Mozilla Firefox Crash Down in Windows Vista and XP

Mozilla Firefox Crash Down is a common problem in Windows Vista and Windows XP. Normally firefox crash is very tough, reinstalling firefox is heavy for new users. Here is the few tips to make firefox run easier on all platforms.

Recently I heard my friend saying "Firefox Browser carshed down with my XP a while ago..I tried to reinstall it and did not work, then I downloaded the latest version and it's still carshed down!!! My LapTop is clean from any Viruses."
Normally There are three type of Crashes occur in firefox. They are

1. Crash when Starting Firefox
2. Crash when downloading Firefox
3. Crash when Stopping/closing firefox

1. Crash when starting Firefox Older versions of the Google Desktop application can cause Firefox 3 to crash at startup. Uninstall Google Desktop and then download and install the latest version. Crashes at startup can be caused by malicious software on your computer so you should check for malware.

2. Crash when downloading in Firefox Try clearing the download history. In the Firefox menu, go to "Tools -> Downloads" and click "Clean Up" (Firefox 2) or "Clear List" (Firefox 3). In Firefox 2 and below, you may need to exit Firefox completely and delete the downloads.rdf file in the Firefox profile folder (read this if you need help finding it). For more information, see Unable to save or download files.

3. Crash when closing Firefox The Google Web Accelerator application causes Firefox to crash on closing. You can uninstall Google Web Accelerator from the Windows Control Panel list of installed programs ("Add or Remove Programs" list).

Extensions

Problematic extensions may cause crashes. Start in Firefox Safe Mode, which disables all extensions, to help determine if an extension is causing the problem.

Plugins

Plugins are programs that work within Firefox and allow you to experience multimedia content such as video, animation or sound. Plugins can crash within their own code or can cause a crash within Firefox code. Try updating your plugins to the latest versions. You can also temporarily disable your installed plugins to see if the crashes stop, by renaming or removing the associated plugin file or, in Firefox 3, by disabling the plugin via "Tools , Add-ons; Plugins". See Issues related to plugins for details on troubleshooting plugin issues.

Note: In this example, the Flash plugin was found to crash both Firefox and a non-Mozilla browser. The source of the crash was confirmed by the Windows Event Viewer ( see below).

VLC Media Player

If you are using the VLC Media Player plugin, Firefox may crash when viewing WMV media. The VLC Media Player browser plugin conflicts with the Windows Media Player plugin, so you need to disable the plugin or remove the VLC plugin file "npvlc.dll" from the Firefox installation directory plugins folder, for embedded WMV files to play properly.

Yahoo! Application State

If you have installed Yahoo! Messenger on your system, you may experience crashes when using Yahoo! Mail. This is caused by the Yahoo! Application State plugin (bug 322363, bug 326344). Note: The Yahoo! Application State plugin (v.1.0.0.5 and older) is on the Mozilla Add-ons Blocklist and should be automatically disabled in Firefox 3.

To see if this plugin is the cause of your problems, type about:plugins in the Location Bar and press Enter. If you find "Yahoo! Application State" ("npYState.dll") in the installed plugins list, exit Firefox, open the C:\Program Files\Yahoo!\shared folder and rename the file "npYState.dll" to "XnpYState.dll" to disable the plugin. In Firefox 3, you can also disable the plugin, if found, via "Tools -> Add-ons -> Plugins". Open Firefox and test Yahoo! Mail.

Hulu Desktop - Mac OS X

Hulu Desktop includes a web plugin that can cause Firefox to crash on Mac OS X. Remove (or disable) the huludesktop.webplugin or download and install the latest version.

Note: The web plugin is listed as "Hulu Desktop Support Plugin blah -de- blah" in the Firefox "Tools -> Add-ons -> Plugins" list.

Plugins installed by malware - Windows

If you have malware installed on your system, it can include a plugin file that causes Firefox to crash. See Issues related to plugins - Problematic plugins for more information on detecting and disabling installed plugins. (Make sure you also do a check for malware.)

"NPFFAddOn.dll" can cause Firefox crashes at startup.

Other installed software

Other installed software that is running on your computer may be causing Firefox to crash.

Spector Pro for Windows

Spector Pro for Windows computer monitoring software can cause Firefox 3 to crash at startup or when opening a new tab. If you use this product, try updating to the latest version or contact SpectorSoft Support.

ZoneAlarm ForceField

ZoneAlarm ForceField may cause Firefox to crash on certain websites. Try clearing the ForceField virtual cache and reboot the computer to see if that resolves the issue.

Trusteer Rapport

Trusteer Rapport (an application promoted by some banks for malware protection) may cause Firefox to crash. If you use this software, try disabling it. If that stops the crashes, uninstall the program if you don't need it or contact Trusteer Support.

Thanks to the source : http://kb.mozillazine.org/Firefox_crashes

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