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Firefox has black screen when it's in full screen. (Version 29.0.1)

  • 4 replies
  • 31 have this problem
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  • Last reply by rick707

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So I updated my Firefox to version 29.0.1 and it has been nothing but problems. When I try scrolling through pages, a black screen flashes and sometimes stays on the screen until I move my cursor around. Most of the problems are only when the screen is maximized but they do happen when I minimize it too.

Also, I can't seem to use the scrollbar unless my screen is minimized.

I tried restarting Firefox, and I tried uninstalling then reinstalling. Nothing works. =/

So I updated my Firefox to version 29.0.1 and it has been nothing but problems. When I try scrolling through pages, a black screen flashes and sometimes stays on the screen until I move my cursor around. Most of the problems are only when the screen is maximized but they do happen when I minimize it too. Also, I can't seem to use the scrollbar unless my screen is minimized. I tried restarting Firefox, and I tried uninstalling then reinstalling. Nothing works. =/

All Replies (4)

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Can you try Firefox in Safe Mode to see if the problem goes away. I'm thinking it's an extension. Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode

  • Run firefox.exe -safe-mode in the search bar on the Start Menu. (Make sure Firefox is closed)

Have you added any new extensions recently around the time this started happening?


Moreover if safe mode don't solve the problem then Can you take a screenshot? see: How do I create a screenshot of my problem?

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I tried "safe mode" and it does make the black screen flashes and the such go away, but now I can't use my scrollbar again. I have to use my arrow keys to navigate pages, and that's inconsequential due to the fact that it just goes to the very top or bottom of the page. =/

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Firefox has hardware acceleration set to "on" by default, but it's still young, which means some video cards or drivers might have problems with it. You can try to disable hardware acceleration to see if that alleviates your problems.

You might need to restart Firefox in order for this to take effect, so save all work first (e.g., mail you are composing, online documents you're editing, etc.).

Then perform these steps for Firefox version 29.0 and above:

  • Click the menu button New Fx Menu and select Options for Windows or Preferences on Mac or Linux. For Firefox 28.0 and previous versions, click the orange Firefox button at the top left, then select the "Options" button, or, if there is no Firefox button at the top, go to Tools > Options.
  • In the Firefox options window, click the Advanced tab, then select "General".
  • In the settings list, you should find the Use hardware acceleration when available checkbox. Uncheck this checkbox.
  • Now, restart Firefox and see if the problems persist.

Additionally, please check for updates for your graphics driver by following the steps mentioned in the following Knowledge base articles:

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I'm having this problem occasionally also. I always have FF maximized. I haven't pinned the problem down yet; am still investigating. My computer is from 2007 so I wouldn't be surprised if the video card is having problems keeping up with any modern software. I'll try turning off hardware acceleration.