I think the reason the 64-bit version has not yet been released for Windows is that it isn't ready for prime time yet. But "someday". Note that it only supports one plugin, Flash, so if you need other plugins, the 64-bit version won't be the preferred version for you.

I don't visit Facebook very often and I understand that its "endless scrolling" model of packing more and more content into a single page is a big challenge for Firefox. Have you found that 64-bit Firefox handles Facebook better than 32-bit Firefox?

Crashes

If you are getting the Mozilla Crash Reporter form, your Firefox may have logged some data that would help track down the cause of the problem. You can submit that data to Mozilla and share it with forum volunteers to see whether it points to the solution. Please check the support article "Firefox crashes - asking for support" for steps to get those crash report IDs from the about:crashes page, and then post some of the recent ones here.

Freezes

We have a general support article on this: Firefox hangs or is not responding - How to fix.

Since Flash can cause this problem and is used pervasively through the web, I suggest the following to minimize potential issues with Flash during your troubleshooting:

(1) To avoid unnecessary pain on sites where Flash is not actually essential, try setting Flash to Click-to-Play ("Ask to Activate"). This will delay Flash from starting on a page until you approve it.

To set "Ask to Activate", open the Add-ons page using either:

• Ctrl+Shift+a
• "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

In the left column, click Plugins. Look for "Shockwave Flash" and change "Always Activate" to "Ask to Activate".

With this setting, when you visit a site that wants to use Flash, you should see a notification icon in the address bar and usually (but not always) one of the following: a link in a dark gray rectangle in the page or an infobar sliding down between the toolbar area and the page.

The plugin notification icon in the address bar typically looks like a small, dark gray Lego block. (If it's red, Flash needs updating.)

The delay in activating Flash can help distinguish between problems caused on initial page load, styling, and script activation vs. loading/running Flash.

If you see a good reason to use Flash, and the site looks trustworthy, you can go ahead and click the notification icon in the address bar to allow Flash. You can trust the site for the time being or permanently.

But some pages use Flash only for tracking or playing ads, so if you don't see an immediate need for Flash, feel free to ignore the notification! It will just sit there in case you want to use it later.

(2) A common cause of unresponsive script errors on Windows Vista and higher is the protected mode feature of the Flash player plugin. That feature has security benefits, but seems to have serious compatibility issues on some systems. You can disable it using the Add-ons page. Either:

• Ctrl+Shift+a
• "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

In the left column, click Plugins. On the right side, find "Shockwave Flash" and click the More link. Then uncheck the box for "Enable Adobe Flash protected mode" and try that for a day to see whether it helps.

I also run into memory limits a few times a week if I haven't restarted Firefox for a long time. Firefox slow down, tab content goes black or not responding. I'm usually able to shut down Firefox without crashing, after waiting a while, using this sequence of keys:

Alt f x

With Firefox set to automatically restore the previous session, it's a five minute detour while those 20 windows come back up. But that is after opening/closing hundreds of tabs.

I am taking measure to avoid wasting memory and processing cycles, for example, using the NoScript extension, which takes a lot of "training". Other people prefer ad filters or tracking blockers to streamline content and make the most of the memory you do have.

jscher2000 said

I think the reason the 64-bit version has not yet been released for Windows is that it isn't ready for prime time yet. But "someday". Note that it only supports one plugin, Flash, so if you need other plugins, the 64-bit version won't be the preferred version for you. I don't visit Facebook very often and I understand that its "endless scrolling" model of packing more and more content into a single page is a big challenge for Firefox. Have you found that 64-bit Firefox handles Facebook better than 32-bit Firefox? Crashes If you are getting the Mozilla Crash Reporter form, your Firefox may have logged some data that would help track down the cause of the problem. You can submit that data to Mozilla and share it with forum volunteers to see whether it points to the solution. Please check the support article "Firefox crashes - asking for support" for steps to get those crash report IDs from the about:crashes page, and then post some of the recent ones here. Freezes We have a general support article on this: Firefox hangs or is not responding - How to fix. Since Flash can cause this problem and is used pervasively through the web, I suggest the following to minimize potential issues with Flash during your troubleshooting: (1) To avoid unnecessary pain on sites where Flash is not actually essential, try setting Flash to Click-to-Play ("Ask to Activate"). This will delay Flash from starting on a page until you approve it. To set "Ask to Activate", open the Add-ons page using either:

• Ctrl+Shift+a
• "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

In the left column, click Plugins. Look for "Shockwave Flash" and change "Always Activate" to "Ask to Activate". With this setting, when you visit a site that wants to use Flash, you should see a notification icon in the address bar and usually (but not always) one of the following: a link in a dark gray rectangle in the page or an infobar sliding down between the toolbar area and the page. The plugin notification icon in the address bar typically looks like a small, dark gray Lego block. (If it's red, Flash needs updating.) The delay in activating Flash can help distinguish between problems caused on initial page load, styling, and script activation vs. loading/running Flash. If you see a good reason to use Flash, and the site looks trustworthy, you can go ahead and click the notification icon in the address bar to allow Flash. You can trust the site for the time being or permanently. But some pages use Flash only for tracking or playing ads, so if you don't see an immediate need for Flash, feel free to ignore the notification! It will just sit there in case you want to use it later. (2) A common cause of unresponsive script errors on Windows Vista and higher is the protected mode feature of the Flash player plugin. That feature has security benefits, but seems to have serious compatibility issues on some systems. You can disable it using the Add-ons page. Either:

• Ctrl+Shift+a
• "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

In the left column, click Plugins. On the right side, find "Shockwave Flash" and click the More link. Then uncheck the box for "Enable Adobe Flash protected mode" and try that for a day to see whether it helps.

---

I also run into memory limits a few times a week if I haven't restarted Firefox for a long time. Firefox slow down, tab content goes black or not responding. I'm usually able to shut down Firefox without crashing, after waiting a while, using this sequence of keys:

Alt f x

With Firefox set to automatically restore the previous session, it's a five minute detour while those 20 windows come back up. But that is after opening/closing hundreds of tabs.

I am taking measure to avoid wasting memory and processing cycles, for example, using the NoScript extension, which takes a lot of "training". Other people prefer ad filters or tracking blockers to streamline content and make the most of the memory you do have.

Wow! Thankyou for your fast response! I was not expecting a proper reply like that at least for a while and I have made the shockwave flash ask me to activate I'll see how that goes I also looked at the crashes page and will be sure to send in the data of the logs :)

And yes I have ad filters for firefox, well an adblocker and it works great I recommend Ad-Block plus if you were to use one too.

Thanks again for your fast reply and have a good one mate

jscher2000 said

I think the reason the 64-bit version has not yet been released for Windows is that it isn't ready for prime time yet. But "someday". Note that it only supports one plugin, Flash, so if you need other plugins, the 64-bit version won't be the preferred version for you.

Actually Firefox 42.0 may be the first Release to have Win64 Firefox.

-

The Win64 Release will be low key though as it will not be listed on www.mozilla.org or even on www.mozilla.org/firefox/all as was planned initially. It will only be on places like https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/ and archive.mozilla.org

There are Win64 Firefox 42.0 Candidates builds so it looks like there will be Win64 for Firefox 42.0 Release on Tuesday even if harder to find.

Also of note for Win64 builds, you need 64-bit Windows 7, 8 or 10 to run them as they will not run on 64-bit WinXP, Vista or servers.