Firefox 29 does not always close process on exit.
I am using Firefox 29.0.1, and it fails to end the process after opening Gmail. I am using the standalone Linux build on Ubuntu 10.04. All add-ons have been removed, and the theme is set to default. I have deleted the default profile and created a new one. I have also cleared browsing history, cookies, cache, etc., and reset Firefox.
During normal browsing, the process will close in about 1 second after exit. After checking Gmail, the process hangs continuously. I have waited for over 5 minutes for the process to close in Firefox 29, but I eventually had to kill it. This bug occurs every time I check Gmail. I have tested the latest Beta version, and the problem persists. I have also modified the History settings as mentioned in other posts, but the process still remained after exit. Please advise if additional information would be helpful.
All Replies (14)
Removed inappropriate reply it was not a proposed solution for the question asked. ~J99
Modified by John99
ginz,
Start your own thread about your own problem please. Please do not post in other peoples threads unless you have a solution to their problem.
See Forum rules and guidelines guidelines guidelines
You have probably realised by now from comments in threads you hijack that at least part of the problem is a known issue and being addressed.
On this forum we are just fellow users helping one another pleading for mozilla development action is not appropriate it only distracts us from helping others. I do not consider what you find to be a security issue. Ordinarily I could say file a bug, but in this case I am not sure you are seeing anything that does not already have active bugs filed.
In fact the problem is probably already solved in Firefox 30b8 but not many people seem to have tested that to report if it does work.
Modified by John99
I will try to get back to this problem later. As you are possibly aware there are some known issues with hangs on close down, but possibly you are seeing similar but for a different reason to most others.
I use Ubuntu so if that is a factor I may notice.
- Can I ask are you only seeing this on gmail ?
- If this forum is the only tab open do you still see the problem ?
CROSS LINK
Your prior unresolved question with the same issue in an older version of Firefox
Gmail is the only place that I can consistently produce the issue. I believe this happened on one other occasion when Gmail wasn't used, but many tabs were opened at the time and I don't know which site caused the problem. Otherwise, I have only had issues with Gmail.
Simply going to the Gmail login page does not create a problem. The bug only occurs when I log in. If I don't ever login to Gmail during the browsing session, Firefox will close correctly.
In that case it is sounding like a Gmail issue rather than a Firefox problem.
If this is a problem that happens a lot on gmail then given the number of Firefox users that are likely to use gmail it probably would be looked into if you are able to explain how to reproduce this issue.
If you have Firefox in its safe mode, with all plugins disabled and only a blank tab open what are the minimum steps that need to be made to reproduce this issue.
Presumably something more complicated than
- Open the gmail site [url] using .....
- login to an existing Gmail account
- Log out of the account.
- Close Firefox using New Button -> Quit
- Check 3, 10 & 30 minutes later using .... Firefox still running
- Attempt to restart. Firefox will not start and generates error message ....
Presumably Firefox hangs permanently and it is not just a case of giving it a few minutes to close down successfully.
It is probably best to try to test that out using the Firefox beta channel that is currently Fx30 both Fx29.0.1 and Fx30b8 had fixes for hangs in them.
I did notice a few bugs filed about Gmail but I am not sure any are still active.
These are the steps to reproduce the problem. I tested both Firefox 29.0.1 and Firefox 30.0b9. In both cases, Firefox hangs for over 30 minutes. If I try to open Firefox without killing the process, it gives the "Firefox is already running but not responding" message.
1. Open Firefox in safe mode with all plugins disabled. The Firefox start page is the home page. 2. Go to https://www.gmail.com/intl/en/mail/help/about.html. 3. Click "Sign in." 4. Log in using existing username and password.
Those steps create the bug. Below are a few different ways I closed Firefox. They all resulted in hanging. 1. Immediately closing using the X button. 2. Immediately closing using New Button and Quit. 3. Logging out of Gmail, then closing using the X button. 4. Logging out of Gmail, then closing using New Button and Quit. 5. Logging out of Gmail, viewing different web pages in the same tab, then closing using the X button. 6. Logging out of Gmail, viewing different web pages in the same tab, then closing using the New Button and Quit.
It didn't matter if I checked emails or not. Just viewing the inbox is enough to create the problem.
Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problem.
See "Creating a profile":
- https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles
- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Profile_issues
If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over the problem
I created a new profile before performing this latest test. I had also created several new profiles on the older problematic Firefox versions to verify that the profile was not an issue.
Did you try the new profile without making any modifications?
You can also try to disable all plugins and extensions that are possibly installed globally.
Boot the computer in Windows Safe Mode with network support (press F8 on the boot screen) as a test.
Yes, I created a new profile without modifying any settings. I disabled and uninstalled all plugins before I deleted the old profile and created a new one. The extensions, appearance, and plugins windows are all blank except the default theme. Since this is a Linux installation, booting into Windows safe mode will not help. I do have a dual boot setup with Vista, but Vista does not have this problem. I wonder if it is a Linux-specific issue.
Just thought I would mention I tried to reproduce on Ubuntu 12.04 and could not.
I might try to install Ubuntu 12.04 or 14.04 with the current Vista and Ubuntu 10.04 setup to see if I can produce the bug on another OS. I am out of disk space at the moment, so it could take a few days to reorganize my hard drive and install a new OS.
I upgraded my Ubuntu 10.04 installation to 12.04, and the problem seems to be resolved. This bug might be specific to 10.04. I had to remove several programs to perform the upgrade, but the hanging still occurred with Firefox 30 right before I upgraded. So far, it works fine on 12.04.
I am using Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) and have the same annoying problem with Firefox 26 - Firefox 32. Firefox 25 is the last version when this shutdown hang caused by Gmail does not normally happen.
Not sure why this problem seems to be limited to Ubuntu 10 (Lucid and Maverick) or what Gmail is doing special to cause it, but upgrading the OS isn't an option for me since the new video drivers in later versions of Ubuntu do not work with my video card and my printer is no longer supported too.
The only odd thing I'd mention about Gmail is that once logged in, the firefox "page loading" animation (red orbiting circle) never stops spinning even after the page is loaded. I can click the URL 'X' to stop the web page from loading, but that does not help as far the Firefox exit hang is concerned (just like logging out of Gmail as the OP mentioned also does not work). I'm not sure if that problem existed in Firefox 25, but I don't recall it.