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Firefox: Occaisional Freeze

Discussion in 'Browser Issues' started by BeeCeeBee, Jul 1, 2012.

  1. BeeCeeBee

    BeeCeeBee ADMINISTRATOR IN MEMORY

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    Has anyone noticed that a page on Firefox will occasionally simply freeze the computer for around 10 to 20 seconds when loading a page. This is happening to me intermittently but not often. When it occurs I am unable to check resources or CPU load etc because everything is frozen. There is no need for a shut down as it unlocks after a short while.

    It seems to be more prevalent when you reach a site through a link (as I said "seems to be but I am not sure that is true). So we are clear none of this is related to the reputation of the site. For example the last time this occurred I was loading a page from the MLB official site.

    This is happening to me on a Windows 7 32 bit laptop with 3GB of RAM (despite what Microsoft may say 32 bit will only use 3.6GB so it really should not be a RAM issue. I also note that I am told this has been happening with a far more robust system than mine. I am quite certain that it is not a malware issue. This system has been scanned using Malwarebytes & SAS as well as AV scans.

    Originally I thought it may be Microsoft Security Essentials causing the problem but I am now using eset nod32 and the same thing has happened. I do use Malwarebytes Pro so I suppose there may be something related there but I have no reason to believe that is the case and I prefer the real time scanning.

    This is no more than a minor annoyance but I am curious if anyone has had the same problem and, perhaps, found a cause.
     
  2. DSTM (Dougie)

    DSTM (Dougie) Registered Members

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    I am having the same issue with OPERA.
    I am not using Malwarebytes Pro so I think we have to look further.
     
  3. allheart55 (Cindy E)

    allheart55 (Cindy E) Administrator Administrator

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    I'm using Internet Explorer and I don't have this problem. I'm also running Eset Nod32, Mbam Pro and SAS Pro.
    No issues from there... (Win 7 64 bit, 8 GB RAM)
     
  4. woodyblade

    woodyblade Inactive Staff Member

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    I tried the MLB website in Chrome, going both through a search engine and direct and didn't see a lockup, I downloaded Firefox and tried the MLB site again couldn't reproduce.

    I use Chrome mostly so can't comment on Firefox, but I'm not having any issues with websites.

    EDIT: Win 7 64 bit, 8GB RAM and Avast as Anti Virus/Firewall.
     
  5. snoopy

    snoopy Registered Members

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    What version of Firefox are you using? I had a similar problem with FFox9 but after the upgrade the freezing quit because the problem was patched. Also, if you have a lot of FFox addons, try disabling some of them and see if that helps as it can also be an incompatibility issue.
     
  6. BeeCeeBee

    BeeCeeBee ADMINISTRATOR IN MEMORY

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    I am using 13.0.1 and I see where you are coming from but the "problem" is that this is just an annoyance and any form of trial and error is impossible because the freezing is actually a rare occurrence. As a result it is almost impossible to know if something you change has worked. In the end I have no idea whether it is going to happen again or not. I have tried a few things they may even have worked. :)
     
  7. snoopy

    snoopy Registered Members

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    I also have the latest FFox but so far have not had any freezing. With FFox 9 it was so bad it was almost daily I simply could not even bring up FFox on my computer screen. I did away with almost half of my addons - figured I was not using them enough so no loss. Hope I stay free of any FFox freezing.

    If you disable all the addons and then each day enable one, you may be able to determine which one is incompatible.
     
  8. snoopy

    snoopy Registered Members

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    Update ... yesterday my Firefox was continually freezing. It was really frustrating as it would freeze up during a posting & I would lose everything. I did an Eset online scan and came up with malware. Other scans I did, produced nothing. Today, Firefox is working as it should.
     
  9. BeeCeeBee

    BeeCeeBee ADMINISTRATOR IN MEMORY

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    I have found the cause but have not as yet found a fix if there is one. The problem seems to lie with Flash. In Firefox the page simply loads and then freezes until the embedded video loads. What I don't know is whether it is a buffering issue or a server issue with certain sites. I tried the same url in Internet Explorer and the only difference is that the page does not freeze (you can scroll the text person but it still takes a while for the video to load.

    In each case, once it unfreezes there are no other problems with other videos. It should be noted (although I don't think it is material ) I normally first go to these sites through a customized "My Yahoo" page.

    This is the latest url: http://mlb.mlb.com ...rtnerId=rss_nyy

    I have uninstalled and reinstalled adobe flash player but have noticed a significant difference between how it plays is Firefox and IE. Using the same url as above, you will notice a fairly large embedded area for the clip to play. In FF when it does play it does so using only about 25% of the "window" leaving the remainder black. In IE it plays full size. I am a bit baffled by this.
     
  10. snoopy

    snoopy Registered Members

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    Used your link in both IE & Firefox ... both came up with the 25% size & a lot of articles, etc. surrounding. Have no issue with Flash.
     
  11. BeeCeeBee

    BeeCeeBee ADMINISTRATOR IN MEMORY

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    MY Bad, the 25% issue is no issue at all. That is caused by my increasing the size (zoom) and flash player continues to play in normal size.

    I may have to roll back the version of FF but this is really just a petty annoyance.
     
  12. BeeCeeBee

    BeeCeeBee ADMINISTRATOR IN MEMORY

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    I read Snoopy' s article on FireFox 14 http://computerhelpforums.net/topic/41263-mozilla-skips-firefox-14-launches-1401-instead/

    Since it references a flash issue and they are attempting to fix it I suppose I will just wait and see.
     
  13. Plastic Nev

    Plastic Nev SUPER MODERATOR IN MEMORY

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    Windows 7 and 64 bit, using Firefox with 4GB Ram I did actually see a very short lived freeze with your link, and the page wouldn't scroll till that video buffered. That is the first time I have seen a freeze though with Flash player, as I quite often browse around Youtube for railway related clips and have no problem with them, most strange.

    Nev.
     
  14. timh1111

    timh1111 Registered Members

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    I know this is a little late to add, but the problem I've been having lately with FF is on start-up. When I open FF for the first time of the day, it takes forever to load then loads without my bookmarks. I close FF and reopen and the 2nd time it does load with my bookmarks but the screen loads broken up at first and freezes for about 10 seconds while loading. This has been happening for a few days now.
     
  15. BeeCeeBee

    BeeCeeBee ADMINISTRATOR IN MEMORY

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    It used to be that there was an option in the start menu to open firefox in its own "safemode" that option no longer seems to exist. What it did is open a raw version of FF with no add ons etc.

    DSTM found the following work around (Thanks!) go to your start menu and open the run box. Type "firefox -safe-mode" (without the quotation marks) Note that there is a space between firefox and -. Also not that firefox must be closed for this to work but you are going to try it right after a boot.

    My suggestion is to reboot the computer so that you will be opening firefox for the first time in a session and the use the method above. If it opens quickly then it is most likely an add on that is causing the problem. If that is the case you will have to use trial and error or simply disable them all and add them on again as you find the need.

    I don't know what "takes forever" means, Firefox is, at least in my case, notorious for taking its time to open for the first time. Cleaning the cache often helps. That being said, it will always open very quickly from there on in. I am at a bit of a loss as to why your bookmarks are lost even temporarily unless it is really just taking so long to load that you get fed up before it reaches that point.
     
  16. Mara

    Mara Registered Members

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    Just reading these makes me realize that from a fast little browser that never ever gave me a woe,Firefox's become a mini-nightmare for many - drat!

    Perhaps naive of me, but really believe browsers should work simply and easily and without us having to fiddle with them - or people like me will start simply 'moving on' - grin.
     
  17. woodyblade

    woodyblade Inactive Staff Member

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    Unfortunately Mara Mozilla like the other browser developers is trying to cram more functionality into the browser like Hardware Acceleration and WebGL amongst other stuff, the Web has become a lot more complex than when Firefox was first introduced in 2004.
    This complexity has certainly made all browsers more top heavy, Chrome on my computer for example is currently taking up about 600MB RAM (12 extensions plus 5 tabs currently, probably get a couple hundred MB's back if I got rid of some extensions).
    Firefox hasn't always been known for it's memory management, Mozilla are definitely improving it from what I read though.

    We might have to live with the fact that browsers are going to be another bit of software to configure amongst all the software we already have to configure (or make it behave) :)
     
  18. Mara

    Mara Registered Members

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    Gosh, that's enough to make me sigh, Woodyblade ... while I can understand the 'why' of it in some ways, it seems the fast, light and easy browser may simply be a thing of the past soon - drat!
     
  19. Wildman

    Wildman Registered Members

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    I quiet agree simple and easy is what I try an go for. Now it may be just me but I have very few add ons, like maybe only two. I have used Firefox for a good while now, have the latest version 15.0 and have had very little to no problems. My suggestion, stay away from all the add ons.

    Thanks
    Wildman
     
  20. Claw

    Claw Registered Members

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    I find that FF version 15, seems to be an improvement over the other versions. Although I still think Firefox 2.0 was an awesome browser. IMO.
     

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