Firefox constantly crashing with Windows 7
My computer was upgraded about a week ago with a new hard drive, new version of Windows (7 64 bit) installed on it, and everything else newly installed and up to date as far as I know, including the latest version of Firefox (26.0). Prior to this I had been using Firefox on XP without issue, but now with Windows 7, Firefox crashes multiple times a day. I did not have this problem before. It doesn't seem to matter what kind of page I'm on when it crashes. All I know is it's becoming almost pointless to use because I don't know how long it will work before it crashes again. I love Firefox and want to be able to use it normally! Here is a list of the crashes. Please help!
bp-65c7f594-5cfd-49a4-a9df-a85af2140103 1/3/2014 11:01 AM bp-b547fd7d-06aa-4282-9531-fb2292140103 1/3/2014 10:45 AM bp-5faf0251-39df-4755-a5ae-b3dd12140103 1/3/2014 2:24 AM 21221097-efac-4885-9a8f-9cbbd9319fe6 1/2/2014 5:32 PM 2ed2c678-09bf-4389-9e22-c632acd17615 1/1/2014 11:52 PM bp-359a0581-765c-4eeb-8f1a-9995e2140102 1/1/2014 11:00 PM bp-4405c07e-ecc3-4ff1-876c-6dab32140102 1/1/2014 10:54 PM bp-9f1cbb01-a9dd-4491-8a0a-8c6d42140102 1/1/2014 10:41 PM 895a103b-42d0-4316-b1d2-8df7012af896 1/1/2014 9:14 PM bp-2435829a-de57-4f37-bc7e-1e7a22140101 12/31/2013 9:42 PM 136128a4-261e-481f-8aa4-49b3260fa17c 12/31/2013 6:07 PM bp-480cdc31-f58a-4813-8000-6d5002131231 12/30/2013 8:37 PM 83d5e360-ae83-4027-ae2d-890dce295cf2 12/30/2013 5:11 PM bp-6b9e615c-1f24-4008-8f49-c36462131230 12/30/2013 3:17 PM bp-93a747c6-0e28-46e3-8e31-801582131230 12/30/2013 2:59 PM bp-f4f4bbfe-f478-4c08-9a14-3cbda2131230 12/30/2013 2:44 PM bp-3c9b4f0f-000a-4c7a-9aef-e67b42131230 12/30/2013 2:41 PM bp-baf0d136-e79c-4c9f-a7f0-357f42131230 12/30/2013 2:02 PM bp-381fa457-87f7-4e10-ac93-104132131230 12/29/2013 9:22 PM bp-b291eeb5-e5a1-4b9e-9286-98f2a2131229 12/29/2013 1:29 AM
Wót cor-el
Wšykne wótegrona (6)
The most recent few crashes are linked to bugs that are still in the investigative stage and don't have a definitive diagnosis or fix. When I click through to "More Reports" and look at user comments, ignoring all the expletives, there doesn't seem to be a pattern of what users were doing. So it's hard to provide any specific guidance.
Could you try running for a day or half day in Firefox's Safe Mode? That's a standard diagnostic tool that deactivates extensions, the JavaScript compiler, and some custom settings. More info: Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode.
You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using
Help > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
In the dialog, click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Reset)
Any difference?
Okay, tried having it in safe mode but it crashed again. Here's the report for that one:
bp-657e3d50-122c-4145-b19a-2a5782140104 1/3/2014 9:40 PM
İnstalled Windows 8 , 8.1 ?
Hi vel, I don't recognize the problem causing that particular crash.
Even in Firefox's Safe Mode, sites can use Flash. As a diagnostic, try setting Flash to Click-to-Play ("Ask to Activate"). This will delay Flash from starting on a page until you approve it. This should help separate crashes caused by ordinary web content from Flash-based crashes.
To set "Ask to Activate", open the Add-ons page using either:
- Ctrl+Shift+a
- orange Firefox button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons
In the left column, click Plugins. Look for "Shockwave Flash" and change "Always Activate" to "Ask to Activate".
When you visit a site that wants to use the Flash, you should see a notification icon in the address bar and one of the following: a link in a black rectangle in the page or an infobar sliding down between the toolbar area and the page.
Of course, some pages use Flash just for nice advertising or to store/retrieve tracking data on your computer, so you really only need to allow it where there is some media you want to play.
Any change to the pattern of issues?
Well, tried that but it continues to crash. I haven't noticed any patterns as to when it crashes, seems to be any time for any (no) reason. Here are the latest:
bp-9a4f7590-25bf-46f2-91f5-69f342140107 1/6/2014 5:50 PM bp-077468a7-077f-4bd0-9230-20b0c2140107 1/6/2014 5:44 PM bp-0466bb4c-a940-486f-bba7-3514d2140107 1/6/2014 4:34 PM bp-5f90de1e-4b0e-4977-b293-029f12140107 1/6/2014 4:13 PM
Wót cor-el
Hi vel, I don't know whether you viewed those reports, but the first, third and fourth seem to be the same problem. Was Firefox reloading the same tabs post-crash each time? That could explain why that one keeps recurring.
The problem is, that crash signature is related to "garbage collection", which occurs regularly to release memory that Firefox doesn't need to use any more, and there's no easy way to associate it with a specific cause.
It's always possible that you have some bad memory, and there are diagnostic tools for that, but sticking with the Firefox troubleshooting, you could try two things next:
(1) Create a new profile (this should rule out most setting related issues if the problem continues)
(2) Reinstall Firefox after renaming the current program folder (this should bypass any extraneous files that might have been inserted in the program folder by other software)
Create a new Firefox profile
A new profile will have your system-installed plugins (e.g., Flash) and extensions (e.g., security suite toolbars), but no themes, other extensions, or other customizations. It also should have completely fresh settings databases and a fresh cache folder.
Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager using Start > search box (or Run):
firefox.exe -P
Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.
You'll click the Create Profile button. I recommend using the default location suggested, and NOT choosing a different folder. Then start Firefox in the new profile you created.
It will be disorienting to be in a clean-looking install of Firefox. To copy your bookmarks into the new profile, you can use the Restore feature (see Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer). When you click Choose File, you can paste the following into the file name box and press Enter to more quickly locate your bookmarks in your regular profile folder:
%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
Once you click into your regular profile, then go into the bookmarkbackups folder and load the most recent file.
Is the new profile any more stable than the regular one?
When returning to the Profile Manager, you might be tempted to use the Delete Profile button. But... it's a bit too easy to accidentally delete your "real" profile, so I recommend resisting the temptation. If you do want to clean up later, I suggest making a backup of all your profiles first in case something were to go wrong.
Clean Reinstall
Please see: Forum Response - Clean reinstall
Note: In step #3, I recommend renaming the program folder to OldFox rather than deleting it. That way, if you have any rare, difficult-to-find old plugins that you can't live without, you'll be able to copy them over later.