can't start firefox, error "firefox already running" window tab not visible, needed to end process from sys mon then reopen - workaround

[hanna]

Binary package hint: firefox

not sure what triggered it... had single firefox app open, idled for a while then it disappeared and coculdn't open another app... error msg was firefox already running , close first then reopen... had to kill firefox-bin process from sys mon and relaunched firefox ok. other apps running simultaneously was the pkg manager, downloading updates

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

Please check in var/crash for a crash report please as that sounds like it crashed.

Thank you for the bug report. Could you please install the firefox-dbg package and try to obtain a backtrace (or crash report) by following the instructions on https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MozillaTeam/Bugs This will greatly aid us in tracking down your problem.

Which flash package do you have installed?
Which Java package do you have installed?
Which firefox extensions do you have installed?

[Marco Maini (maini10)]

I have this issue in Gutsy Tribe 5 with all upgrades installed. After loading some pages, Firefox unexpectedly freezes when I try to open a link. Status bar displays messages such as "Done" or "Stopped" but nothing appears in the window. Then I close Firefox clicking X button or Exit. Firefox window is closed but Firefox process probably remains active in background and prevent me to open a new Firefox session with message "Firefox is already running ....".
Firefox process doesn't appear in KSysGuard but this is the output of command ps ax:

marco@maini-desktop:~$ ps ax | grep firefox
 7022 ? S 0:00 /bin/sh /usr/bin/firefox
 7034 ? S 0:00 /bin/sh /usr/lib/firefox/run-mozilla.sh /usr/lib/firefox/firefox-bin
 7038 ? Sl 0:37 /usr/lib/firefox/firefox-bin
 7573 pts/2 R+ 0:00 grep firefox
Killing all Firefox processes is the only solution that I know to workaround this issue.
I haven't extensions installed and neither Java package. I have Shockwave Flash 9.0 r48 installed.
Do you think that a backtrace may be useful? Feel free to ask every information you need. I think this is a very annoying bug in Gutsy. Thanks.

[William Woelke (williamwoelke)]

I am using Hardy Heron (32-bit) and I had this problem too. I think I may have caused it by force quitting firefox but I don't remember now.

[Gregg Stephani (sleeping143)]

I have this problem with Heron 32-bit. For me, the Firefox process doesn't always die when you quit Firefox. I have to use sysmon to kill it before I can use it again. It could be associated with Flash 10, as I have that installed, and it usually happens when I've used Flash during the session.

[Rgpublic (rgpublic)]

This bug happens to me 100% of the time since I upgrade to intrepid. Firefox never closes. I already created a new ".mozilla" folder without any extensions etc and used a new firefox, unpacked from Mozilla's orginal .tar.gz files and installed in a separate directory with full right/write access rights to the application itself as well as its profile folder - to no avail. My workaround to be able to use firefox sensibly again - in case others are hit by the same problem:

===================
#!/bin/sh
output=`xwininfo -root -tree | grep firefox-bin`
if [ -z "$output" ]; then
  echo "No firefox"
  killall firefox-bin
  firefox
else
  echo "Firefox running"
fi
===================

This script checks if there is currently any window associated with firefox. In this case - nothing happens, so you don't accidentally kill your firefox session with all its precious tabs if it's really running and you click on the icon. If there is no window, it kills all zombie processes and starts over again. The best solution I found since all other attempts to fix this were futile.

[Michael Jones (jonesmz)]

I can confirm this on all three of the following:

    32 bit jaunty
    32 bit intrepid
    64 bit intrepid.

    Happens haphazardly for me. Never could figure out the cause (which makes it hard to get debug info)

[Alexander Sack (asac)]

try to disable your extensions or even uninstall your plugins.

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

On 02/11/2009 09:08 AM, Alexander Sack wrote:
> try to disable your extensions or even uninstall your plugins.
>
It happens some times without extensions i havent found what is causing
it here but it happens once in a while maybe 1 time a month or so

--
Sincerely Yours,
    John Vivirito

https://launchpad.net/~gnomefreak
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/JohnVivirito
Linux User# 414246

"How can i get lost, if i have no where to go"
    -- Metallica from Unforgiven III

[Michael Jones (jonesmz)]

Actually, I'm already ahead of you there.

    I've had it happen on fresh installs before I've installed any plugin's,
as well as after I've set my machine up for production.

On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 9:08 AM, Alexander Sack <email address hidden> wrote:

> try to disable your extensions or even uninstall your plugins.
>
> --
> can't start firefox, error "firefox already running" window tab not
> visible, needed to end process from sys mon then reopen - workaround
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/77625
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in "firefox" source package in Ubuntu: Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: firefox
>
> not sure what triggered it... had single firefox app open, idled for a
> while then it disappeared and coculdn't open another app... error msg was
> firefox already running , close first then reopen... had to kill firefox-bin
> process from sys mon and relaunched firefox ok. other apps running
> simultaneously was the pkg manager, downloading updates
>

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

this is a duplicate of another bug im looking for it now.

[John Vivirito (gnomefreak)]

Can someone please look for a duplicate for this bug i have run out of time that i can spend online personal things to take care of

[Michael Jones (jonesmz)]

We've all come up with as much information as we can.