefox seems to be working fine for me here... and here.

Firefox Performance.JPG
 
  • #11
I use Firefox with Linux Mint and Solus, and have zero problems with any website or multiple tabs. Perhaps the problem is elsewhere. (Dual core Pentium G630 desktop)
 
  • #12
Mark44 said:
Which suggests to me that it's not a hardware problem...
Agreed, I suspect it's due to add-ons/plugins, and suggest loading Firefox in safe mode by running the command 'firefox /safe-mode' to verify.
I've noticed major performance issues on Windows 10 version 1703 (Creator edition) with Firefox on my older laptop, but so far I'm just pushing through instead of restoring to the 1607 version.

https://m.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/26/stop_downloading_win10_creators_update/
 
  • #13
The problem is this has only happens maybe 4 times in the last week and I am very active on the internet and open both PF and WB tabs frequently throughout the day.
 
  • #14
stoomart said:
...running the command 'firefox /safe-mode'...
Isn't this the same ... ?

Firefox tools .JPG
 
  • #15
So is there anything I can do, I am crippled! Should I start using the older laptop?
 
  • #16
yungman said:
So is there anything I can do, I am crippled! Should I start using the older laptop?
If Chrome and IE work fine, and running Firefox in safe-mode doesn't help, I suggest performing a full uninstall to remove any application or profile corruption, and then do a fresh install.
 
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  • #17
stoomart said:
Agreed, I suspect it's due to add-ons/plugins, and suggest loading Firefox in safe mode by running the command 'firefox /safe-mode' to verify.
I've noticed major performance issues on Windows 10 version 1703 (Creator edition) with Firefox on my older laptop, but so far I'm just pushing through instead of restoring to the 1607 version.

https://m.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/26/stop_downloading_win10_creators_update/
Well, they pushed the Creator update to me, I didn't update it on my own and they still had to admit they had made a serious mistake that I discovered. Had to do with them not realizing that a lot of websites had flash AND HTML5. They had configured it so that if Edge saw HTML5, it automatically disabled flash and left you no option to enable flash, leaving many major websites useless. OOOPS! Dummies.
 
  • #18
stoomart said:
If Chrome and IE work fine, and running Firefox in safe-mode doesn't help, I suggest performing a full uninstall to remove any application or profile corruption, and then do a fresh install.
I did uninstall and reinstall. But one thing strange is the new one has all the bookmarks and remember everything right from the beginning.

I already saved the bookmark, how can I wipe everything out and start from the beginning, then load back the .json to get back my bookmarks?

Thanks
 
  • #19
yungman said:
I did uninstall and reinstall. But one thing strange is the new one has all the bookmarks and remember everything right from the beginning.

I already saved the bookmark, how can I wipe everything out and start from the beginning, then load back the .json to get back my bookmarks?

Thanks
The link in my last post walks you through deleting the user profile directories, which will clear everything out.
 
  • #20
stoomart said:
The link in my last post walks you through deleting the user profile directories, which will clear everything out.
Sorry, the one I have problem is Win7.
 
  • #21
yungman said:
Sorry, the one I have problem is Win7.
The article applies to all versions of Windows, including Win7; the only difference is how you access the Control Panel, which is through the Start Menu in Win7.
 
  • #22
Evo said:
I can't use Firefox, it's an absolute nightmare. I have Win 10 and the latest version of Firefox was installed, had to uninstall it.

After the "level 3" Microsoft tech called me about the issues I was having with "Creator", they had me revert to the old version, admitted they had made a serious mistake and would start working on a fix. I have heard nothing since, haven't received any notices to change. The techs had me try all of the browsers and IE and Chrome had the least issues.

LOL, I see that they are now touting a "new" Creator due in September. I hope they worked out the bugs. Ok, who am I kidding? You know they wait for complaints to alert them of the bugs.
Thanks, EVO,
Since two computers with Windows 10 are available to me, I now have the advice to not install Firefox. I've been using Google Chrome for almost all internet activity. So disappointing, since I still use Firefox on a machine with Windows Vista.

Does anybody have good or bad experiences with Waterfox or PaleMoon on Windows 10 ?
 
  • #23
After I reinstalled the new Firefox, it was still failing. BUT, after a day, everything works, everything back to normal! I did not do a thing. This is really strange and funny.

Thanks for all the response.
 
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  • #24
Are the online installer and the offline installer for Firefox for Windows 10 , different in the results of the finished installation that each does? Is there a difference on a 64-bit Windows 10 machine between using 32-bit Firefox and using 64-bit Firefox? Or for installing them?
 
  • #26
symbolipoint said:
Are the online installer and the offline installer for Firefox for Windows 10 , different in the results of the finished installation that each does?
No, they both use the same file per SHA1 hash check:


Is there a difference on a 64-bit Windows 10 machine between using 32-bit Firefox and using 64-bit Firefox? Or for installing them?
The Online Stub installer let's you choose which installer to run if you click the 'Options' button during install, and all versions can be downloaded from the site:

Here's some gory details on the differences between 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Firefox:
 
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  • #27
yungman said:
I did not do a thing. This is really strange and funny.

Did any automatic updates especially for video drivers occur?

Your problem has a hardware vibe to it. on modern OS's the only times I have ever see that level of crash is a hardware failure. The fact that it only happened with one piece of software indicates that that program was tickling something in a bad way or was tickling a (failed) feature that none of the other programs were.

I would suggest that you make sure anything important is backed up. Hopefully it was just a bad driver.

BoB
 
  • #28
stoomart,

The last article you gave seems the most helpful. Since I will want Adblock-Plus AND Web Of Trust plugins or extensions, I would need to choose the 32-bit Firefox (because most plugins or extensions are not available for 64-bit Firefox).

... and I need to check RAM on the intended machine before deciding which form of Firefox, for "bit".
 
  • #29
I think the article is a bit outdated regarding plugins since I use Adblock-Plus with Firefox 64-bit.
 
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  • #30
yungman said:
What else can I do?
Hi yungman:

I am using Firefox on Windows 7 with no problems. Have you run any virus and/or malware checkers?

Regards,
Buzz
 

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