Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Firefox 28 stops responding at Facebook dynamic search.

  • 95 replies
  • 379 have this problem
  • 9 views
  • Last reply by John99

more options

Whenever I use Facebook dynamic search, Firefox stops responding. This issue also involves writing a new post/comment using the at-sign, which starts dynamic user search.

  • Before update from FF27 to FF28 it did not happen. (I use Windows 7.)
  • Safe mode does not help.
  • Clearing cache and deleting Facebook cookies does not help. Neither new profile nor clean install helps.
  • There are no crash reports within Firefox as well as no Windows error logs generated.
  • Other browsers on this computer do not have this problem, another computer with FF28 that I use works well. Firefox 28 on this computer with Ubuntu Linux works.

Edit: I got Firefox not responding even at going through conversations (messages). So I can generalize that any operation at Facebook, during which three "waiting" bars appear, can lead to the not-responding state of Firefox.

Whenever I use Facebook dynamic search, Firefox stops responding. This issue also involves writing a new post/comment using the at-sign, which starts dynamic user search. * Before update from FF27 to FF28 it did not happen. (I use Windows 7.) * Safe mode does not help. * Clearing cache and deleting Facebook cookies does not help. Neither new profile nor clean install helps. * There are no crash reports within Firefox as well as no Windows error logs generated. * Other browsers on this computer do not have this problem, another computer with FF28 that I use works well. Firefox 28 on this computer with Ubuntu Linux works. Edit: I got Firefox not responding even at going through conversations (messages). So I can generalize that any operation at Facebook, during which three "waiting" bars appear, can lead to the not-responding state of Firefox.

Modified by xmrazik

All Replies (15)

more options

Sylvestre Ledru on Bugzilla says today: "... next Tuesday, if everything goes well, you should be able to download 29 beta 8 which should contain the fix. Otherwise, nightly should have it tomorrow."

Modified by xmrazik

more options

That's good. All being well this fix is getting through early and going straight to Nightly then on to a point release of Beta.

If anyone is wishing to test this out even earlier on Nightly this week Nightly may be installed in a similar manner to Beta as an additional version with its own profile and the downloads are here

Just please remember Nightlies are intended for testing not day to day browsing. They may have stability issues. It is a wise precaution only to use with copy or disposable profiles not with your ordinary working profile.

more options

I can confirm that the today's nigthly fixes the problem. I am looking forward to beta and staying on Facebook with Opera until then. Thanks to all.

more options

That's what I've been doing - typing my replies in word pad and then copying and pasting into Facebook -

This is stupid and Firefox should fix this immediately

more options

This has been happening for over a week with FF28 and Windows 8.1 and Facebook. All the same problems as above with everyone else. Freezes once the dropdown in Facebook opens in a post. Immediately, my laptop engages into overdrive with fans blasting and browser immobile. Loss of everything you posted, all tabs need closed, and then restart browser. I'm using FF for most things and then Chrome for facebook at tis point in hopes that something gets done soon before I switch all my bookmarks to Chrome and say goodbye to FF.

more options

Note there is a fix out already and proved to working the Nightly test version of Firefox. Next week that should be in the Beta Channel and in a few weeks it will be on the Firefox 29 Release. (About 29th April)

If you want to try it out and are willing to install the earlier versions of Firefox read the posts above. (here edit here & this)


I will also take the opportunity to advise everyone that there are some big changes (Australis) in Firefox 29. You may be interested in looking at these articles before then

Modified by John99

more options

I have this problem, exactly as others have described. It happens randomly when Facebook attempts to suggest an autofill name when writing a post or comment. I don't recall it happened in Safe Mode, but Firefox is far from useful with everything disabled, I bit the bullet and reset it. Problem fixed? Nope. Still does the same thing.

more options

I think whoever was responsible for testing 28 should be incredibly embarrassed. There's no excuse for missing such a huge bug and letting FF 28 be released with it. Why wasn't it caught in beta? We'll get a fix in "a few weeks"? I am disappointed at the flippant, unapologetic way Firefox is handing this huge defect in FF28.

more options

Sue, Sorry you are disappointed but lets remember this is freeware and this site is for fellow users. If you want to contact developers or leave messages about your disappointments I suggest you try

The beta testing is done by Firefox users, anyone can try the beta releases, and if we do not then we do not find and report bugs. Why not consider installing the beta release yourself, then you would have noticed and could have reported the obvious bug.

xmrazik Has asked the question in this thread to report the problem then helped in working out what happened and most importantly how to demonstrate the problem and reproduce it.

Unfortunately this bug was not discovered in the eighteen weeks of (six weeks each on Nightly, Aurora and Beta channels) pre Release testing. Please bare in mind the many permutations of websites software and platforms on which something may not work as expected. Now that the problem has been discovered a fix is being rushed out.

more options

Thanks again, John -- much appreciated.

BTW: strangely, I haven't had a hang in several days.

more options

I've set most of my plugins to "Ask to activate" in the past day. So far so good ....

more options

I am still having the problem. Wasn't the update to fix it due today?

more options

This fix is now in all the PRE-release versions of Firefox and first indications are that it seems to resolve the problem.

If you want to try it out and are willing to install the earlier versions of Firefox read the posts above. Take note of this if you are using multiple profiles

Note the Beta version may be just installed instead of the Release version, take care NOT to use any option to remove personal information (because you will destroy password bookmarks and settings). In fact there is no need to even attempt to uninstall the Release you could just install Beta over the top of it.

For the more cautious or those wishing to wait the fix will; all being well; be available to all in the fancy new Firefox 29 Release in a couple of weeks time.

more options

I've installed ver 29 and am still having the freeze problem I had with v28 and Facebook.

And I still have the freeze problem I had with v28 in that I can't open a private window. I immediately get the spinning circle and I have to cancel firefox.

EDIT: I uninstalled V29 and deleted the program folder. Reinstalled V28 freezing problem with Facebook and unable to open private window (freezing) tracked to HTTPS- Everywhere v3.5. Now everything's working again.

V29 did not render properly with me and I had shortcuts showing on the main window under the shortcuts bar.

SECOND EDIT: Turning off HTTPS-Everywhere has stopped FF freezing when I open a private window (I can't see what the connection is but it's definitely the culprit). However, FF still freezes when I try to type something into Facebook.

Modified by dalron

more options

Hi dalron,
You seem pretty good at doing your own troubleshooting of Firefox issues.

You appear to have a problem related to HTTPS-Everywhere, as you have managed to work out yourself. You may also have separate issues with Firefox 29, and they may be related to changes in Firefox 29 itself. It looks quite a bit different from Firefox 28 as you will have noticed.

I suppose if Firefox freezes in Facebook in Firefox 29 still it may be a separate issue from that being discussed in this thread. Lets at least hope it is a separate issue or we may get a lot of complaints the fix did not work.

It is probably worth you starting your own thread about Facebook freezing in Firefox 29. If you post back here after doing that I am sure a there will be interest in following your thread.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5