Constant disk activity
Why is Firefox 78 writing to disk constantly? Even when the browser is idle, the hard drive light on my computer blinks non-stop, and I can hear the constant noise coming from the hard drive. The problem is with the browser because the Processor Explorer (available from Microsoft) shows Firefox as doing the constant disk activity, and hard drive stops making noise when the browser is closed.
Chosen solution
I found the solution. Somehow file permissions on the profile folder got changed and was preventing Firefox from writing to the .JS files, so it kept trying over and over again. Setting permissions correctly fixed the problem.
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Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web link}
A small dialog should appear. Click Start In Safe Mode (not Refresh). Is the problem still there?
It is still there. The problem appears to be that is constantly writing to two files in the profile, even when the browser is open with nothing in the tab.
The attached screenshot of Process Monitor shows what is going on.
Start your Computer in safe mode with network support.
Then start Firefox.
Try Secure websites. Is the problem still there?
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Linux+Safe+Mode
Starting Any Computer In Safe Mode;
Free Online Encyclopedia
That doesn't look that this is about the Firefox profile folder as that folder is usually in "AppData\Roaming" and "AppData\Local" unless you create the profile is this non standard location in "Program Settings".
cor-el said
That doesn't look that this is about the Firefox profile folder as that folder is usually in "AppData\Roaming" and "AppData\Local" unless you create the profile is this non standard location in "Program Settings".
I do not keep Firefox profiles on AppData for a few reasons, and Firefox makes it easy to set up a profile in a different folder -- SSD space is limited; makes it easier to backup; I can reinstall Windows without having to worry about wiping drive C before remembering about the profile. And with the constant writing that it is doing, it is not shortening the life of my SSD. The fact that the hard drive stops the thrashing almost as soon as I close Firefox tells me that yes, the problem *is* with the browser.
Chosen Solution
I found the solution. Somehow file permissions on the profile folder got changed and was preventing Firefox from writing to the .JS files, so it kept trying over and over again. Setting permissions correctly fixed the problem.
That was very good work. Well Done.