SUMO community discussions
When this was happening before we had people post the files to bugs/email them to mconnor. Only took a handful to see the common problem.
Ok, new status update. I spent my entire day in a warroom for this...
We WILL be doing an Firefox 8.0.1 to work around the Java issue on Mac, fixing some HTML5 compat bugs, blocklisting bad versions of Roboform (but not Trusteer) and fixing the underlying bug where we're vulnerable to system restore. This will go out either Sunday or (more likely) next week. Unfortunately, this won't fix it for Firefox 8 users who are already broken and won't fix it for users who system restore back to 7 ... but it should fix it for the 8/9 transition.
Cww said
- If safe mode works (or a reinstall does NOT fix it): This is either Trusteer (which is actually fewer) or Roboform (the vast majority of these). Users have to disable these extensions/programs.
From what I've seen, Firefox Safe Mode also crashes on startup with affected Roboform versions (it's fixed in 7.6.2). It isn't the Roboform Toolbar extension for Firefox but the roboformtaskbar executable (part of the standalone Roboform application for Windows) that is causing the issue (see bug 691271#c21). Here's a pretty clear explanation of what's going on with Roboform (note that Firefox will run in Windows Safe Mode, which disables applications from running at startup but not in Firefox Safe Mode): http://mysysadmintips.com/index.php/clients/163-firefox-8-crashes-on-every-startup-after-upgrade-from-v7
Wells Fargo Online Banking does not work with Firefox 8. I had to open IE to log into it. (This problem is easily solved if you switch, as I am in the process of doing, to a credit union :-)
Cww - I'd personally like to see these kinds of updates on the blog. Get it out to a wider audience that we know what the problems are and how to fix them.
AliceWyman said
Cww said
- If safe mode works (or a reinstall does NOT fix it): This is either Trusteer (which is actually fewer) or Roboform (the vast majority of these). Users have to disable these extensions/programs.
From what I've seen, Firefox Safe Mode also crashes on startup with affected Roboform versions (it's fixed in 7.6.2). It isn't the Roboform Toolbar extension for Firefox but the roboformtaskbar executable (part of the standalone Roboform application for Windows) that is causing the issue (see bug 691271#c21). Here's a pretty clear explanation of what's going on with Roboform (note that Firefox will run in Windows Safe Mode, which disables applications from running at startup but not in Firefox Safe Mode): http://mysysadmintips.com/index.php/clients/163-firefox-8-crashes-on-every-startup-after-upgrade-from-v7
Thanks for the correction, as you can tell, I haven't tested all these things myself. I'll have more information about what we're doing in the next couple hours.
forgetwho said
Wells Fargo Online Banking does not work with Firefox 8. I had to open IE to log into it. (This problem is easily solved if you switch, as I am in the process of doing, to a credit union :-)
What OS? What messages do you get?
Lucy said
Cww - I'd personally like to see these kinds of updates on the blog. Get it out to a wider audience that we know what the problems are and how to fix them.
I simply don't have the time... its' a good idea though.
Cww said
AliceWyman saidCww said
- If safe mode works (or a reinstall does NOT fix it): This is either Trusteer (which is actually fewer) or Roboform (the vast majority of these). Users have to disable these extensions/programs.
From what I've seen, Firefox Safe Mode also crashes on startup with affected Roboform versions (it's fixed in 7.6.2). It isn't the Roboform Toolbar extension for Firefox but the roboformtaskbar executable (part of the standalone Roboform application for Windows) that is causing the issue (see bug 691271#c21). Here's a pretty clear explanation of what's going on with Roboform (note that Firefox will run in Windows Safe Mode, which disables applications from running at startup but not in Firefox Safe Mode): http://mysysadmintips.com/index.php/clients/163-firefox-8-crashes-on-every-startup-after-upgrade-from-v7
Thanks for the correction, as you can tell, I haven't tested all these things myself. I'll have more information about what we're doing in the next couple hours.
forgetwho said
Wells Fargo Online Banking does not work with Firefox 8. I had to open IE to log into it. (This problem is easily solved if you switch, as I am in the process of doing, to a credit union :-)What OS? What messages do you get?
Windows XP. I entered my user name and password as usual on Wells Fargo's site, and after an unusually long time, it went to "verifying your identity." Then another couple of minutes passed and it bumped me back to a login page. This happened repeatedly in Firefox 8, but the login was normal when I switched to IE.
However, as of this morning the problem seems to have been fixed - I can get in through Firefox 8.
Ok, here's what's going to happen:
There are two big crashers for which we will be taking fixes and spinning 8.0.1:
Because 8.0 users on Windows who hit the roboform crash can't update anyway, 8.0.1 will be offered as a Mac-only update to Firefox 8 users. It will be offered to all Firefox 4.0-7.0.1 users.
Windows users with a startup crash, once 8.0.1 goes out, will be able to fix themselves by installing Firefox from the website regardless of if they have the roboform crash or the system restore/frankenbuild crash. Roboform users will not be able to use Roboform until they update to the latest (7.6.3) version of Roboform but they won't crash.
Cww said
Ok, new status update. I spent my entire day in a warroom for this...
- The main issue is the tens of thousands of startup crashes we're seeing. This can be one of a few problems:
- If safe mode does not work (this is 70% of these startup crashes): This is users who install Firefox 8 and then use Windows System Restore to restore to Firefox 7.0.1 ... I've asked over 200 users why they did the system restore and the answers are all over the map but the one big one was that Microsoft released a patch Tuesday that caused some breakage and forced a system restore. Then there were the problems with Firefox (favicons, add-ons, lost bookmarks). These users need to reinstall Firefox (which will fix things unless they have the below problem).
Am I following your logic correctly: 70% of the startup crashes are actually Firefox 7.0.1 crashes (albeit of users who initially updated to Firefox 8). So what is the actual cause of those crashes that will be fixed by reinstalling Firefox 8. Surely that is an important point. Maybe I am missing something, but if the cause of the original crash is unknown
I note from https://crash-stats.mozilla.com/products/Firefox/versions/7.0?duration=14 a spike of a factor of 10 from Nov10 to Nov12 rising from <2% to >20% crashes adu
forgetwho said
Wells Fargo Online Banking does not work with Firefox 8. I had to open IE to log into it. (This problem is easily solved if you switch, as I am in the process of doing, to a credit union :-)
Using XP with Firefox 8 or 9, login at WF works fine. User has something interfering with that login.
After the firefox update, i've experienced firefox not loading homepage on start up (even tho settings still there) and my mum has experienced all the cookies of usernames/passwords for her sites have gone.
I run on XP and have now suddenly have these pop up in corner of the screen stating firefoxes usage- why these and is it really a problem?
Only found these minor issues, hopefully these are all :-).
Hi stressederica33
Please use this link
it will enable you to provide the information required, so that someone may be able to help you.
If you post specific questions in the support forum, one for your own problem, and one for your mothers, preferably using the appropriate computers someone should try to answer your questions.
This thread is about problems with firefox being discussed by contributors, rather than a support forum to answer specific questions.
You may also be interested in https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/ask which includes a link for feedback, and details of the live chat support.
John99 said
Am I following your logic correctly: 70% of the startup crashes are actually Firefox 7.0.1 crashes (albeit of users who initially updated to Firefox 8). So what is the actual cause of those crashes that will be fixed by reinstalling Firefox 8. Surely that is an important point. Maybe I am missing something, but if the cause of the original crash is unknown
- how can it be said with certainty that a reinstall will fix the problem.
- why did these users not crash with Firefox 7 before the upgrade to Firefox 8
I note from https://crash-stats.mozilla.com/products/Firefox/versions/7.0?duration=14 a spike of a factor of 10 from Nov10 to Nov12 rising from <2% to >20% crashes adu
Yes, these are 7.0.1 crashes. At least 90% of the people I've asked about this (and I've sent out 2000 emails) tried to do a system restore after updating Firefox. We know there's a bug in Firefox/System Restore where it does an incomplete restore on the Firefox install folder leaving one/two Firefox 8 files and restoring all the other Firefox 7.0.1 files. This means that when they try to start, they get a Firefox 7.0.1 crash. As for WHY they did a system restore, that's the million-dollar question but the answer is one of the following (these are the results I got after asking):
After you reinstall 8 (or you can delete the install folder and reinstall 7.0.1), the mismatch in files disappears and you're back working again.
I want to add that it can't be said with certainty that a reinstall will get Firefox working again. If you have the Roboform startup crash, the FSecure crash, Trusteer, any of a dozen viruses/malware that cause startup crashes, a homepage that crashes Firefox, or probably some of the other mysterious startup crashes, you'll just change from this particular crash to that one. By the numbers, those are all much smaller in number (except maybe the Roboform one)...
Modified by Cheng Wang on
Cww
OK thanks for the clarifications on that. It does not seem that much can be done
Well the advice would better off be to try reinstalling Firefox if it stops working after a session restore. Also getting the word out.
Cww, is there a good candidate for someone to have blog privs to help out with info like this (maybe a rep)? Though maybe you can format the posts in such a way that you can just copy/paste into both places? I'd like to see all these types of of posts on the blog, but this one especially because not everyone will come here for the answer and it's a big problem!
John99 said
Cww OK thanks for the clarifications on that. It does not seem that much can be done
- identifying the System Restore problem, are there any specific Crash signatures ?
(I guess we just have to rely on asking the question about a Windows restore.
N.B.Tracking bug is :bug 702045 )
The crashes have signatures: @ js::Bindings::getLocalNameArray(JSContext*, js::Vector<JSAtom*, int, js::TempAllocPolicy>*) but it crashes so early, we can't catch it automatically (there was a proposal to work around the crash, but that would just cause Firefox to not start, rather than crashing -- the install directory is still corrupted).
Lucy said
Cww, is there a good candidate for someone to have blog privs to help out with info like this (maybe a rep)? Though maybe you can format the posts in such a way that you can just copy/paste into both places? I'd like to see all these types of of posts on the blog, but this one especially because not everyone will come here for the answer and it's a big problem!
This sounds like a Michael thing but a further complicating factor is that many of the SUMO team staff have been at MozCamp this past weekend (and will be this coming weekend). I'll see if Michelle can help here.
Cww said
Lucy saidCww, is there a good candidate for someone to have blog privs to help out with info like this (maybe a rep)? Though maybe you can format the posts in such a way that you can just copy/paste into both places? I'd like to see all these types of of posts on the blog, but this one especially because not everyone will come here for the answer and it's a big problem!This sounds like a Michael thing but a further complicating factor is that many of the SUMO team staff have been at MozCamp this past weekend (and will be this coming weekend). I'll see if Michelle can help here.
Yes, 35 hours of traveling and I'm now at the hotel in Kuala Lumpur. :)
Who are we trying to reach with a post on the SUMO blog? Users, don't read our blog (it's also not directed at them). Most (?)/many forum helpers do check these forums from time to time.
Anyone! The blog goes on planet. Also in theory people who care about Firefox but aren't giving the time to provide support might watch the blog. Search will also turn up the blog in a friendlier format than the contributors forum. It also gives us something better to link to than the contributor's thread. If we're posting all of these "what to expect with the new release" updates to the blog, then I'm sure people will subscribe to it who wouldn't subscribe to the contributor's forum.
