Only firefox opens, oscillates on and off, and locks up for ~10 min
OK, I open Firefox and 5-8 sites (like 'inbox') start blinking on and off. When this happens the program is locked up. Clicking anywhere does not interupt the blinking. I had a computer guy in and he said "Oh, its not a virus it is your 'content cache' that is overloaded and the blinking is related to overload". So I increased the cache up to 1024 MB, even though I'm only using 125 MB of cache disk space. This all occurs on 3 Macs in the same room, and doesn't happen on Safari ever, so I don't think it is the Vanderbilt University server that I route through to the internet. So it acts like a virus, moves like a virus, and my only option has been reduced to nuking Firefox for another browser, but i would rather not do that. Any thoughts? Ford Ebner
All Replies (3)
Hello, Please try to reset Firefox and scan for viruses.
The Reset Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information.
Note: This will cause you to lose any Extensions and some Preferences.
- Open websites will not be saved in Firefox versions lower than 25.
To Reset Firefox do the following:
For Firefox versions previous to 29.0:
- Go to Firefox > Help > Troubleshooting Information.
- Click the "Reset Firefox"
button.
- Firefox will close and reset. After Firefox is done, it will show a window with the information that is imported. Click Finish.
- Firefox will open with all factory defaults applied.
For Firefox 29.0 and above:
- Click the menu button
, click help 
and select Troubleshooting Information.Now, a new tab containing your troubleshooting information should open.
- At the top right corner of the page, you should see a button that says "Reset Firefox". Click on it.
- Firefox will close and reset. After Firefox is done, it will show a window with the information that is imported. Click Finish.
- Firefox will open with all factory defaults applied.
Further information can be found in the Refresh Firefox - reset add-ons and settings article.
Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!
Thank you.
I reset Firefox as described, and it didn't touch the blinking and lock-up problem. It still occurs on the two other computers in the room as well. I link to the internet through the Vanderbilt University server, and maybe they are the source of what appears to be a local problem unique to my computers. I'll check that out. This would be a great feature to drop into my computers if 'someone' wanted me to discontinue using Firefox and move to any other browser. It feels malicious.
Do you have a shortcut link on your desktop? Use it to open Firefox.
Possible Mal-Ware Scan For Macs {web link}