507527 - Tabs become unable to be closed. Clicking the X does nothing!

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 508738

(Firefox :: Tabbed Browser, defect)

Description

[hoboX10]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.1) Gecko/20090715 Firefox/3.5.1 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.1) Gecko/20090715 Firefox/3.5.1 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)

I don't know what makes this bug start, and it doesn't happen often, but what it does is IT STOPS ME FROM CLOSING TABS. I can keep clicking the red X and nothing will happen. The tab will remain open.

When this bug does occur, it's on every webpage. The only way to finally close them is to completely close the browser, and re-open a new Firefox browser.

NOTE: I'd like to note that I've never tried clicking the X to the whole Firefox window when it happens when I try to close the browser. Whenever the bug happens I always close the browser by ending the process in the Task Manager.

Also note, that when this bug occurs, right-clicking a tab and choosing "Close other tabs" DOES NOT close them. It also fails to work.

Reproducible: Sometimes

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open multiple tabs
2. Switch through the tabs every now and then
3. Remember that it's a pretty uncommon bug and might not happen to you!
Actual Results:  
If it works, the tabs won't let you close them with the red X.

Expected Results:  
It should do as the bug says.

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT BUG TO FIX! If you accidentally open a malicious/bad webpage and you need to close out of it AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, and this bug occurs, you're basically screwed if you don't know how to use Task Manager. If you need to get out of a web site as fast as you can, you won't be able to. This is very bad.

Plus it's just annoying because each time you add a new tab to it, you can't close ANY OF THEM and it just piles up on your CPU.

Comment 1

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

Can you please try the Firefox safemode because such issues are usually caused by addons ?
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Safe+Mode

Comment 2

[Arie Paap [:wildmyron]]

Changing severity according to https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=fields.html#bug_severity

In addition to comment 1, if you come across this bug either in safe mode or otherwise please check a few things which might help pinpoint this bug:

1) check error console for any errors corresponding to you clicking the X (Tools -> Error console, select "Errors" and if necessary scroll to the bottom)

2) try to close the tab in other ways (middle click tab, Ctrl-W, File->Close Tab) [this seems unlikely to work as you have checked an alternative method, but it's worth being thorough]

3) try closing firefox normally instead of killing it (top right X or File->Exit)

This bug will be very hard for a developer to fix without further information. If you can identify reliable steps to reproduce that will really help. As matti says, please consider your extensions (if you have any) as likely culprits, particularly if they relate to tab behaviour.

Comment 3

[hoboX10]

(In reply to comment #2)
> Changing severity according to
> https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=fields.html#bug_severity
> 
> In addition to comment 1, if you come across this bug either in safe mode or
> otherwise please check a few things which might help pinpoint this bug:
> 
> 1) check error console for any errors corresponding to you clicking the X
> (Tools -> Error console, select "Errors" and if necessary scroll to the bottom)
> 
> 2) try to close the tab in other ways (middle click tab, Ctrl-W, File->Close
> Tab) [this seems unlikely to work as you have checked an alternative method,
> but it's worth being thorough]
> 
> 3) try closing firefox normally instead of killing it (top right X or
> File->Exit)
> 
> This bug will be very hard for a developer to fix without further information.
> If you can identify reliable steps to reproduce that will really help. As matti
> says, please consider your extensions (if you have any) as likely culprits,
> particularly if they relate to tab behaviour.

It seems to happen pretty rarely, I don't think I could catch the bug in Safe Mode even if it's able to happen in Safe Mode. However, I don't use any addons that have major-changes to firefox. Also, I had set it at critical because not being able to close a webpage can be extremely dangerous. Especially if someone makes a virus that knows how to exploit this bug and makes it so you can't close a website that the virus could open.

Comment 4

[hoboX10]

Okay so it happened to me today again. I noticed I had a Java Applet running while it happened today. That MIGHT have something to do with it, but I think it has happened even without a Java Applet running.

Also, I AM able to close the browser normally (the red X) when it happens, it just won't let me close any tabs. You have to close the whole browser one way or another.

Comment 5

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+1]]

(In reply to comment #4)
> Okay so it happened to me today again. I noticed I had a Java Applet running
> while it happened today. That MIGHT have something to do with it, but I think
> it has happened even without a Java Applet running.

Please check the information in comment 2 and report back for each single item. Thanks.

Comment 6

[hoboX10]

> (In reply to comment #4)
> > Okay so it happened to me today again. I noticed I had a Java Applet running
> > while it happened today. That MIGHT have something to do with it, but I think
> > it has happened even without a Java Applet running.
> 
> Please check the information in comment 2 and report back for each single item.
> Thanks.


(In reply to comment #2)
> Changing severity according to
> https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=fields.html#bug_severity
> 
> In addition to comment 1, if you come across this bug either in safe mode or
> otherwise please check a few things which might help pinpoint this bug:
> 
> 1) check error console for any errors corresponding to you clicking the X
> (Tools -> Error console, select "Errors" and if necessary scroll to the bottom)
> 
> 2) try to close the tab in other ways (middle click tab, Ctrl-W, File->Close
> Tab) [this seems unlikely to work as you have checked an alternative method,
> but it's worth being thorough]
> 
> 3) try closing firefox normally instead of killing it (top right X or
> File->Exit)
> 
> This bug will be very hard for a developer to fix without further information.
> If you can identify reliable steps to reproduce that will really help. As matti
> says, please consider your extensions (if you have any) as likely culprits,
> particularly if they relate to tab behaviour.



1) I didn't see anything in the Error Console.(In reply to comment #5)
2) I tried a couple other ways when it happened, none worked.
3) Closing Firefox normally with the regular X button DID work.


I thought I answered these in comment #2.

Comment 7

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+1]]

Mmh so that is not really helpful. Have you tried the mentioned safe mode in comment 1? Extensions are good candidates for those malfunctions.

Comment 8

[hoboX10]

Got it shortly after 3.5.3  wtf mozilla...

Comment 9

[Nickolay_Ponomarev]

I'm sorry, I know it's annoying when things don't work right, but this bug doesn't have enough information to lead to a fix. If you need help, try http://support.mozilla.com/

To fix an issue like this, we'd need more reliable steps to reproduce it, or some insights as to what extension, plug-in, site, 3rd-party program makes this bug more likely to surface.

Note also bug 508738 about a similar problem.

Comment 10

[hoboX10]

Sorry it's just so hard to reproduce. It's happens so rarely.

Comment 11

[Henrik Skupin [:whimboo][⌚️UTC+1]]

We should not discuss it on several bugs. Let's concentrate on bug 508738.

Comment 12

[hoboX10]

How is this a duplicate when THIS bug has a lower ID number (it was posted first)

Whatever I don't care anymore, I'm done with this.

Comment 13

[hoboX10]

I'll leave comments every time a new update comes out and say if it's still doing it or not, at least.

Comment 14

[Nickolay_Ponomarev]

There's absolutely no point to this. Please do try using http://support.mozilla.com/ to get help with your issue. There's apparently something wrong with your Firefox, and the people there have more experience helping troubleshoot such problems.