I just cured the "not responding" and hanging problem with my laptop by going to "tools"- "add-ons" and then "extensions" in the left pane, and removing McAfee Script Scan. I then re-started Firefox, and it's performing like new.

I note you have provided a long list of Crash IDs (Some are hangs). Can you first of all confirm that you only have problems when you have Flash Player installed and enabled ?

I note from your other thread /questions/932156#answer-370917 that you already use multiple profiles.

If you get crashes when FlashPlayer is not in use please

• use a profile with no plugins enabled
• start in safe mode
• post a couple of Crash IDs

If Flash Player is hanging or crashing

• try with hardware acceleration off
• as suggested in the previous thread try with Adobe FlashPlayer's protected mode disabled.
  • http://kb.mozillazine.org/Flash#Flash_Player_11.3_Protected_Mode_-_Windows

You did mention in the previous thread that disabling protectedmode was complicated for an ordinary user, but it should be well within the the capabilities of someone using multiple profiles, web development tools and firebug.

I was having the same problem.... But I keep forgetting that when you upgrade firefox or it updates automatically ... you need to right click on the firefox start up icon, go into properties, click on the compatibilities tab, and put a check in the "Run This Program As An Administrator" box, then hit apply. Start Firefox, and it should work OK. Problem is...each time you upgrade firefox and/or I think Adobe flash... you need to make sure that box is checked. This is on Firefox 15.0.1 with Adobe Flash 11.4.402.278 all up to date, Windows 7 64bit.

ha ha john99, i use firebug but i don't really know what I'm doing , i usually follow other peoples instructions , but like you said i should beable to do the protected mode >disabled solution . i have already turned hardware acceleration off .

As it is at the moment the crashes seem to be less frequent and firefox isn't doing the not responding thing as much either ,. I don't know if it's something I've done or an update. thank-you for your advice .

hello cutmental, thank-you for reply / advice.

Quick question is it safe to run firefox in Administrator , i read somewhere it was a security risk running it as administrator as you surf the web because if you visit a iffy site with viruses and wot-not and you are running your browser as administrator you are giving it extra access to your system so hence are  giving any iffy sites you may visit extra rights/ access too.
( I know I haven't explained what I'm trying to say very well or in techie terms but i hope you know what i mean)

It is good practice to use lower privilege accounts, where possible for day to day work. That does help reduce some security risks.

Unfortunately many users do not do that but instead run as admin. User Account Control (UAC) is a double edged sword. It allows a user to change permissions on the fly, but if effective it may also be perceived as an annoyance and be turned off.

Much software required an admin account to be used, for a standard install, partly because it can then install for all users. As you note malware also likes admin accounts as it can then potentially take full control of the computer.

A couple of articles with background info

• Configuring Windows 7 for a Limited User Account
  http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee623984%28v=ws.10%29.aspx
• User Accounts overview
  http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/usercpl_overview.mspx

All I know is that after I upgraded to the latest firefox and the latest flash, I was crashing when connecting to any site that had a flash item. I have zone alarm anti virus / internet security set pretty high on security... so that might be what is requiring firefox to run in admin. I don't know if admin is less secure, but that is what fixed mine. As a test, disconnect your computer from the internet, unplug from your modem... start firefox, click on tools, then add-ons. Disable all flash items in firefox. Restart firefox and reconnect to the internet. If everything works, except items that require the flash plug in ... you will know that it is flash. The solution that worked for me was to give Firefox admin rights so it could properly interface with the new flash... it's worth a try... then let Moz.org and adobe figure out why. The only reason I had to disconnect from the internet to do this was my home page has a youtube imbed, and it would hang as soon as firefox was started and accessed my home page, then I could not access my tools or anything.

Hi curtmetal,

I am not sure your advice is going to help many other users. There are many caused of crashes, and often users are posting Crash IDs of their cashes.

If you were getting Crashes on Flash, why not start your own thread, run in an ordinary account, and if you crash post the Crash ID.

I am sorry ... I am not a regular user here, and not sure what you are referring to. All I know is after having what appears to be the same problem with others that were running multiple threads, which appear to be the same problem, I posted what worked to solve my problem so as many of those having crashes could try what fixed my problem. I was not posting that I had the problem anymore, only the solution for them to try. So if there is a way to post my solution to all that are having crashes with adobe flash, please feel free to take my info / solution and post it anywhere that you think will help others.... And since I don't know if this is helping or not, I do not want to appear as a spammer, I will be glad to let others more competent than I help others.

Hi cutmetal.

His forum is open to anyone who wishes to offer or post advice, and we are always looking for more people to give us a hand on a variety of support projects.

I certainly do not consider you a spammer. But possibly you could find more appropriate questions to answer, and make use of some of the advice that we already provide in the Knowledge Base.

If you look at the system information link on the right hand side of these posts you will note that there is often additional information. On threads relating to crashes users often include Crash IDs. There are of course very many reasons why Firefox may crash, the crash Reports help to provide additional information about the crash, and those more knowledgeable than myself should be able to figure out the cause of the crash and a solution from that information.

Firefox support includes a Knowledge Base, and if we discover reasons for problems we try to update that KB so that others may be helped. See for instance:

• Troubleshoot Firefox crashes (closing or quitting unexpectedly)
• Adobe Flash plugin has crashed - Prevent it from happening again
• Adobe Flash plugin has crashed - Prevent it from happening again
• Firefox hangs or is not responding - How to fix

Ordinary users may update and edit such articles, but you would need to sign in, and be aware that there is a review process for most edits and changes.

If you wish to get involved further in helping others by editing, translating or writing articles or answering support questions have a look at these

• Superheroes Wanted!
• Answering questions on the Support Forum
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/forums/contributors/708197?last=48964&page=4#post-48839