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Firefox 28.0 crashing all the time - seemingly at random

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My browser has been crashing a lot recently and I wonder if someone could help to better understand why.

Here are some recent crash report id's;

bp-c2747597-ba89-4cc0-81e8-f24512140407 bp-4283401d-42fe-43d9-bab0-9816c2140407 bp-7e8ecfe1-43f7-4efa-b993-17a0a2140407 bp-af2e1b1d-c58a-49b6-9448-93f2a2140407 bp-9d798f08-703c-4463-a531-71e6f2140407

Thanks in advance

Nick

My browser has been crashing a lot recently and I wonder if someone could help to better understand why. Here are some recent crash report id's; bp-c2747597-ba89-4cc0-81e8-f24512140407 bp-4283401d-42fe-43d9-bab0-9816c2140407 bp-7e8ecfe1-43f7-4efa-b993-17a0a2140407 bp-af2e1b1d-c58a-49b6-9448-93f2a2140407 bp-9d798f08-703c-4463-a531-71e6f2140407 Thanks in advance Nick

All Replies (8)

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Hi Nick, can you associate this with any particular types of content (e.g., Flash media) or types of sites?

Could you try running for several hours in Firefox's Safe Mode? That's a standard diagnostic tool to deactivate extensions and some advanced features of Firefox. More info: Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode.

Unfortunately, that means not having Adblock Plus running, but hopefully you can stand it for a while.

You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using

Help > Restart with Add-ons Disabled (Flash and other plugins still run)

In the dialog, click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Reset)

Any improvement in stability?

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Thanks jscher, for your prompt reply.

There doesn't seem to be any particular pattern to these crashes. Sometimes it happens while viewing flash media, sometimes upon mouse click, others upon text entry attempt and most often, for no apparent reason.

I did follow the troubleshooting guide and still get random crashes in safe mode.

It's the same after deleting the profile and after a clean install of Firefox, too.

For the benefit of working through it again, I will go again in safe mode and report back.

Thanks again.

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So I've been running Firefox in safe mode this morning, with it exhibiting similar unstable behavior.

The most recent crash report id's are;

bp-c41ed5ee-abd5-47b7-9a98-18bd72140408

bp-86733548-a18e-4f4d-9a0a-168fd2140408

bp-fc87dc25-6694-46ec-be1a-e5cbc2140408

bp-00eb6734-f654-4ff2-aa50-afaa32140408

bp-89f3758c-8d29-4e46-a69b-164492140408

bp-0530392d-dbff-45e1-bb80-f935f2140408

I had forgotten to disable my antivirus software (AVG) during this safe mode run. With it now disabled, it has run for a while without crashing.

Do the crash reports indicate that it could be a problem related to AVG? I sure wish I knew how to interpret the information in those reports!

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The problem persisted, so I completely uninstalled AVG.

Still the same. Running in safe mode:

bp-8ae41898-f41d-4a3a-ae82-4b69a2140408 bp-666e8190-8423-4877-a489-733192140408 bp-09897f56-0082-4fcd-81d0-e90dc2140408

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Let's try replacing your program files in case they have become corrupted. Do not uninstall Firefox; we'll simply drop in the replacement files using this three-part procedure:

  1. Download a fresh installer: https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/
  2. Exit Firefox, then rename C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox to C:\Program Files (x86)\OldFirefox
  3. Run the fresh installer

Firefox should start up with your existing settings and extensions in place. Some plugins may have been physically installed in the OldFirefox folder but let's ignore those for now until we determine whether Firefox is more stable after this process; you can be copy those over later.

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Hi jscher and thanks again for your continued support.

After renaming this installation and running the fresh one...

The fresh install crashes on startup. I repeated a couple of times in case of a bad download, but its the same.

BitGuard is not installed on my machine.

So using my old firefox exe, I downloaded malwarebytes, updated the definitions and ran a scan.

A handful of potential threats were found and quarantined (all non-malware, but unwanted nontheless)

I ran the scan again with no threats detected.

Similar sporadic crashes.

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I think the next step is to try to rule out a settings issue. Could you do a three-minute experiment?

Back up your Bookmarks

Use the steps in this article to create a backup in a convenient location (such as Desktop or Documents): Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer.

Create a new Firefox profile

A new profile will have your system-installed plugins (e.g., Flash) and extensions (e.g., security suite toolbars), but no themes, other extensions, or other customizations. It also should have completely fresh settings databases and a fresh cache folder.

Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager using Start > search box (or Run):

firefox.exe -P

Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.

You'll click the Create Profile button. I recommend using the default location suggested (i.e., bypass the option to choose a different location). Then start Firefox in the new profile you created.

Using the steps in the above article, you can restore your bookmarks to the new profile.

If you visit sites you usually visit, is there any noticeable difference in stability?

When returning to the Profile Manager, you might be tempted to use the Delete Profile button. But... it's a bit too easy to accidentally delete your "real" profile, so I recommend resisting the temptation. If you do want to clean up later, I suggest making a backup of all your profiles first in case something were to go wrong.