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What does it mean when a spinning color wheel appears and action is interrupted?

  • 3 replies
  • 5 have this problem
  • 74 views
  • Last reply by FredMcD

ChuckSch
ChuckSch
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When I left click or move the cursor, a spinning color wheel appears for two to five seconds. Any thing I type during the spinning then appears. Or, I click to open a bookmark and the color wheel appears and the book mark may or may not open.

My activity is interrupted until the color wheel goes away.

When I left click or move the cursor, a spinning color wheel appears for two to five seconds. Any thing I type during the spinning then appears. Or, I click to open a bookmark and the color wheel appears and the book mark may or may not open. My activity is interrupted until the color wheel goes away.

Chosen solution

On most systems, it shows that the CPU is being overworked.

Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web link} by holding down the <Shift> (Mac=Options) key, and then starting Firefox.

A small dialog should appear. Click Start In Safe Mode (not Refresh). Is the problem still there?

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All Replies (3)

FredMcD
FredMcD
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Chosen Solution

On most systems, it shows that the CPU is being overworked.

Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web link} by holding down the <Shift> (Mac=Options) key, and then starting Firefox.

A small dialog should appear. Click Start In Safe Mode (not Refresh). Is the problem still there?

AnnH3
AnnH3
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I was having the same problem and after starting in Safe Mode the problem is gone. So, what was the problem and what did starting in Safe Mode do to correct the problem? I just want to understand what's going on. Thanks.

FredMcD
FredMcD
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https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode

Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode that temporarily turns off hardware acceleration, resets some settings, and disables add-ons (extensions and themes). If the problem goes away, that tells us one thing. If it does not, that tells us something else.

It could be the work of one of your add-ons. Type about:addons<enter> in the address bar to open your Add-ons Manager. Hot key; <Control> (Mac=<Command>) <Shift> A)

In the Add-ons Manager, on the left, select Extensions. Disable a few add-ons, then Restart Firefox.

Some added toolbar and anti-virus add-ons are known to cause Firefox issues. Disable All Of them.

If the problem continues, disable some more (restarting FF). Continue until the problem is gone. After, you know what group is causing the issue. Re-enable the last group ONE AT A TIME (restarting FF) until the problem returns.

Once you think you found the problem, disable that and re-enable all the others, then restart again. Let us know who the suspect is, detective.