plugin-container + flash crash infinite loop
Windows 2012 R2, Firefox 36.0.4, Firefox 37.0.1, Flash 16, Flash 17
What happens: 1. I start Firefox 2. I browse to a site which uses Flash 3. firefox.exe spawns child process plugin-container.exe 4. plugin-container.exe spawns child process FlashPlayerPlugin_17_0_0_134.exe (1) 5. FlashPlayerPlugin_17_0_0_134.exe (1) spawns child process FlashPlayerPlugin_17_0_0_134.exe (2) 6. FlashPlayerPlugin_17_0_0_134.exe (1) stops/dies/terminates without message 7. FlashPlayerPlugin_17_0_0_134.exe (2) becomes an orphan (keeps running) 8. plugin-container.exe stops/dies/terminates without message 9. goto 3.
Happens if Windows doesn't shut down correctly.
What I've done to solve it: 1. Clearing all cache/temp files (system and Firefox, via CCleaner) 2. Uninstalling Flash 3. Removing all Flash files manually from the system. 4. Checking the system drive and the drive containing Firefox - no errors found. 5. Run integrity check on system files - no issues found. 6. Reinstall Firefox 7. Reinstall Flash.
Prior to Firefox 37 it helped. Now it doesn't. Any suggestions? (Do you think that there should be a re-try limit for spawning plugin-container?)
Opaite Mbohovái (4)
The EXE processes are a manifestation of the protected mode feature of the Flash player plugin. It spawns numerous processes to sandbox different media components, but this seems to have compatibility issues on some systems. You could try disabling this feature to see whether that helps.
There is a new hidden setting for this:
(A) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter. Click the button promising to be careful.
(B) In the search box above the list, type or paste flash and pause while the list is filtered
(C) Double-click the dom.ipc.plugins.flash.disable-protected-mode preference to switch its value from false to true.
This might not take effect until all Flash has been unloaded for a few minutes, or you close Firefox.
Before that preference was added, the way to disable protected mode was by creating or editing a settings file. The following pages/posts provide different approaches for that if it turns out to be necessary (if Flash EXE processes continue to show up in the Windows Task Manager, Processes tab, even after changing the Firefox preference):
- Adobe support article under the heading "Last Resort": Adobe Forums: How do I troubleshoot Flash Player's protected mode for Firefox?
- Batch file to automate the manual steps: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/982093#answer-518078 (alternate version of Carm's batch file with a few changes by me: https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=f7d304d92388737d&id=F7D304D9238...)
Flash needs to completely unload from memory (exiting and starting Firefox up again might help) before this takes effect.
Any improvement?
Setting dom.ipc.plugins.flash.disable-protected-mode helps. But I guess there is a purpose for the "protected mode" and it's not advisable to leave it disabled, right?
And I still think that the infinite spawning is not a good idea...
You can read the Adobe article for more information on the technology behind protected mode.
I did that already while searching for a solution. Disabling the protected mode is described as "last resort". I guess it's short of turning all firewall off... Not good enough for a solution, but kind of helpful, yes.