I am getting pop-up messages that Firefox crashed, but Firefox is not even running
I am getting repeated pop-up windows that say that Firefox has crashed, but Firefox is not running on my system. It is not in the Startups and I rarely use it.
Windows 10 Firefox v110.0
Is this malicious not related to Firefox? Does Firefox have a background task that is not visible on Task Manager? Or what?
Details:
AdapterDeviceID: 0x1f82 AdapterDriverVersion: 31.0.15.1694 AdapterSubsysID: 11573842 AdapterVendorID: 0x10de Add-ons: %7B242af0bb-db11-4734-b7a0-61cb8a9b20fb%7D:2.5.3,formautofill%40mozilla.org:1.0.1,pictureinpicture%40mozilla.org:1.0.0,screenshots%40mozilla.org:39.0.1,webcompat%40mozilla.org:110.0.0,default-theme%40mozilla.org:1.3,google%40search.mozilla.org:1.3,amazondotcom%40search.mozilla.org:1.4,wikipedia%40search.mozilla.org:1.2,bing%40search.mozilla.org:1.4,ddg%40search.mozilla.org:1.3,ebay%40search.mozilla.org:1.4,addons-search-detection%40mozilla.com:2.0.0 AvailablePageFile: 7892074496 AvailablePhysicalMemory: 11065737216 AvailableVirtualMemory: 138531183984640 BackgroundTaskMode: 0 BlockedDllList: BuildID: 20230214051806 CPUMicrocodeVersion: 0xcc ContentSandboxCapable: 1 ContentSandboxLevel: 6 ContentSandboxWin32kState: Win32k Lockdown enabled -- default value is true CrashTime: 1677810693 DOMFissionEnabled: 1 DOMIPCEnabled: 1 EMCheckCompatibility: true ExperimentalFeatures: devtools.inspector.compatibility.enabled GPUProcessLaunchCount: 1 GPUProcessStatus: Destroyed GpuSandboxLevel: 1 HeadlessMode: 0 InstallTime: 1677733484 LauncherProcessState: 0 ModuleSignatureInfo: {"Malwarebytes Inc.":["mbae64.dll"],"Microsoft Corporation":["VCRUNTIME140_1.dll","msvcp140.dll","VCRUNTIME140.dll"],"Microsoft Windows":["bcrypt.dll","clbcatq.dll","cfgmgr32.dll","setupapi.dll","linkinfo.dll","explorerframe.dll","ktmw32.dll","dataexchange.dll","twinapi.dll","ondemandconnroutehelper.dll","directmanipulation.dll","Windows.Globalization.dll","DWrite.dll","Windows.UI.Immersive.dll","Windows.Security.Integrity.dll","icm32.dll","wscapi.dll","InputHost.dll","textinputframework.dll","Windows.UI.dll","BCP47mrm.dll","NapiNSP.dll","Bcp47Langs.dll","winrnr.dll","wshbth.dll","pnrpnsp.dll","dbgcore.dll","iertutil.dll","wsock32.dll","srvcli.dll","urlmon.dll","webauthn.dll","wininet.dll","msxml6.dll","dbghelp.dll","FWPUCLNT.DLL","OneCoreUAPCommonProxyStub.dll","rasadhlp.dll","winmm.dll","ColorAdapterClient.dll","mscms.dll","winhttp.dll","cryptnet.dll","MMDevAPI.dll","AudioSes.dll","WindowManagementAPI.dll","winnsi.dll","npmproxy.dll","dhcpcsvc.dll","dhcpcsvc6.DLL","avrt.dll","version.dll","twinapi.appcore.dll","netprofm.dll","taskschd.dll","nlaapi.dll","propsys.dll","wtsapi32.dll","d3d11.dll","WinTypes.dll","dcomp.dll","CoreUIComponents.dll","CoreMessaging.dll","uxtheme.dll","dwmapi.dll","kernel.appcore.dll","windows.storage.dll","gpapi.dll","dxgi.dll","winsta.dll","rsaenh.dll","ntmarta.dll","umpdc.dll","IPHLPAPI.DLL","dnsapi.dll","netutils.dll","powrprof.dll","mswsock.dll","cryptbase.dll","cryptsp.dll","wldp.dll","ntasn1.dll","ncrypt.dll","msasn1.dll","devobj.dll","sspicli.dll","userenv.dll","profapi.dll","ucrtbase.dll","bcryptPrimitives.dll","gdi32full.dll","crypt32.dll","msvcp_win.dll","KERNELBASE.dll","win32u.dll","wintrust.dll","kernel32.dll","gdi32.dll","nsi.dll","imagehlp.dll","shlwapi.dll","ole32.dll","user32.dll","combase.dll","psapi.dll","ws2_32.dll","SHCore.dll","msctf.dll","imm32.dll","advapi32.dll","shell32.dll","rpcrt4.dll","msvcrt.dll","sechost.dll","oleaut32.dll","ntdll.dll"],"Mozilla Corporation":["firefox.exe","xul.dll","nss3.dll","freebl3.dll","nssckbi.dll","mozglue.dll","osclientcerts.dll","softokn3.dll","lgpllibs.dll"]} MozCrashReason: Shutdown hanging at step XPCOMShutdownThreads. Something is blocking the main-thread. Notes: FP(D00-L1000-W0000100-T000) DWrite? DWrite+ WR? WR+ ProductID: {ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384} ProductName: Firefox ReleaseChannel: release SafeMode: 0 SecondsSinceLastCrash: 1555 ShutdownProgress: xpcom-shutdown-threads StartupCrash: 0 StartupTime: 1677810589 SubmittedFrom: Client SystemMemoryUsePercentage: 67 TelemetryEnvironment: {"build":{"applicationId":"{ec8030f7-c20a-464f-9b0e-13a3a9e97384}","applicationName":"Firefox","architecture":"x86-64","buildId":"20230214051806","version":"110.0","vendor":"Mozilla","displayVersion":"110.0","platformVersion":"110.0","xpcomAbi":"x86_64-msvc","updaterAvailable":true},"partner":{"distributionId":null,"distributionVersion":null,"partnerId":null,"distributor":null,"distributorChannel":null,"partnerNames":[]},"system":{"memoryMB":32686,"virtualMaxMB":134217728,"cpu":{"isWindowsSMode":false,"count":12,"cores":6,"vendor":"GenuineIntel","name":"Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-10400 CPU @ 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58525270016 TotalPhysicalMemory: 34273705984 TotalVirtualMemory: 140737488224256 URL: about:home UptimeTS: 1036.74905 Vendor: Mozilla Version: 110.0 Winsock_LSP: MSAFD Tcpip [TCP/IP] : 2 : 2 : 1 : 6 : 0x20066 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : e70f1aa0-ab8b-11cf-8ca3-00805f48a192
MSAFD Tcpip [UDP/IP] : 2 : 2 : 2 : 17 : 0x20609 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : e70f1aa0-ab8b-11cf-8ca3-00805f48a192 MSAFD Tcpip [RAW/IP] : 2 : 2 : 3 : 0 : 0x20609 : 0xc : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : e70f1aa0-ab8b-11cf-8ca3-00805f48a192 MSAFD Tcpip [TCP/IPv6] : 2 : 23 : 1 : 6 : 0x20066 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : f9eab0c0-26d4-11d0-bbbf-00aa006c34e4 MSAFD Tcpip [UDP/IPv6] : 2 : 23 : 2 : 17 : 0x20609 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : f9eab0c0-26d4-11d0-bbbf-00aa006c34e4 MSAFD Tcpip [RAW/IPv6] : 2 : 23 : 3 : 0 : 0x20609 : 0xc : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : f9eab0c0-26d4-11d0-bbbf-00aa006c34e4 AF_UNIX : 2 : 1 : 1 : 0 : 0x20026 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : a00943d9-9c2e-4633-9b59-0057a3160994 RSVP TCPv6 Service Provider : 2 : 23 : 1 : 6 : 0x22066 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : 9d60a9e0-337a-11d0-bd88-0000c082e69a RSVP TCP Service Provider : 2 : 2 : 1 : 6 : 0x22066 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : 9d60a9e0-337a-11d0-bd88-0000c082e69a RSVP UDPv6 Service Provider : 2 : 23 : 2 : 17 : 0x22609 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : 9d60a9e0-337a-11d0-bd88-0000c082e69a RSVP UDP Service Provider : 2 : 2 : 2 : 17 : 0x22609 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : 9d60a9e0-337a-11d0-bd88-0000c082e69a Hyper-V RAW : 2 : 34 : 1 : 1 : 0x20026 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : 1234191b-4bf7-4ca7-86e0-dfd7c32b5445 MSAFD L2CAP [Bluetooth] : 2 : 32 : 1 : 256 : 0x20006 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : 9fc48064-7298-43e4-b7bd-181f2089792a MSAFD RfComm [Bluetooth] : 2 : 32 : 1 : 3 : 0x20026 : 0x8 : %SystemRoot%\system32\mswsock.dll : : 9fc48064-7298-43e4-b7bd-181f2089792a
XPCOMSpinEventLoopStack: default: nsThread::Shutdown: BitsCommander useragent_locale: en-US
This report also contains technical information about the state of the application when it crashed.
Modified by firefox2241
Chosen solution
The crash has to be the background update process. However, it's puzzling because I never see it running in Task Manager. After a crash occurs I select "Close Firefox" but somehow the process must automatically restart because, as I mentioned, I get multiple crashes a day.
I uninstalled it, and the uninstall process never completed. It looks like it's gone, but there may have been some junk left in the Registry or in the file system.
If I need to use it again I'll reinstall it and we'll see what happens then. Until that time I'll consider this solved, even though a root cause or direct fix has not been found.
Read this answer in context 👍 0All Replies (8)
We're sorry to hear that Firefox is crashing. In order to assist you better, please follow the steps below to provide us crash IDs to help us learn more about your crash.
The crash report is several pages of data. We need the report numbers to see the whole report.
- Enter about:crashes in the Firefox address bar and press Enter. A list of Submitted/Unsubmitted Crash Reports will appear, similar to the one shown below.
- Copy the 5 most recent Submitted Report IDs that start with bp- and then go back to your forum question and paste those IDs into the "Post a Reply" box.
Note: If a recent Report ID does not start with bp- click on it to submit the report.
(Please don't take a screenshot of your crashes, just copy and paste the IDs. The below image is just an example of what your Firefox screen should look like.)
Thank you for your help!
More information and further troubleshooting steps can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox crashes (closing or quitting unexpectedly) article.
Thank you. There was only one submitted, one unsubmitted. I submitted the unsubmitted one, and here are the resulting IDs:
bp-6c0d14da-2d73-471b-8eaa-657150230303 3/2/2023, 10:46 PM bp-35ac6d52-fb93-4a04-bcfb-9949c0230303 3/3/2023, 9:11 AM
The key issue here is that when these crash notifications occur I am not using Firefox and there is no Firefox process visible in Task Manager.
FYI I am still getting these crash pop-ups multiple times a day and Firefox is not running. At this point I see no other option but to uninstall.
Reboot the computer and run these tools to see what is set to run when the computer starts. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autoruns https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer
The crashes are shutdown hangs where Firefox fails to close properly and a crash is forced.
The second crash report mentionst the backgroundupdate service that is run via the OS task scheduler. You can try to disable this service.
Firefox 110.0 Crash Report [@ shutdownhang | mozilla::SpinEventLoopUntil | nsThread::Shutdown | nsThreadManager::ShutdownNonMainThreads ] MOZ_CRASH Reason (Sanitized) : Shutdown hanging at step XPCOMShutdownThreads. Something is blocking the main-thread. BackgroundTaskName : backgroundupdate
Chosen Solution
The crash has to be the background update process. However, it's puzzling because I never see it running in Task Manager. After a crash occurs I select "Close Firefox" but somehow the process must automatically restart because, as I mentioned, I get multiple crashes a day.
I uninstalled it, and the uninstall process never completed. It looks like it's gone, but there may have been some junk left in the Registry or in the file system.
If I need to use it again I'll reinstall it and we'll see what happens then. Until that time I'll consider this solved, even though a root cause or direct fix has not been found.
I have Firefox 114.0.2 on two machines. My wife's machine is running Windows 8.1. I installed Firefox and selected it as the default browser, but she continues to use Chrome. Despite that, whenever I have a look at her computer, the Firefox Crash reporter is showing on the task bar. I have tried restart and close, but neither of these options makes any sense when the program is and was not running. Like others, I have looked for Firefox or Mozilla processes but see none. I had also wondered about malware. I have a number of browsers installed on my Windows 10 laptop but Firefox is the nominated default browser. I have never had a crash or crash report. I don't know if the crash reporter generates a report every time or in real time. The reports at about:crashes didn't seem to include recent incidents until I looked again several hours later. Also when I clicked on a recently sent report, Firefox reported that it did not exist. Most recently, 'there was a problem submitting the report' flashed up. The most recent saved report [bp-290198c6-0583-431b-afb5-db8240230705] did open (once it appeared) indicated the some Mozilla and Firefox processes had been running and were unable to shut down. In some threads, some of the modules have been marked red. I guess those have a problem? They were IPSEng64.dll in one thread and combase.dll in 4 others. Does this help me solve the problem?
I have disabled updates when Firefox is not running: hoping this will prevent the majority of the reports.
Peter said
I have Firefox 114.0.2 on two machines. My wife's machine is running Windows 8.1. I installed Firefox and selected it as the default browser, but she continues to use Chrome. Despite that, whenever I have a look at her computer, the Firefox Crash reporter is showing on the task bar.
You will probably get a better response if you open your own thread instead of asking a new question in my thread.