[Solved]: firefox crashes X

[hunkirdowne]

I just recovered from an X session crash induced by Firefox. If not Firefox, then add-ons. This last time was by entering text into the Yahoo! search field. Previously this was induced by clicking on the NoScript icon in the status bar. I realize that Firefox is 3rd party so I doubt that this is "covered" under the beta test but I think the greater issue is that an application is able to so easily crash X, so...

I installed Firefox via kubuntu-firefox-installer. This is Firefox 3.6; Mozilla Firefox for Canonical 1.0:
Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.9.2) Gecko/20100308 Ubuntu/10.04 (lucid) Firefox/3.6

I have all the latest patches as of 2010-03-29 16:23 EDT (UTC-4). I just checked again and there are now 9 more updates (they're coming pretty fast).

My update philosophy (for beta) is: update / safe-upgrade / reboot iff packages/configs deferred and then restart cycle / full-upgrade / reboot iff ... / update until update shows nothing.

I'm no expert at tracking down xsession-errors but I don't see anything obvious.

In both cases (search and noscript) the interface crashes and I'm taken back to a tty login prompt. I don't enter anything and kdm login loads. I enter my password and all appears well from that point on.

In the earlier case(s) of the noscript crashes, Firefox would come back and 'apologize' about not bringing up the tabs. I don't recall the exact message and probably should've done a screencap. I had also installed 'Cookie Monster' and (attempted) 'Xmarks' but the latter was incompatible with Firefox 3.6 so I uninstalled it and NoScript. Then I reinstalled NoScript (via the addons tool) and still the same behavior. Finally, I installed 'xul-ext-noscript' but got the same result. Bye-bye (for now) NoScript. So now the only add-on I have installed is 'Cookie Monster' (well, OK, Ubuntu Firefox Modifications and NoScript but NoScript is disabled). 'Cookie Monster' seems to work fine -- no problems thus far anyway.

I've only had the one instance of search field data entry causing a crash but I'm guessing it's repeatable.

Again, I realize that Firefox and NoScript and the Yahoo! search field are 3rd party, but I'd like to help find out why an app can do that to the GUI as it could become old eventually.

I know my way around the CLI fairly well but will use GUI methods if they make more sense (or sometimes I just like to click ;-).

[vista killer]

Re: firefox crashes X

Do you have a crash from xserver or from plasma desktop?

[Teunis]

Re: firefox crashes X

Have you tried by renaming (and thus recreating) the ~/.mozilla directory?

Another test is to create a different user and try from that account.

Or install Seamonkey.

[hunkirdowne]

Re: firefox crashes X

Do you have a crash from xserver or from plasma desktop?

How can I tell?

I originally thought it would be xserver since I was taken to a tty login prompt and then kdm reloaded to the point of the kde login prompt. Logging in at that point was successful. But I have limited KDE experience and the plasma desktop is almost entirely new to me. I first saw it in Kubuntu 9.10 and then in openSUSE 11.2 and did very little troubleshooting in either distro.

I've since installed the beta on a second laptop to see if I could recreate the error. With only Firefox installed (and no additional addons) I am unable to recreate the Yahoo! search field crash. I'll play around with it a little and see if I can't recreate the crash on this system. If I am unable to do so I will provide due diligence with respect to the first report but likely chock it up to a hardware issue with that laptop. I would still like to see some sort of resolution at some point if for no other reason that I know there are other people using that make and model (as old as it is) with other distros.

[hunkirdowne]

Re: firefox crashes X

firefox-bin: Fatal IO error 104 (Connection reset by peer) on X server :0.0.

The following is a one-liner from my .xsession-errors file. I installed noscript via aptitude after quitting firefox. I then restarted firefox and clicked the noscript icon and it crashed. I attempted to login via tty but kdm started too quickly. But before I logged in, I went to a tty session as root and grabbed my .xsession-errors file. I have the full copy but decided not to post it here. I can grab excerpts or even make the file available in part or in whole upon request. Just let me know.

So at least now I know this is repeatable on two separate systems, both using the 32-bit i386 version of beta1.

My biggest concern is reporting this to whomever needs to see it for troubleshooting the beta. Second, I think Mozilla should get a shout out. Lastly, I'd like firefox and noscript to work together without taking down the house. ;-)

[hunkirdowne]

Re: firefox crashes X

Have you tried by renaming (and thus recreating) the ~/.mozilla directory?

Another test is to create a different user and try from that account.

Or install Seamonkey.

I like the way you think. I have never tried Seamonkey and this may just be the time to try it. Still for troubleshooting purposes I will likely keep Firefox for now.

Also, I have no problem either recreating ~/.mozilla or trying from another account, but at this point see little chance of success since I've tried this on two separate computers with the same result. Would you agree? My noodle is a bit toasted at the moment just getting in from work and so I may be missing something.

[maestrobwh1]

Re: firefox crashes X

You replied to my post about screen tearing/unstable video and I replied there. My issue only happens after wake from suspend. Firefox does create more problems than other apps.

[hunkirdowne]

Re: firefox crashes X -- mea culpa

As an update to the update, I must apologize. I have mixed up two issues. Firefox/Noscript activity still causes a crash (and I have a little more information if it is useful). There is still a separate issue that does not belong in this thread but involves the graphical session (X/K/Plasma? Does anyone know how I can tell?) crashing when attempting to <CTRL+ALT+F7> back from TTY.

As an update, I no longer think this is a Firefox issue since it has happened in Seamonkey, Konqueror, and without any browser running at all.

I think the rest of this stuff applies (actually to both issues but should be addressed separately):

Mainly I am attempting to ask the following questions:
(1) Is this an issue for the beta team?
(2) How do I troubleshoot this?
(3) Is this a hardware issue (old laptops)?

The above list is in priority order. That is, if this is not an issue for the beta team I can wait. (2) and (3) are possibly related and not necessarily in the right order but are moot points if (1) is not answered with a YES vote. I have no burning desire to make this work for just me but would delightfully assist in troubleshooting if it makes for a better final product.

I apologize for quoting myself but I wanted to refine my previous questions a bit.

Do you have a crash from xserver or from plasma desktop?

How can I tell?

How do I tell if this is xorg or plasma-desktop? I see both fairly prevalently in top and in the .xsession-errors file. Am I looking in the right places?

I have limited KDE experience and the plasma desktop is almost entirely new to me.
<snip>
If I am unable to do so I will provide due diligence with respect to the first report but likely chock it up to a hardware issue with that laptop. I would still like to see some sort of resolution at some point if for no other reason that I know there are other people using that make and model (as old as it is) with other distros.

What is the preferred medium for reporting bugs for this beta? While I enjoy using the beta, I'm not trying to "fix my system" with it but to truly help identify problems. I have a stable release installed when it just can't crash on me. ;-)

I also realize this is old hardware that I'm running on but also consider that to be a viable part of the testing phase -- please correct me if I'm wrong.

Finally and somewhat unrelated, I'm excited about the prospect of getting a new laptop in the next month or so and equally excited about putting the final release of this distro on it. The bugs are temporary but some of the features that I'm seeing here with the not-so-separate windows and other stuff is really quite appealing to my sense of usability. I've loved Kate since first usage. Konsole is slightly different here than in Debian and I'm beginning to prefer Kubuntu's treatment over Debian's -- just personal preference. But I have a newer laptop that has more processor and more GPU but it is off-limits to testing because the kids use it for their schoolwork and I'd rather not have to give that level of support right now. :-D

[hunkirdowne]

Re: firefox crashes X

This is now an official bug. See the lauchpad entry:
[Lucid]NoScript crashes Firefox, crashes X-session

Note that it has been changed from firefox to xorg-server.

[hipsterical]

Re: firefox crashes X

Hello all, I am running 10.04 and had several, and i mean a lot, of crashes while using firefox 3.6.3 . yes, noscript is present and active. I also installed foxtab. should i try to disable plugins first ? crashes occurred on several sites i can't remember right now. how can I help with this? i have kubuntu running on amd64x2 6000 , 4 gb ram , onboard nvidia graphics. in /var/log/Xorg.failsafe.log I've found crash info. should I post that file? also, should I install debug packages to help troubleshooting that? thanks.

[dequire]

Re: firefox crashes X

I have this same issue on an older (2003-4) HP NC6000 laptop, that until recently ran Firefox without issue. Same problem now: clicking certain links (in my case aol web mail links) crashes X and I am forced to re-log into KDE.

This is strictly a Firefox issue, as I have installed Chrome and am unable to recreate the crashes on the same website. I will add my name to the bug above and look forward to a solution, as I am rather loyal to Firefox.

PS - I do not have the "noscript" add-on installed.

[hunkirdowne]

Re: firefox crashes X

I have this same issue on an older (2003-4) HP NC6000 laptop, that until recently ran Firefox without issue. Same problem now: clicking certain links (in my case aol web mail links) crashes X and I am forced to re-log into KDE.

This is strictly a Firefox issue, as I have installed Chrome and am unable to recreate the crashes on the same website. I will add my name to the bug above and look forward to a solution, as I am rather loyal to Firefox.

PS - I do not have the "noscript" add-on installed.

NoScript is not required but is the most repeatable feature. I have had the crash without NoScript installed and clicking Cookie Monster or the Google SearchBar. Occassionally I have had a crash induced by clicking a link.

This is not a KDE issue. This is an Xorg issue that has had a patch issued but I have not yet installed and tested the patch. I'm a little slow in installing because I was looking for a single patchfile (with combined debs?) so I'm trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do to install the patch -- I've downloaded the deb files from the bug report page and will 'dpkg -i <file>' those when I boot back into the beta later this evening -- time/schedule permitting.

Here's a link to the Launchpad page:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...ti/+bug/539772

Especially with NoScript installed and used to induce I have found the following using two laptops with two different GPUs, two different DEs (both Lucid) as well as different (non-Lucid) distros.

Since I've used two different DEs I can conclude that this is not KDE-dependent -- happens in Xfce just as well as KDE.

Since I've used two different laptops/GPUs I can conclude that this is not an nVidia issue or an ATI issue.

Since I've used two other non-Lucid DEs and did not have a crash, I can conclude that this is a Lucid issue (one of my other distros was a variant of Ubuntu 9.10).

This has occurred since at least Beta1. I didn't test the alpha code so I don't know if this was evident there.

I will press forward with testing as time permits but I am almost certain that Lucid will see a general release on time. My "view" is that while this is not an isolated incident and although it is a major fault, it is not widespread and can be dealt with post-release. Based on this information alone, I would not be surprised nor disheartened to see the developers release on time.

Thanks for you input -- one and all!

[hunkirdowne]

[Solved]: firefox crashes X

NoScript is not required but is the most repeatable feature. I have had the crash without NoScript installed and clicking Cookie Monster or the Google SearchBar. Occassionally I have had a crash induced by clicking a link.

<snip>

I've downloaded the deb files from the bug report page and will 'dpkg -i <file>' those when I boot back into the beta later this evening -- time/schedule permitting.

Here's a link to the Launchpad page:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...ti/+bug/539772

Especially with NoScript installed and used to induce ... <blah-blah-blah>

The patches work -- sort of. I can now browse with Firefox having the NoScript Add-On installed and neither Firefox or Xorg crash as a result of clicking the status bar icon. However, while I can login to this forum, my login status is not persistent for some reason but that will be another thread as it could have been the way I installed the patches that didn't work just right. I ended up doing 'aptitude install <file.deb>' and letting aptitude suggest a course of action for the dependencies.

# aptitude install <patch-1.deb> <patch-2.deb> ... <patch-n.deb>