Firefox minidumps

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user_321
Posts: 6
Joined: November 9th, 2012, 12:48 pm

Firefox minidumps

Post by user_321 »

I'm currently using Mozilla Firefox 16.0.2 with Windows 7 SP1 x64. I have a several files in a "C:\Users\<user name>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<profile folder>\minidumps"

That minidumps folder countains 395 files from past 2 months. Is that normal that folder contains a huge amounts of files? My Firefox has been crashed only about 5 times... but Firefox freezes for a several seconds on a daily basis (several times). Is that reason for a huge amount of minidump files?
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dfoulkes
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Joined: June 28th, 2008, 10:31 pm
Location: Mesquite, Nevada

Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by dfoulkes »

I'll be interested to find out about this... I just checked my profile (minidumps) and I was surprised to find about 30 in there... most are empty and all start in early October... but, I have no clue about them... from the little I've gathered on the Net about this ... it's created by Windows and not Firefox... we will find out I'm sure.

One of the real smart people around here will find us :lol:
As you can see she's (The CAT) always alert and on the prowl for Meoware !!
Ortho_Fan
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Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by Ortho_Fan »

By any chance are you using the latest version of Flash Player -- 11.5.502.110 ? or the 11.4.xxx version?

If so, they may be caused by Flash Player's protected mode, which, for many users, is causing problems with Firefox--hangs, stalls, crashes, video distortion, high CPU usage, etc.

In some cases, there is no sign that a crash has happened; only a slight freeze.

SEE -- viewtopic.php?f=38&t=2570675&p=12457625

I started seeing scores of minidump files being generated since FF 15 was introduced. This happens every time I browse from a site containing flash content to one that doesn't; or when I close down Fire Fox after visiting a page with flash content.

Interestingly, the issue seemed to be fixed for awhile with FF 13.0.2 and FF 14--no crashes and no minidumps--but started up right away with version 15 --SEE: viewtopic.php?f=38&t=2551745&p=12314159.

I'd imagine that there are probably hundreds of thousands of users impacted, it's just that most people would never know to look at the FF crash reports folder.

O_F
user_321
Posts: 6
Joined: November 9th, 2012, 12:48 pm

Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by user_321 »

Actually I know why Firefox is freezing a daily basis. Most likely it has nothing to do with Flash Player (at least in my case).

The reason might be in the Avast Antivirus (Free, 7.0.1466 or any version of Avast 7.0 branch). Most likely it's Avast Webshield component that is causing these freezes (at least some of them). And this issue also requires custom options from Firefox to reproduce. Go to the "Options -> Content -> JavaScript Advanced -> Move or resize existing windows" Disable that and also those other options.

So browse Internet with those options disabled and Avast Webshield enabled... Firefox should freezes (for a several seconds) on a many websites. This also might be some bug in the Firefox or that Flash Player. I'm not sure.

And yes I'm using Flash Player 11.5.502.110 and before that I was using version 11.4.x and so on.

EDIT
Last edited by user_321 on November 10th, 2012, 1:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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DanRaisch
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Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by DanRaisch »

I don't think the problem relates to Avast's WebShield component. I've been running with that component "On" in version Avast 7.x with no freezes or crashing in Firefox 16, 16.0.1 and now 16.0.2 since they were released.
Ortho_Fan
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Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by Ortho_Fan »

In my case, Avast isn't an issue, since I don't have it installed.

To see what was going on, what I did was to enable the Windows task manager, set it to display "always on top," and test how FF closed down by calling up a few sites without Flash, and closing the browser down. In all of those cases, Firefox closed immediately.

Then I watched a couple of YouTube videos and closed FF while they were playing. In all cases, FF did NOT disappear from the Task Manager screen immediately. In one case, it took about 30 seconds for it to disappear. I opened up FF, checked the minidumps folder and saw reports corresponding to the times I shut down FF while watching the videos. I then did the same test, closing out FF while on Google's News page, which has embedded flash content, and the same thing occurred.

After I disabled Flash Player's Protected Mode, I ran the same test again, and in each case, FF closed immediately, and no minidumps were created.

While I was doing the tests, I also checked the Windows Reliability Monitor, and after one of the hangs, the following error was reported --

Description
Faulting application name: firefox.exe, version: 16.0.1.4666, time stamp: 0x5076192e
Faulting module name: xul.dll, version: 16.0.1.4666, time stamp: 0x50761893
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x000be717
Faulting process id: 0x17d0
Faulting application start time: 0x01cda7fc2b1718c4
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
Faulting module path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\xul.dll
Report Id: be0a5a96-13ef-11e2-a2a0-e0cb4efc1b05


(To view Reliability Monitor, click on the Flag icon in your task manager--Windows Action Center. Click the down arrow next to maintenance, and then click on View Reliability History.)

As for the JavaScript settings, when all of this first started happening (again) at the time FF 15 was released, I tried different settings and they made no difference.

I've been back and forth with Adobe about this, but they're no help, and the only solution Firefox can come up with is to either use an older version of Flash Player, or to use the current version with Protected Mode disabled.

Ortho_Fan
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dfoulkes
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Location: Mesquite, Nevada

Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by dfoulkes »

And this issue also requires custom options from Firefox to reproduce. Go to the "Options -> Content -> JavaScript Advanced -> Move or resize existing windows" Disable that and also those other options.

I've had all those boxes disabled from day-one ... and I also use Avast. But the interesting thing is, is that my oldest dump file is 9/11/12 ... nothing before that. Firefox was updated on 9/7 but I have no way of linking those dates with the issue. My latest one was from 11/06/12.

In addition to all that I just checked my about:crashes and I found 3 from yesterday... all at the same time/date of 11/09 and 5:12pm.
I visited the crash report site for all 3 and the interesting thing is that there is no data other than the fact that the reports state that I'm on Firefox version 15.0.1 which is incorrect... because I'm on 16.0.2 ... something weird is going on here.

I guess I'll just clear all of them out and monitor them from this point on.
As you can see she's (The CAT) always alert and on the prowl for Meoware !!
user_321
Posts: 6
Joined: November 9th, 2012, 12:48 pm

Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by user_321 »

Thanks Ortho_Fan and dfoulkes.

Okay, so this is not an Avast issue at all. There are some "Firefox stopped working" errors in the "View Reliability History".

E.g. this one:
Description
Faulting Application Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe
Problem Event Name: APPCRASH
Application Name: firefox.exe
Application Version: 16.0.2.4680
Application Timestamp: 50882871
Fault Module Name: xul.dll
Fault Module Version: 16.0.2.4680
Fault Module Timestamp: 508827d6
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Offset: 00130ef7

So Flash Player might be the reason to all these problems also in my case. Well... okay, I might try to disable Flash Player's Protected Mode.
user_321
Posts: 6
Joined: November 9th, 2012, 12:48 pm

Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by user_321 »

I tried to browse Internet with Flash Player uninstalled... and it seems like that Firefox is not freezing at all without Flash Player. :D
user_321
Posts: 6
Joined: November 9th, 2012, 12:48 pm

Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by user_321 »

Now after a few days of usage... my Firefox is still freezing once in a while even without Flash Player... but not so often.

Well, hopefully Firefox 17 will fix some of these issues. I think I'm going to install Firefox 17 ESR version after its released.
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dfoulkes
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Joined: June 28th, 2008, 10:31 pm
Location: Mesquite, Nevada

Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by dfoulkes »

But are you still getting any of those minidumps?
As you can see she's (The CAT) always alert and on the prowl for Meoware !!
user_321
Posts: 6
Joined: November 9th, 2012, 12:48 pm

Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by user_321 »

dfoulkes wrote:But are you still getting any of those minidumps?


I have now a 412 minidump files in Firefox profile folder. As far as I can see those minidumps are only created if I have the Flash Player installed and enabled.
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mightyglydd
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Re: Firefox minidumps

Post by mightyglydd »

I would hazard a guess they're related to Flash Protected Mode.
On XP which doesn't 'use' it the minidumps folder's empty with Fx16/17b/ESR; on this Win 7 PC using Fx16+ which does, there are 108 very small files totaling 684kb.
@Both using latest Flash.
#KeepFightingMichael and Alex.
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