Firefox continues to crash my machine, can anyone help?

Tonight I downloaded Firefox 1.0.6. This is the third time I've tried to like Firefox since 2002. Everyone raves about it. I can't seem to make it work completely correctly.

(The necessity of the download was due to a screw-up I managed to make in a permission file within Norton that caused my IE to stop working. Fortunately, I could still use MSN explorer.)

Anyway, I was perking along, downloading and installing Firefox. I even used Firefox to access the Internet. It worked as advertised, until I closed it. Then, the cursor froze, the screen went black and everything crashed. When it all came back up, a Microsoft dialogue box advised me that I'd recovered from a major catastrophic (you think?) event. No kidding. The feedback box vanished before I could send the report.

This Crashing stuff happens every single time I try to use Firefox. Does anyone know why?

OBTW, I fixed the problem with Norton and now IE works again. Norton claims (via symantec.com) it is compatible with Firefox. This same crashing occurs when I try Netscape 6.0 or higher. So there's apparently something about Mozilla products that doesn't sit well with my machine (Windows XP Home, SP2 updated).

TIA for any insight you can provide.

 

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

 

If Gecko based browsers, like Firefox, Mozilla, and Netscape are crashing your system, there is a conflict somewhere. Be it with Norton, of something else. Have you tried disabling your Firewall and antivirus, one at a time, both off, to see if one of those is conflicting with Firefox. Have you ran the scans from Basic Spyware, Trojan And Virus Removal to make sure that some form of malware isn't causing the problem.

 

Both my firewall and anti-virus are provided by NIS via paid subscription. It never, ever occurs to me to turn them off. But I'll try it, what the heck!

I have all of the spyware programs (current versions) listed in the link. They turn up no malware. MajorGeeks saved my butt many times over with good anti-spyware, anti-adware advice!

Thanks!

 

Ok. I turned Norton firewall and Norton Anti-virus off.

Exact same error.

On reboot, sent Error Report to Microsoft. Received this response (boilerplate language):

Thank you for submitting an error report. Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with specific information about how to resolve this problem at this time. The information that you and other customers submit will be used to investigate this problem.

Analysis

Microsoft is currently researching this error.

 

Start -> Run

eventvwr.msc

OK

Click-on Application in the left window pane

right-click on Error in the right window pane, look for one around the time of the crash

Select Properties

Description: what does it say here

 

Thanks, 'Puter Dude. Been out of town and just now getting back to this.

I did what you said. There is no "error" anywhere near the date of the crash (8/17/05) in Applications.

There was an error two weeks earlier... CWShredder hung up and crapped
out.

There are "Error" notations in System for 8/17/05. This is what Microsoft had to say about them:

Product: Windows Operating System
ID: 1003
Source: System Error
Version: 5.2
Symbolic Name: ER_KRNLCRASH_LOG
Message: Error code %1, parameter1 %2, parameter2 %3, parameter3 %4, parameter4 %5.

Explanation
A blue screen (Stop error) was reported. The message contains details about the error. A matching event with Event ID 1001 might also appear in the event log. This matching event displays information about the specific error that occurred.


User Action
No user action is required.

 

update your video drivers and see if that fixes it.

 

Umm. Ok. How?

Seriously.

 

You'll need to tell me what video card you have first.
Right click on the desktop ..choose properties. When the dialogue box appears, choose the advanced tab and look in the middle of the dialogue box under the "image" of a monitor. It should say "Display:" and below it should be your monitor type and video card info.. just type that into a post please.

 

It says I have a plug and play monitor. It's an MAG Innovation LT565.

Location: NVIDIA GeForce2 Integrated GPU (Compaq)

The driver version from Microsoft Windows Publisher is 5.1.2001.0

I clicked on "update driver" and was informed this is the most update driver.



Is that the information you wanted?

 

says Microsoft..lol..

what model compaq are you using please..

 

Hey, no snickering! You wanted to know what it said.


Next answer:
Presario 6016

 

please read and follow the directions CLOSELY on this page
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...age=softwareCategory&cc=us&softwareitem=39158

 

Ok. I downloaded the driver update and installed it according to the instructions.

Then, I opened Firefox and surfed the internet for a while. Then, I closed Firefox. And my machine crashed exactly the way it always does.

Here is the Online Crash Analysis from Microsoft. I got this as a result of the Error Reporting feature.

Error Caused By A Device Driver

Thank you for submitting an error report. Microsoft is unable to specifically determine what caused the problem you reported. To troubleshoot the problem, please see the information below.

Analysis

A device driver installed on your system caused the problem; however, we cannot determine the precise cause. Depending on which situation is applicable to you, please do one of the following:

If this problem occurred after you installed a new hardware device on your system, the problem might be caused by the driver for the device. If you know the manufacturer of the device, contact the manufacturer's product support service for assistance.
Some software, such as firewall and anti-virus software, also installs drivers. If this problem occurred after you installed new software, the software might have installed a driver that caused the problem. If you know the manufacturer of the software, contact the manufacturer's product support service for assistance.
If you don't know the driver's manufacturer and need help diagnosing and resolving this problem, contact your computer manufacturer's product support service.
Updated drivers might be available on the Microsoft Windows Update website. At Windows Update, you can have your computer scanned and, if there are updated drivers available, Windows Update will offer a selection of drivers that you might be able to use. To learn more about updated drivers that might be available, visit Microsoft Windows Update.
For information about Microsoft support options, visit Microsoft Product Support Services.
Additional Technical Information

How to Troubleshoot Hardware and Software Driver Problems in Windows XP (Q322205)
_______________________________________

It appears to me that the crash caused by the Firefox exit is similar in some way to other problems Microsoft has encountered. I have not, however, added or subtracted any hardware or software. It is completely unclear to me which of the "troubleshooting" steps to try again, as none seem to be relevant. The instructions, which I have tried to follow in the past, don't solve my problem.

Do you think I missed something?

 

I just re-ran the Event Viewer instruction provided by 'Puter Dude earlier.


In the Descripton area it says:

faulting application npnsdad.exe, version 1.5.0.1, faulting module shell32.dll, version 6.0.2900.2620, fault address 0x00076b5c

 

Never mind. That's the Netscape Smart Download program. It failed today, too.

There is no Error in the Event Viewer related to the Firefox failure.

 

Are you sure about the npnsdad.exe file?

Everthing I found lists it as spyware.

Steve

 

That's interesting.

I did a hard drive search on the file name and the only hit came up as Netscape Smart Downloader.

None of the anti-spyware programs I've used have ever identified it as spyware. However, it does collect downloads in a sort of cache so that if you have to interrupt the download, you can resume from where you left off. Comes in handy with big downloads.

 

This is what I came across
npnsdad.exe is a file extension related to NetZip.
Below are step by step instructions to remove NetZip from your computer.
Note: This process is difficult and is not recommend unless you are an expert in this field. The manual process is also dangerous as the removal process requires you to access and edit sensitive files in the registry of your machine and run the risk of totally destroying your computer.

An important point to remember when removing NetZip is to delete all parts of the NetZip code. This is a must as NetZip will rebuild itself and will result in further spreading of the spyware parasite.

 

Good heavens!

I wouldn't say I'm an expert but I'm not shy about making registry edits under supervision. I've used the HJT software removal procedure in the past. Is your process any more difficult or dangerous? Does your process take care of eliminating the entire code? I'm willing to to try it, if you don't mind coaching.

 

MQ,

I would go thru the motions here, http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=35407

You should be alright after completing the steps.

Steve

 

Heavy sigh. I thought you had a special NetZip removal process.


Ok. I run most of the programs in that thread on a weekly basis. This will hopefully go quickly.

Thanks!

 

OK scroll down to download and install.
http://www.spywareremove.com/removenpnsdadexe.html
Don.t forget to update before starting

 

Thanks, Jujet84!

SpyHunter found only that one file, which I deleted. You forgot to tell me the program wouldn't actually do the "removal" unless money changed hands. I then ran three registry cleaner programs (RegScrub, RegCleaner, and CCleaner), deleting the bits and pieces they found. Yes, I'm cheap. I already subscribe to Norton Internet Security, ASquared and a plethora of freeware.

I tried Firefox again. This time, it didn't crash itself upon exit. It froze and I had to power down and do a hard reboot. There's no error in the Event Viewer. Progress?

Next, I re-ran SpyHunter and it came up with nothing. Then, I ran HR Remove 2.39, Ad-Aware plus VX2 Cleaner, Registry First Aid.

Norton Internet Security and Spybot S&D will run tonight as scheduled tasks.

I'll try Firefox again in the morning. In the meantime, if you think of anything else that might be causing Firefox to crash/freeze upon closing, I'll appreciate your ideas.

Thanks!

 

Uninstall/Reinstall FireFox
​

Please print out these instructions so that you can operate with All Browser Windows CLOSED.
​

Do the following:

1. Uninstall Firefox using Add or Remove Programs from the Control Panel.

2. Enable viewing of hidden files and folders and extensions. Start Windows Explorer and click on your main hard drive, usually c:\. Then select Tools from the top of Windows Explorer and then Folder Options. Go to the View tab. Scroll down to the folder icon that says Hidden files and folders and check show hidden files and folders. Also, right below this option, uncheck the hide file extensions for known types. Also for Win NT, 2000, & XP systems, uncheck the Hide protected operating system files (recommended) option.

3. Navigate to C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox <--- Delete the Entire folder

4. Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\%USER%\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox <--- Delete the Entire folder

NOTE: %USER% is the user account you are deleting the folder from. Delete that folder from all user accounts.

5. Close Windows Explorer.

6. Now click-on Start -> Run

7. Type regedit, hit enter

8. Navigate to the following registry keys:

WARNING: Manually editing your registry could have undesirable effects. Back up the registry keys before deleting them.

NOTE: To backup a registry key right-click the key you want to backup, click-on Export, give the key a name, click-on Save.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FirefoxHTML <--- Delete the entire key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Applications\firefox.exe <--- Delete the entire key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mozilla\Mozilla <--- Delete the entire key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mozilla\Mozilla Firefox <--- Delete the entire key
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mozilla\Mozilla Firefox 1.0.5 <--- Delete the entire key
HKEY_ LOCAL_MACHINE \Software\Mozilla\Mozilla Firefox <--- Delete the entire key
HKEY_ LOCAL_MACHINE \Software\Mozilla\Mozilla Firefox 1.0.5 <--- Delete the entire key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\mozilla.org <--- Delete the entire key
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MozillaPlugins <--- Delete the entire key

NOTE: The Firefox version number may be different than the above. Delete all registry keys named Mozilla Firefox 1.0.x, where x is a number

9. Download Mozilla Firefox 1.0.6 or Mozilla Firefox 1.5 Beta 1

10. Install Firefox.

 

Thank, 'Puter Dude.

I used your instructions. Not all of the registry entries you listed showed up in my registry. I deleted the ones I found and proceeded with the uninstall/reinstall of 1.0.6.

The newly installed Firefox caused the same catastrophic crash.



Jujet84, SpyHunter is tagged by Spybot S&D as spyware. I uninstalled it.

 

Something is causing Firefox to crash. What extensions do you use, if any?

 

Martiniqueeni------My mistake in referring to spyhunter.
Try installing
17-Sep-2005 00:19 4.9M firefox-1.6a1.en-US.win32.installer.exe
located here and post results.
http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/nightly/latest-trunk/

 

No extensions. The very first time I downloaded Firefox, I grabbed one or two extensions recommended by people on their forum site. Unfortunately, one of those killed my machine completely (I was stupid and didn't virus check the download) and cause me to do a factory restore.

All I've done the last two times I've downloaded Firefox is import my IE bookmarks.

This problem started (as best I can recall) when Netscape introduced its 6.0 browser. Same crash on exit issues. I haven't gone back to Netscape since the factory restore thing happened. Recent stories about Microsoft and IE's security vulnerabilities caused me to try Firefox again. And now again and again.

I use Norton Internet Security and Antivirus. I've checked the Symantec site and it advertises itself to be compatible with Firefox.

I'm out of town again for at least a couple of weeks. I'll keep checking in to see what you're thoughts are.

I really do appreciate the effort that you and Jujet84 have put into helping me. Thank you!

 

No worries.

I'm out of town again. I will try that when I return. I'm really eager to get this Firefox thing taken care of.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!