This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Firefox beta 18 "not responding" every time I load a page. This didn't occur as much with FF3.5.4.

  • 2 replies
  • 6 have this problem
  • 3 views
  • Last reply by unimpressed

more options

I have tried various upgrades/updates of Firefox (4 and above). I currently have Firebox beta 18. EVERY TIME I load a page, the browser will always hang and I get "Not Responding" in the status bar. The hang time is usually more than a few minutes or I'd have to end the program through the task manager. Sometimes after the freeze, I'll get a "warning: script was unresponsive" popup and then it will freeze again (I can't even press 'stop script' or 'continue') because the popup is "not responding".

I don't seem to have this problem with FF3.5.4 (only this version has deemed compatible) however I can't view flash plugins/media or certain features of a webpage because it's not updated. Therefore I would not like to downgrade back to 3.5.4 because there's no point if I can't view half the things on a page..

I have tried various upgrades/updates of Firefox (4 and above). I currently have Firebox beta 18. EVERY TIME I load a page, the browser will always hang and I get "Not Responding" in the status bar. The hang time is usually more than a few minutes or I'd have to end the program through the task manager. Sometimes after the freeze, I'll get a "warning: script was unresponsive" popup and then it will freeze again (I can't even press 'stop script' or 'continue') because the popup is "not responding". I don't seem to have this problem with FF3.5.4 (only this version has deemed compatible) however I can't view flash plugins/media or certain features of a webpage because it's not updated. Therefore I would not like to downgrade back to 3.5.4 because there's no point if I can't view half the things on a page..

Chosen solution

If you've updated from a version as ancient as 3.5.4, then you run the risk of encountering problems. You should start with a fresh profile to ensure old preferences, data files and changes made by extensions are not interfering.

First, create a backup copy of your profile folder, just to be safe.

Then use the Reset Firefox feature.


If the problem persists, see the following article.

Do not reinstall old versions of Firefox. They contain security vulnerabilities and shouldn't be used. Very old versions might also be unable to handle data files in your profile folder in their new formats, which can lead to all sorts of problems. And lastly, many websites require a modern browser to work properly.

Read this answer in context 👍 1

All Replies (2)

more options

Chosen Solution

If you've updated from a version as ancient as 3.5.4, then you run the risk of encountering problems. You should start with a fresh profile to ensure old preferences, data files and changes made by extensions are not interfering.

First, create a backup copy of your profile folder, just to be safe.

Then use the Reset Firefox feature.


If the problem persists, see the following article.

Do not reinstall old versions of Firefox. They contain security vulnerabilities and shouldn't be used. Very old versions might also be unable to handle data files in your profile folder in their new formats, which can lead to all sorts of problems. And lastly, many websites require a modern browser to work properly.

more options

Thank you for the suggestion! Resetting ff worked for me.