Firefox causing 100% X CPU load [Lucid]

[Marcello Romani]

Xorg shows 100% CPU utilization just after opening firefox. Sometimes I'm able to browse some pages before it locks up.
Usually the situation can be resolved by logging in through ssh, killing Xorg process and restarting the gdm service. Sometimes intesad a hard reset is required.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
Package: xorg 1:7.5+5ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-34.77-generic 2.6.32.44+drm33.19
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-34-generic i686
Architecture: i386
CurrentDmesg:
 [ 34.224035] eth1: no IPv6 routers present
 [ 51.671018] vboxdrv: Found 1 processor cores.
 [ 51.675652] vboxdrv: TSC mode is 'synchronous', kernel timer mode is 'normal'.
 [ 51.675660] vboxdrv: Successfully loaded version 4.0.4 (interface 0x00160000).
Date: Wed Oct 12 11:14:08 2011
DkmsStatus:
 vboxhost, 4.0.4, 2.6.32-32-generic, i686: built
 vboxhost, 4.0.4, 2.6.32-31-generic, i686: built
 vboxhost, 4.0.4, 2.6.32-33-generic, i686: built
 vboxhost, 4.0.4, 2.6.32-30-generic, i686: built
 vboxhost, 4.0.4, 2.6.32-34-generic, i686: installed
GdmLog2:

Lsusb:
 Bus 003 Device 002: ID 046d:c03d Logitech, Inc. M-BT96a Pilot Optical Mouse
 Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0001 Linux Foundation 1.1 root hub
 Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
MachineType: Compaq Evo D510 CMT
ProcCmdLine: root=UUID=85ce55d1-ecc1-496e-a97c-f5ffa3caa7bf ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, no user)
 LANG=it_IT.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: xorg
Symptom: display
Title: Xorg freeze
dmi.bios.date: 08/15/2002
dmi.bios.vendor: Compaq
dmi.bios.version: 686O2 v2.14
dmi.board.name: 07E8h
dmi.board.vendor: Compaq
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: 6S2CKN8ZX1F5
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Compaq
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnCompaq:bvr686O2v2.14:bd08/15/2002:svnCompaq:pnEvoD510CMT:pvr:rvnCompaq:rn07E8h:rvr:cvnCompaq:ct3:cvr:
dmi.product.name: Evo D510 CMT
dmi.sys.vendor: Compaq
system:
 distro: Ubuntu
 codename: lucid
 architecture: i686
 kernel: 2.6.32-34-generic

[Marcello Romani (marcello-romani)]

After substituting the system-provided Firefox (3.6.x, IIRC) with Firefox 7 downloaded from mozilla site, the system didn't experience the problem anymore. I'll keep an eye on it in the next few days, though.

[Bryce Harrington (bryce)]

High X CPU issues are almost always due to bugs in client programs where they make too many X requests (e.g. stuck in a loop). The fact that updating firefox resolved it for you supports this hypothesis.

Presumably a patch in the newer firefox solved it.

[OmnipotentEntity (omnipotententity)]

Hi there, I'm also getting this issue, and I have for a long while now, (across several Firefox versions, up to and including 18.)