my firefox will randomly lock up on me for aobut a minute and then go back to normal. i have had this problem for about a year now and tis really annoying. i have even reinstalled windows twice, and it still does it. does anyone have any idea what coudl be causing it? how i can fix it? any helpful info is greatly appreciated, thanks!. i was thinking that it might be my memory sicne firefox has these oh so nessecary memory leaks but idk. thanks!

Did you eliminate any possible hardware cuases? If so, which ones?

What OS and version?

Happens in which versions of FF? Same in IE or Opera?

System specs?

Specific websites or makes no diference?

Other programs running?

What extensions are you running? Have you tried using Firefox without them?

yes a while back i thoguth it was al my bookmarks, and extensions but it wasnt. i am using windows xp home build 2002. i have 1gb of memory, 2x 40gb hard drives, P4 HTT 3.0Ghz processor and thats about it. it doesnt make a difference what website i am at either. it is firefox 1.5.0.6. it doesnt happen in IE or Opera. and there are usually no other programs running. maybe something like itunes or stuff like that but thats it.

Surf for a while in FF Safe Mode and see what happens.

wait, firefox has a safe mode? or do you mean boot windows into safe mode. ill try it but whenever i boot into safe mode i suually cant log onto teh internet.

Firefox has a safe mode. Run it from the "Run" dialog as such:
"C:\Program Files\Firefox\firefox.exe" -safemode

(include the quotes, but change the path as necessary)

alright, and what will this do? run a diagnostic?

It runs Firefox with all extras disabled. If the lock up doesn't happen in safe mode, then you know it's a fault extension or plugin.

alright, thanks

when i tried to run that it didnt work.

What do you mean it didn't work? It froze up also or it wouldn't even run? Remember, you have to put the path to YOUR firefox.exe. That command was just an example.

alright, and then - safemode after the path?

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox that is the path to it. now how exactly do i type it in the run dialog

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla\Firefox\firefox.exe" -safemode

i tsays item cannot be located, should i update firefox first or something? i am usign 1.5.0.6

is the folder Mozilla Firefox or Mozilla/Firefox?

type firefox -safemode

the folder is "mozilla firefox" (no quotes).

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -safemode

exactly like that? so i can just copy and paste it?

There's a dash inbetween safe and mode

Start->Run
firefox -safe-mode

Oh and I should add you must close firefox first.

alright, cool. im browsing in safe mode. ill see how long it takes till it crashes if it does at all.

well didnt take that long, it locked up again. sonow i know its not an extension, so this means its a hardware thing right? o and i hsould mention i ahd nothing running in the background.

Does Internet Explorer exhibit the same behavior when you use it for a while?

maybe once or twice, but no ton a normal basis like firefox. i was thinking of just completely switching over to IE, Opera or MAxthon but idk. its jus tsomething about firefox

Is there something in particular you can do to freeze it up?

not really, ill just be browsing a page like normal then all of a sudden itll lock up on me for about 15-60 seconds.

can you open task manager during this? If so, what's the CPU usage of Fx like?

the cpu usage seems to be at 0-5 but teh memory consumption is at 159mb+!!!

Go to Start, Run, and type in %APPDATA% (copy and paste it the way it is).

Locate the folder named "Mozilla", and rename it to "Mozilla.old" (without quotes).

Now try running Firefox. Does it still lock up?

(Before you freak out, yes, none of your personal settings will be applied; you're starting with a fresh new profile. If Firefox doesn't lock up, it's your profile that's causing problems.)

alright, ill try that an dsee if it works, thanks.

nope it didnt work. i already know its not my profile, since i ran it in safemode b4. any other ideas of what could be wrong?

I'm guessing the next possible causes are apps that monitor your Internet traffic, i.e. firewalls and security suites. Try temporarily disabling them and see if that still causes lockups.

hmm. well all taht i have running now is windows firewall since zonealarm firewall kept messing with my 360 lan.

The same happens to me too. Even on safe mode. I haven't tried using a new profile though. Is it all that different to using safe mode?

Hello, I had this same issue and after searching the net for about 4 hours i found nothing, i did finnally resolve the issue tho, it turns out that the issue is with the hyperthreading in som of the P4 chips, i tested this on a non-HT machine and it worked fine, but on mine it still hung at randoms spots, what i ended up doing was this:

1. right-click on the icon that you launch firefox from
2. click on properties
3. this should have opened a new window, click on the "Compatibility" tab
4. check the box that says "Run this program in compatibility mode for:"
5. in the drop down box below it select "Windows 98 / Windows ME"
6. click ok at the bottom
7. restart firefox
8. thats it it should be fine now on a hyperthreading system


--
"Programming today is a race between software
engineers striving to build bigger and better
idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying
to produce bigger and better idiots. So far,
the Universe is winning."
--Rich Cook.

Do a spyware and antivirus scan. see if it helps.