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What does "Firefox not Responding" mean

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Lately I am getting the message on the top of my screen that says, "FIREFOX NOT RESPONDING." Also, there is the little circle icon that goes around and whatever I click on does not open up. I shut off my computer manually, and when I started it up again the messages always say: Do you want to start in Safe Mode.....so that's what I did. Now, the color in my task bar (bottom) changed from blue to black. How can I make it blue again. I have no idea what Safe Mode means but I thought I would try it; I won't do it again!

Lately I am getting the message on the top of my screen that says, "FIREFOX NOT RESPONDING." Also, there is the little circle icon that goes around and whatever I click on does not open up. I shut off my computer manually, and when I started it up again the messages always say: Do you want to start in Safe Mode.....so that's what I did. Now, the color in my task bar (bottom) changed from blue to black. How can I make it blue again. I have no idea what Safe Mode means but I thought I would try it; I won't do it again!

All Replies (10)

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Not sure what you mean by task bar but just shut down firefox and start it again, now firefox should look like before entering safe mode. Just to be sure, also restart windows and then start firefox. Further reading about safe mode https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-using-safe-mode and https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-is-stuck-in-safe-mode

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ChaCha said

Lately I am getting the message on the top of my screen that says, "FIREFOX NOT RESPONDING." Also, there is the little circle icon that goes around and whatever I click on does not open up. I shut off my computer manually, and when I started it up again the messages always say: Do you want to start in Safe Mode.....so that's what I did. Now, the color in my task bar (bottom) changed from blue to black. How can I make it blue again. I have no idea what Safe Mode means but I thought I would try it; I won't do it again!

ChaCha said

Lately I am getting the message on the top of my screen that says, "FIREFOX NOT RESPONDING." Also, there is the little circle icon that goes around and whatever I click on does not open up. I shut off my computer manually, and when I started it up again the messages always say: Do you want to start in Safe Mode.....so that's what I did. Now, the color in my task bar (bottom) changed from blue to black. How can I make it blue again. I have no idea what Safe Mode means but I thought I would try it; I won't do it again!
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What does it mean when the top of the screen says, FIREFOX NOT RESPONDING" and the small circle icon appears. Whatever I click on does not open up.

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I have this problem too. But I just wait a few seconds and then things are fine for a few minutes.

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Sometimes, even waiting a long timedoes not change anything, so I have to shut off my computer manually. I just do not understand why this happens.

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Hello. I understand that your Firefox is not responding, and your computer asks you if you want to boot to safe mode.

Before answering your question, there are a few things you need to understand.

Shutting off your computer manually (any computer running Windows) will always display the message saying this computer did not shut down correctly. It thinks that it was abruptly shut down due to malfunction, etc and asks you to boot into Safe mode.

Safe Mode just means it'll load all the Windows files required to boot up the operating system and other default programs. It does NOT load up any other 3rd party programs, such as Firefox.

I need more information on your issue.

1. What is your computer's specs? (File Explorer > right-click the computer icon > properties) Tell me everything there.

2. How old is your computer?

3. At what point does Firefox not respond? Were you watching a YouTube video or something like that?

If Firefox does not respond again, right click on the taskbar > Task Manager > find the Firefox process and end the task. Firefox will ask you to restore your previous session if you open it again.

I also need more information on your taskbar change color issue. Has it just turned into completely black, or black but still has the glass-aero effect, or has it turned into black but with the Windows Classic theme?


EDIT: See this article, it might help you https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-hangs-or-not-responding#firefox:win7:fx41 Customize the article so it matches your operating system and your Firefox version.

Modified by Silent Sparrow

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That issue was back in February. The taskbar changed back to blue again. What do you mean by "File Explorer"? My computer is almost 6 years old and it is Vista.

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File Explorer is where you explore your files. It is located on the taskbar. It is the first icon/program beside the Start icon (if you haven't moved it or deleted it). The icon looks like about 3 folders stacked inside a blue shiny thing.

No offense, but you should get a new computer. Vista is known for being slow and having low compatibility with programs.

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I don't see that file explorer icon. How can I get it to show up?

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To show File Explorer, simply drag the Computer icon from your desktop onto the taskbar. It's not the original File Explorer, but it'll do pretty much the same thing. I don't know if it will work on Vista.

A web browser not responding is very usual, since they always have plug-ins and extensions. Maybe you were in a website with advertisements that utilizes Flash Player and/or Shockwave Flash. These plug-ins are known for being laggy sometimes when there's too much workload.

It looks like this (the image I attached) once it's been dragged into the taskbar. Don't worry, the computer icon will still be there on your desktop.

Modified by Silent Sparrow