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unresponsive script/'firefox not responding/can't close tabs/blue wheel circling constantly

  • 4 replies
  • 23 have this problem
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  • Last reply by cor-el

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i think my problem started with the last update....31.0 Firefox is extremely sluggish---and slow to respond. Getting regular 'unresponsive script'---'firefox not responding' messages Can't close tabs quickly Blue wheel circling constantly

Tried restarting Firefox---then the Pc several times

Can you help?

i think my problem started with the last update....31.0 Firefox is extremely sluggish---and slow to respond. Getting regular 'unresponsive script'---'firefox not responding' messages Can't close tabs quickly Blue wheel circling constantly Tried restarting Firefox---then the Pc several times Can you help?

All Replies (4)

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We're sorry to hear that your Firefox seems to be crashing when you open it. Please perform the following steps to give us a crash report ID that helps us find out more about the cause of the crash.

  1. Press the following shortcut to get a Run window: [Windows] + [R]. This should bring up a window that contains a text field.
  2. In that text field, enter %APPDATA% and press Enter. An explorer window should open.
  3. From that explorer window, double-click on the Mozilla folder, then double-click on Firefox and then on Crash reports. Double-click on submitted.
  4. Now, you should see a list of files that contain reports. Go to View > Arrange Icons by > Modified to get the most recent files at the top of the window.
  5. Open the most recent 5 files with a text editor and copy the IDs.
  6. Paste each ID with bp- into the reply window on the forums.

Thanks in advance!

You can find more information and troubleshooting steps in the Troubleshoot Firefox crashes (closing or quitting unexpectedly) article.

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It is possible that your security software (firewall, anti-virus) blocks or restricts Firefox or the plugin-container process without informing you, possibly after detecting changes (update) to the Firefox program.

Remove all rules for Firefox and the plugin-container from the permissions list in the firewall and let your firewall ask again for permission to get full, unrestricted, access to internet for Firefox and the plugin-container process and the updater process.

See:


Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.

  • Switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance
  • Do NOT click the Reset button on the Safe Mode start window
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I just remembered...i uninstalled JAVA a few days ago...would that contribute to my problem?

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Not likely. To avoid confusion:

Did you try Firefox Safe Mode?


Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problem.

See "Creating a profile":

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 problems.