Firefox Crashes

Keyboard Hound · Mar 11, 2010

I've just bought a new computer and am in the process of getting it set up. I've been using Firefox on my old computer and I've always liked it a lot. Recently, it's been crashing pretty often, mainly when I'm on facebook. I'm not sure if this is a Firefox problem, or if it is because my old computer is so loaded down. I want to stay with Firefox, but I'd like to know if anyone else is having problems before I go that route again. I'd greatly appreciate any response from any Firefox users. Thanks.

Keyboard

SWest · Mar 11, 2010

Had to shut down FF and reopen it twice tonight...XP, FF3+...gee, they just pinged me about the 3.6 update...see if you can catch that!

shadowwalker · Mar 11, 2010

I got a new computer a month or so ago and downloaded the latest FF - nothing but problems. Either it couldn't find its way to various sites or it just sat there. So I got rid of that and went to an older version (3.0.3) which is what I had on my old computer - not a single problem since.

Perks · Mar 11, 2010

That's interesting. I use Firefox on my laptop with no problems, but my husband's desktop doesn't seem to like it at all, so it's given him a very negative impression of the browser.

Silver King · Mar 11, 2010

Keyboard Hound said:
...Recently, it's been crashing pretty often, mainly when I'm on facebook....

That's the same problem my son is having, in addition to the browser being hijacked and redirecting his searches when he launches from Facebook.

Perks · Mar 11, 2010

Now I did have that happen a few weeks ago. Is he being redirected by 'Bing'? I don't know what happened there, but I opted to uninstall Firefox and reinstall.

Silver King · Mar 11, 2010

I'm not sure if it's happening through "Bing." He showed me how his searches were being redirected, and I tried a couple of my own, and the same thing happened. That was a couple of days ago, and like what you've done, I suggested an uninstall/reinstall of the browser. He hasn't tried it yet because, you know, he'd rather suffer than listen to his old man...

Matera the Mad · Mar 11, 2010

I'm using v3.5.5 Portable, and mostly for Facefook and other problem sites. It's smooth as cream. That reminds me, I have to go poke somebody :ROFL:

Keyboard Hound · Mar 12, 2010

Silver King said:
That's the same problem my son is having, in addition to the browser being hijacked and redirecting his searches when he launches from Facebook.

I've been redirected and taken all kinds of places. My sister thought I was crazy when I told her that. This confirms it's not just me. Thanks.

Keyboard Hound · Mar 12, 2010

Perks said:
Now I did have that happen a few weeks ago. Is he being redirected by 'Bing'? I don't know what happened there, but I opted to uninstall Firefox and reinstall.

What is 'Bing'? I have no idea.

Matera the Mad · Mar 12, 2010

Uh-oh. You need a good malware scan, not a different browser.

Perks · Mar 12, 2010

Keyboard Hound said:
What is 'Bing'? I have no idea.

I don't really know either. Everything just went loopy, although my Ad-aware and AVG scans came out okay. I just pulled the plug on Firefox and reinstalled it and everything was fine.

Sorry that's not more helpful, but I can't really remember the specifics of what went stupid on my machine.

Keyboard Hound · Mar 12, 2010

Thanks everyone for the helpful comments.

Ok. Got firefox installed. Now I'm trying to install Avast anti-virus and I can't tell that anything is happening. It's asked if I want to run or save. I clicked save because the website recommended that, but I don't know what to do next. When I click on download it just asks about saving again.

Lordy, wish I knew more about computers.

brokenfingers · Mar 12, 2010

The redirect is a common problem but isn't due to Firefox. The majority of the time, it's due to a program recently (or not recently) installed that has changed some parameters to redirect your browser to a different search site (Ask.com is the most notorious culprit.)

It's how they justify giving you software for free. By making you use their search site. Sometimes they'll outright ask you during installation, but sometimes they do it sneakily. Or do it anyway when you decline during installation of software.

My suggestion: find the name of the search site (usually it's Ask, but there are others) and google how to stop your browser from going there.

shadowwalker · Mar 12, 2010

Keyboard Hound said:
Thanks everyone for the helpful comments.

Ok. Got firefox installed. Now I'm trying to install Avast anti-virus and I can't tell that anything is happening. It's asked if I want to run or save. I clicked save because the website recommended that, but I don't know what to do next. When I click on download it just asks about saving again.

Lordy, wish I knew more about computers.

You've saved it to your computer - now you have to go to the exec file and run that to actually install it.

Adagio · Mar 12, 2010

Keyboard Hound said:
What is 'Bing'? I have no idea.

"Bing" is something that pops up in MSN. I recently updated IE, which I sparingly use, being a Mozilla Firefox (waiting for the crash). After the update, and after I opened a hotmail account, enjoying those cute colorful butterflies, this Bing tried to impose itself on me, offering me things that I already have in the browser, and things I don't need.

It basically invites you to explore: Travel, Shopping, Videos, Maps, History, News ...

I don't want Bing, don't want to be "binged," and to "bing."

Too many things competing for my attention, and eventual use, in the net. Sometimes, I think, it's better to ignore their prompts and stick with what you know. My humble opinion.

So I ignore it. If anyone has a better use of this Bing, please let me, and Keyboard Hound, know.

It's like that Google Buzz horror, prompting me to follow, to be followed. I manage to disable my profile (how did I end up with a profile is another mystery but I take the blame for that), and hopefully no one will follow me and I will not follow anyone. There has been a lot of "buzz" about this G. Buzz in Internet from which I learned that I was not the only one offended.

But what should I know? I'm just a TechnoIdiot trying to survive in the CyberLand.

Adagio

CheekyWench · Mar 12, 2010

I had the same crashing problem. It also is very slow since the last update. I switched to Chrome.

Keyboard Hound · Mar 12, 2010

shadowwalker said:
You've saved it to your computer - now you have to go to the exec file and run that to actually install it.

Thanks you so much, shadowwalker. This is exactly what I needed to know. I got it installed!!!

benbradley · Mar 12, 2010

Perks said:
I don't really know either. Everything just went loopy, although my Ad-aware and AVG scans came out okay. I just pulled the plug on Firefox and reinstalled it and everything was fine.

Sorry that's not more helpful, but I can't really remember the specifics of what went stupid on my machine.

Hmm, did Facebook or maybe some website install something on Firefox? Whenever Sun updates Java there's an option to install a Yahoo search textbox on Firefox that I have to UNCHECK to keep it from installing (woops, a rant for another time) - I have very little on Firefox that it doesn't already come with as default.

And I rarely go to Facebook. Any site that says "Warning, you're leaving (our site), this might not be a safe link!" is both a relatively dangerous place and has a babying attitude about it. (woops, another rant)

Adagio said:
"Bing" is something that pops up in MSN. I recently updated IE, which I sparingly use, being a Mozilla Firefox (waiting for the crash). After the update, and after I opened a hotmail account, enjoying those cute colorful butterflies, this Bing tried to impose itself on me, offering me things that I already have in the browser, and things I don't need.

It basically invites you to explore: Travel, Shopping, Videos, Maps, History, News ...

I don't want Bing, don't want to be "binged," and to "bing."

Too many things competing for my attention, and eventual use, in the net. Sometimes, I think, it's better to ignore their prompts and stick with what you know. My humble opinion.

So I ignore it. If anyone has a better use of this Bing, please let me, and Keyboard Hound, know.

It's like that Google Buzz horror, prompting me to follow, to be followed. I manage to disable my profile (how did I end up with a profile is another mystery but I take the blame for that), and hopefully no one will follow me and I will not follow anyone. There has been a lot of "buzz" about this G. Buzz in Internet from which I learned that I was not the only one offended.

But what should I know? I'm just a TechnoIdiot trying to survive in the CyberLand.

Adagio

Actually, it's a lot simpler than that, though it's no surprise that Microsoft/MSN/whoever is trying to direct you toward bing.

Bing is a search engine, started I forget exactly when, maybe a year ago, by Microsoft in an attempt to compete with Google:

http://www.bing.com

It's quite a shame few people know what it is or have even HEARD of it, because Microsoft has surely spend millions of dollars promoting it. Maybe if they had bought the rights to an old Rolling Stones song...

Adagio · Mar 12, 2010

benbradley said:
Actually, it's a lot simpler than that, though it's no surprise that Microsoft/MSN/whoever is trying to direct you toward bing.

Bing is a search engine, started I forget exactly when, maybe a year ago, by Microsoft in an attempt to compete with Google:

http://www.bing.com

It's quite a shame few people know what it is or have even HEARD of it, because Microsoft has surely spend millions of dollars promoting it. Maybe if they had bought the rights to an old Rolling Stones song...

Thank you, benbradley. I'll take a closer look at "it."
Bing!

Adagio

Silver King · Mar 12, 2010

Keyboard Hound said:
I've been redirected and taken all kinds of places. My sister thought I was crazy when I told her that. This confirms it's not just me. Thanks.

Since I posted yesterday, I've uninstalled then reinstalled Firefox on my boy's system. That didn't do the trick. Then I ran another virus scan, in addition to Adaware and Spybot SD, and I still can't locate what's causing his browser to redirect him all over the place. It happens when he uses Internet Explorer, too.

I came across this handy tutorial that's worth sharing. Tomorrow I'll try some of the suggestions offered in that article to see if any of them work for his system and will post the results in this thread.

Adagio · Mar 12, 2010

CheekyWench said:
I had the same crashing problem. It also is very slow since the last update. I switched to Chrome.

Guess what? Mozilla just crashed on me this evening. As if I brought this upon me when I wrote earlier in this thread "waiting to crash."

I have Chrome too, but what should I do with all my bookmarked sites in Mozilla? Transfer them to Chrome bookmark?

Adagio

Keyboard Hound · Mar 12, 2010

I've been on the new computer all evening. So far, Firefox has not crashed. Recently it's been a crash three or four times a night. I don't know if the computer being new is making a difference, or if it's the newer version of Firefox (5.something) but it's doing much better.

Keyboard Hound · Mar 12, 2010

Incidentally, when I downloaded Avast, it had Chrome intermingled with it. So now I have Firefox and Chrome, too. Neither crashed tonight.

Silver King · Mar 17, 2010

Just wanted to update that the issue my son was having with his browser has been resolved. I downloaded Microsoft's Security Essentials, which discovered some problems that Avast had overlooked. It required a full scan, and now he has a clean machine.

Firefox Crashes

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delicate #!&@*#! flower

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Old kid. Tough skin!!

Bartender, gimme a Linux Mint

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Old kid. Tough skin!!

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