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When I open Firefox I get this error-firefox.exe application error the instruction at 0x02c38690 referenced memory at 0x02c38690 the memory could not be written

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  • 5 have this problem
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  • Last reply by pp93463

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When I open Firefox I get the following error: firefox.exe application error - The instruction at 0x02c38690 referenced memory at 0x02c38690 - The memory could not be written - Click on OK to terminate the program.

 If you click on OK it closes Firefox - You can not reopen Firefox until you reboot the computer. Then it starts all over again.

The same happens if I click the "X" instead on the error window.

When I open Firefox I get the following error: firefox.exe application error - The instruction at 0x02c38690 referenced memory at 0x02c38690 - The memory could not be written - Click on OK to terminate the program. If you click on OK it closes Firefox - You can not reopen Firefox until you reboot the computer. Then it starts all over again. The same happens if I click the "X" instead on the error window.

All Replies (17)

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Sometimes a problem with Firefox may be a result of malware installed on your computer, that you may not be aware of.

You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:

Microsoft Security Essentials is a good permanent antivirus for Windows 7/Vista/XP if you don't already have one.


Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.

Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!

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I have Windows 8 and I use Webroot Secure Anywhere for my malware/antivirus protection. So this is not the issue.

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Its also a good idea to still check for malware with other programs, no antivirus detects everything.

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That did not work either.

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I also downloaded the MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware to do a second scan and it came up with nothing.

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Certain Firefox problems can be solved by performing a Clean reinstall. This means you remove Firefox program files and then reinstall Firefox. Please follow these steps:

  1. Download the latest Desktop version of Firefox from http://www.mozilla.org and save the setup file to your computer.
  2. After the download finishes, close all Firefox windows (click Exit from the Firefox or File menu).
  3. Delete the Firefox installation folder, which is located in one of these locations, by default:
    • Windows:
      • C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox
      • C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox
  4. Now, go ahead and reinstall Firefox:
    1. Double-click the downloaded installation file and go through the steps of the installation wizard.
    2. Once the wizard is finished, choose to directly open Firefox after clicking the Finish button.

Please report back to see if this helped you!

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I also uninstalled and reinstalled Firefox - Same thing happens.

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Do the below.

  1. Press the following shortcut to get a Run window: [Windows] + [R]. This should bring up a window that contains a text field.
  2. In that text field, enter %APPDATA% and press Enter. An explorer window should open.
  3. From that explorer window, double-click on the Mozilla folder, then double-click on Firefox and then on Crash reports. Double-click on submitted.
  4. Now, you should see a list of files that contain reports. Go to View > Arrange Icons by > Modified to get the most recent files at the top of the window.
  5. Open the most recent 5 files with a text editor and copy the IDs.
  6. Paste each ID with bp- into the reply window on the forums.

Thanks in advance!

You can find more information and troubleshooting steps in the Troubleshoot Firefox crashes (closing or quitting unexpectedly) article.

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This error looks specific to Firefox as I am able to use IE and Chrome with no problem. On all 3 (Firefox, IE, and Chrome) I have no add on tool bars or any other extensions or add-ons out of the ordinary.

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Hi ReefBoy, did Firefox work normally before and this started suddenly out of nowhere (or after an update)?

If Firefox won't start after the crash/shutdown, can you check the Windows Task Manager and try terminating a hung instance of Firefox there. You can start the Task Manager using Ctrl+Shift+Esc. Firefox probably won't appear on the Applications tab if there are no visible windows. Check the Processes tab, select firefox.exe and click End Process (there could be more than one).

When next starting Firefox, try holding the Shift key to start Firefox in its Safe Mode. In the small dialog that should appear, click "Start in Safe Mode" (not Reset). More info: Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode.

Any difference?

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I opened the crash reports and I do not have a File called submitted. See screen shot attached.

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I go to open in Start in Safe Mode and the error comes up even before i select it (when I do Shift and click Firefox) - See screen Shot

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Do a clean reinstall and delete the Firefox program folder before (re)installing a fresh copy of the current Firefox release.

Download a fresh Firefox copy and save the file to the desktop.

Uninstall your current Firefox version, if possible, to cleanup the Windows registry and settings in security software.

  • Do NOT remove personal data when you uninstall your current Firefox version, because all profile folders will be removed and you lose personal data like bookmarks and passwords from profiles of other Firefox versions.

Remove the Firefox program folder before installing that newly downloaded copy of the Firefox installer.

  • (32 bit Windows) "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\"
  • (64 bit Windows) "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\"

Your bookmarks and other personal data are stored in the Firefox profile folder and won't be affected by an uninstall and (re)install, but make sure that "remove personal data" is NOT selected when you uninstall Firefox.

If you keep having problems then also create a new profile.


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I have the same problem. If I start Firefox by clicking a link in an email, this doesn't happen. If I just shove the error message box out of the way, Firefox works just fine. If I click on OK, or close the error box, it kills firefox.

I have seen many recommendations on how to fix it, but the only one anyone claimed to work for them was a complete OS clean reinstall. Kinda drastic.

The work-around I'm using is to do a system restore (Win XP) to a point just before the problem started, which is usually just before updating to 22.0 (23.0 now, just tried it ... no joy! system restore to yesterday fixed it again).

Anybody have a fix that actually worked for them?

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Hi pp93463, you can start Firefox from a link in an external application, but you get an error when starting it from the program shortcut?

Could you also test from the Start menu, search/run box:

firefox.exe "about:blank"

Does that start normally to a blank page?

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I didn't try the run box, but IIRC, it also gave the memory error box when I start it by double clicking firefox.exe in windows explorer.

I've always configured firefox to start up with a blank page. I'd try it but I'm back to FF 21.0 again after the system restore. I just wanted to see if 23.0 fixed it. No joy.