Why Does Firefox Crash When I'm Away?
When Firefox crashes each time it is idle, you can lose information and downloads started before you left the computer. An occasional crash due to inactivity is nothing to worry about; if Firefox crashes every time you are away, however, this could indicate a more serious problem. Usually you can fix the problem on your own, even without advanced technical skills.
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First Steps
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Mozilla, the company that makes Firefox, recommends a series of steps to diagnose crash problems. The first step is updating Firefox to the most recent version. Next, Mozilla recommends that you update Firefox plugins, your operating system, device drivers and Internet security software. When everything is up to date, start Firefox in Safe Mode by holding down the "Option" key (Mac) or the "Shift" key (Windows) as the program starts and see if it still crashes when you leave the computer. If the problem recurs, the crashes are probably due to plugins, extensions or themes.
Plugins, Extensions and Themes
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Firefox is compatible with open-source plugins, extensions and themes that have not been tested or verified as stable. If one of your add-ons contains a corrupt script or code, it may cause Firefox to freeze when inactive and, eventually, crash. To isolate the issue, you can try the following options one at a time and see if Firefox crashes after you leave it idle: switch to the default theme, temporarily disable add-ons, turn off hardware acceleration and disable all extensions. Narrowing down the source of the problem can enable you to identify the problematic theme, extension or plug-in and remove it from your computer.
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Computer Activity
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Once you've eliminated issues with Firefox, any continuing problems with crashing are probably related to your computer activity. Look for recurring factors with crashes that happen when you are away: files downloading, a specific website left open or programs left active. A pattern can provide a clue regarding the cause of the problem. If Firefox crashes each time you leave it open when a backup is running, for example, your CPU may not be able to handle both functions.
Other Solutions
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Because it is a free program and Mozilla uses volunteers as a large part of their troubleshooting team, Firefox cannot provide quick responses to issue reports. You can submit a crash report to their team on the Mozilla support website, but a speedy reply is unlikely. In the short term, uninstalling and reinstalling Firefox can solve issues related to corruption that happened during the original installation. Keep in mind that uninstalling the program deletes all your bookmarks. See the "Backing Up and Restoring Bookmarks" link in the Resources section below for complete instructions on how to save your bookmarks before you uninstall and how to restore them after the new installation.
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