Firefox v18 keeps crashing every 20-30 seconds
I just re-booted my machine today following a Windows update. Since boot-up, my Firefox browser crashes about every 20 seconds.
I notice that I now have Firefox 18, and presume that the latest version became active after my re-boot.
Sometimes the carsh happens after I have opened a few tabs, sometimes when I am just entering some google search terms, and sometimes when I am doing nothing. It seems quite random but I cannot seem to use Firefox more than about a minute before it crashes again.
Sometimes, the crash automatically closes all Firefox windows, and I have to re-start.
But usually the crash, just causes Firefox to freeze. And I have to manually shutdown the Firefox process and restart it. On these occasions I have noticed that the memory used by the Firefox process continues to increase - I saw it increasing beyond 3Gb the last time. There seems to be a memory leak on these occasions. However, the extreme memory use/memory leak does not happen every time that Firefix crashes.
I just noticed that when Firefox crashed the CPU usage of the Firefox process, as reported in Windows Task Manager, is exactly 25%. I had this same issue with a much earlier version of Firefox (I think v6 or v7) continually crashing, when the CPU usage hit 25% - I reported that error at the time, and a new version was released shortly afterwards.
All Replies (18)
First thing you said caught my attention & is what I would try first. You said it started happening after you installed latest windows update which has nothing to do with updating FF btw..ff update element is seperate. I'd install the latest update in control panel, view installed updates & locate most recent & see if that helps
Thanks for your reply, but I don't fully understand your comments :-(
I've looked at what Windows updates took place recently (and hence required the Windows reboot today). They are all 'Security updates for Windows 7' or 'Security update for .NET Framework 3.5.1'
They are all required, so I don't believe I have any choice to install or not (and assume I should anyway, to maintain Windows Security).
I fully understand that the Windows update is NOT a FF update, although updating Windows components (eg. .NET Framework) 'may' have an impact on FF - although I assumed that Mozilla would have tested against such Windows updates.
I do not carefully monitor the version of Firefox I am currently running, and these days a new version comes out quite often. The last time I looked I was running FF v17, so I'm guessing that this got updated to v18 when I rebooted too. (Gone are the days when there was only one update every year or so.)
One more specific point. I think the fact that the CPU usage hits 25% for the Firefox is quite crucial!
My browser has crashed about another 7 or 8 times in the past 10 minutes. Each time I have noticed the CPU usage hit 25%. As I said in my original note - I noticed this behaviour in another earlier version of Firefox, which got rectified in a following release.
However, I don't know if hitting 25% CPU usage is the cause of the crash, or the crash is the cause of hitting 25% CPU usage.
I have the exact same problem as doninwales.
I am running Windows XP 64 bit.
Once I upgraded to Firefox 18 last night, now every 20-30 seconds, Firefox freezes, or crashes. Sometimes i have a few tabs open, sometimes only 1.
Many times it just freezes, and I check task manager to end process, and CPU usage for Firefox is exactly 25% every single time.
Unlike doninwales, I have not done any Windows update. My windows updates are turned off.
I have ran windows mmc service with event viewer plugin, and it reports application hang errors.
If you have submitted crash reports then please post the IDs of one or more crash reports that have this format:
- bp-xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
You can find the IDs of the submitted crash reports on the about:crashes page.
- You can open the about:crashes page via the location bar, like you open a website.
See:
- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Mozilla_Crash_Reporter
- https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Mozilla+Crash+Reporter
See also:
If they were installed then you have a choice of uninstalling them, this goes for both required & optional updates and applies in most cases with exception being if they are system specific to the OS updates.
Here's the process to uninstall updates for Win 7.
The Windows Update log file is located at C:\Windows\WindowsUpdate.log.
You can uninstall each two different ways.
Option 1.
- Open Control Panel & select windows update
- Select view update history
- Click on the Installed Updates link at the top of the View update history window.
- Select a listed Windows Update that you want to uninstall, and click on the Uninstall toolbar button.
- If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes or enter the administrator's password.
Option 2.
- Open the Control Panel (All items view), and click on the Programs and Features icon.
- In the left pane, click on the View installed updates link.
- Select a listed Windows Update that you want to uninstall, and click on the Uninstall toolbar button.
- If prompted by UAC, then click on Yes or enter the administrator's password.
- Press the following shortcut to get a Run window: [Windows] + [R]. This should bring up a window that contains a text field.
- In that text field, enter %APPDATA% and press Enter. An explorer window should open.
- From that explorer window, double-click on the Mozilla folder, then double-click on Firefox and then on Crash reports. Double-click on submitted.
- Now, you should see a list of files that contain reports. Go to View > Arrange Icons by > Modified to get the most recent files at the top of the window.
- Open the most recent 5 files with a text editor and copy the IDs.
- Paste each ID into the reply window on the forums.
bp-54bcf379-07b8-49d7-85fb-82a4a213011313/01/201301:13
bp-6513ca7d-1cd1-4f03-bdb3-72cb2213011313/01/201301:08
bp-631084e9-6e2c-4217-a9ba-d47c0213011313/01/201301:05
bp-1673edba-dc67-4786-805f-d2c22213011212/01/201323:45
bp-9b19c22f-7491-4cdd-a7f1-d9370213011212/01/201323:39
5fb71131-9c60-4268-9198-e9ad24a47be912/01/201323:35
bp-e4b7c95a-c01c-4345-9c44-cc126213011212/01/201323:18
bp-bc8b0fa6-eb40-48f0-8b2c-7531f213011212/01/201323:16
bp-3f698d21-08cf-47ad-8dc8-97817213011212/01/201323:13
bp-47b5a78f-8cbb-4610-aa1e-7fc30213011212/01/201323:05
bp-08178e13-a581-40d4-935c-4b6f0213011212/01/201322:31
Okulungisiwe ngu doninwales
Dbellca82 - I DO appreciate your replies. I appreciate anyone who is willing to try an help me. This is SO frustrating that Firefox crashes several times a minute :-(
Regarding uninstalling the Windows updates, I appreciate that I 'could' but I questions whether I 'should'. They are all marked as 'Security Updates' so I assume I 'should' install and keep them.
Regarding the crash reports, I 'thought' I had already submitted them in my original post. (As mentioned I had a similar issue a few years ago, so knew the process of submitting the crash IDs.) I'm sure I entered the crash IDs in the 'Troubleshooting Section' of the original post, but I don't see that section shown any more.
Or.....since FF crashed about 6 times whilst I was creating that original post, then maybe it got deleted.....
I'll take a look at your crash reports, you may have submitted them but I didnt see them in your posting
Okulungisiwe ngu Donnie
Don as this is going to take addtional steps to troubleshoot, please just select ask new question to start a new thread so it's not attached to this one and can be closed out. I'll find it after you create it. Do this in your initial post, your crash id's weren't submitted.
The previous directions told how to provide the crash ID from the log file regardless if they were submitted or not. The directions below are for actual submitted reports in which I will be able to actually view.
- Enter about:crashes in the Firefox location bar (that's where you enter your website names) and press Enter. You should now see a list of submitted crash reports.
- Copy the most recent 5 report IDs that you see in the crash report window and paste them into your forum response.
Am happy to start a new thread, but I already posted the crash ids a few posts back. I can see them in the thread now.
These were obtained about an hour ago from going to about:crashes.
I included the most recent 11 crash ids starting bp (although one starts with 5fb).
But if you want me to start another thread, I can do so :-)
bart2013 - Interesting you have the same issue. I think the 25% CPU usage is definitely related. Whenever FF crashes (actually it just freezes) then I notice that the CPU usage is exactly 25%. Never more, nor less. ALWAYS exactly 25%.
Though besides the many freezes, it also sometimes crashes. ie. the window shuts down and a new pop-up appears warning me that Firefox has crashed.
Though I think there is about 10 'freezes' to every 'crash'.
Yes please start another thread, I understand you posted the ID's but like I said before the key word in the second one was that it brings up the "submitted" reports. The ones you posted, I am going to assume due to crashing were not submitted and only locally recorded.
No. They are all the recent submitted ones.
However to avoid any further confusion, I have started another thread. But they will the same IDs.....
I'm having the same exact issue. Started right after the Windows Update as the OP said.
What thread solves this? I seem to be running into the same problem with Firefox. I use it for a while and then it shows 6575 mb of ram being cached out of 8094 and shuts down while still showing the ram being used.
The issue was NOT resolved. Not for 'me' anyway.
The only solution was to remove Firefox v18 and re-install v17, which was, and is again, stable :-)
I have since read a possible conflict with an application called 'Sticky passwords' which I DO use, but I didn't get the chance of testing that.
I am currently, happily using Firefox v17 without any issues.
I am being asked to upgrade to v19, but it states that the current version fo Sticky Passwords is NOT compatible, so I am not going to upgrade Firefox until SP has been upgraded.