832667 - Printer errors (Adobe PDF writer) won't recover

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Core :: Widget: Win32, defect)

Description

[keepitsimplestupid]

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:19.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/19.0
Build ID: 20130116072953

Steps to reproduce:

Since the last update I've been having issues with PDF writer.

Sometimes PDF writer hangs and won't recover unless I reboot.   "Windows" trys to find a solution to the problem.  Firefox crashes and restarts, but does not generate a crash report.

After it happens, I can't use any printer until I reboot.  I'll get "unknown error".  Very useful.


Actual results:

Firefox should at a minimum have at least recovered and/or generate a crash report.

Comment 1

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

>After it happens, I can't use any printer until I reboot.
You can't print from any application or only Firefox ?

>Firefox should at a minimum have at least recovered and/or generate a crash report.
I would guess that this happens because the actual crash is outside of Firefox: in the printer driver or in the kenel-mode printer subsystem.

Comment 2

[keepitsimplestupid]

The PC was still in the same state when I went out.

The other physical printers worked fine.  Adobe PDF worked in Word.

Adobe PDF won't work in Firefox even when Firefox restarts.  Not good.

Well it does have a little dialog with Firefox in it where "Windows is searching for a solution".  So, did Windows send a crash report to Microsoft?

Rebooting will fix it.

Comment 3

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

Which PDF Printer software do you use and in which version ?

Comment 4

[keepitsimplestupid]

More info:

Exiting Firefox and restarting will recover the printing error.
Restoring the previous session will not.

Next time it happens, I'll have to restore everything but the errent tab.
When it happens Firefox restarts on it's own.
Don't have steps to duplicate.

The PDF Printer is from Acrobat X.  No version info in properties of the printer.

When this does happen, the Adobe Printing progress bar is hidden behind Firefox.
Not sure if that is good or not.

I may have a crash scenero which seems to crash every time.  Let me work on describing it.


I think this is the big.  Steps to duplicate:

Print (I used bugzilla page)
Select Adobe PDF
OK
Printing box appears
Select "Save PDF File as appears in the taskbar"
 (I don't like this behavior - should appear focused)
Move the Explorer Window  (Key requirement)
  (Sometimes, the area under the Explorer window won't re-draw)
Cancel the Explorer Dialog
Cancel is greyed out on the "printing window"
  (Should not be)
Close the printing dialog using the right top X in the window
Firefox is not responding
Click the X close box
Printing(not responding) - What to you want to do?
Wait creates infinite loop
Close the program
Windows is looking for a solution to the problem
FF quits and re-starts on it's own.  Bugzilla retains the stuff in "Additional comments" - Good.

I don't like the fact I can't sometimes move the Windows explorer dialog to see what's behind it and I cannot operate the scroll bars in Firefox.

Comment 5

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

Note: The print dialog itself is already from windows.
qAwanted: I don't have AcrobatX and as far as I can see you have to pay for it.

Comment 6

[keepitsimplestupid]

I think I found the temporary fix.

I just need to move the firefox Window down about 2/3 the screen and then print.

This makes sure the "Creating Adobe PDF" window is not behind Firefox.

The "Creating Adobe PDF" window is NOT ALWAYS being the top Window.

"Creating Adobe PDF", is probably coming from Distiller.

Comment 7

[Simona Badau, Desktop QA]

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; WOW64; rv:27.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/27.0
Build ID: 20130919030202

Reporter, are you still experiencing this issue?

I tried to reproduce the issue using a free trial of Adobe Acrobat XI version 11.0.0 - but I don't get the same behavior as the one described in Comment 4 (the Cancel button is not grayed out, the printing dialog is properly closed and Firefox is still responding).

I'm removing the QAWANTED keyword. Please re-add it if you need anything else specific from the QA side.

Comment 8

[keepitsimplestupid]

I seem to remember that the issue got fixed.  Adobe did not act fast enough and I strted to use another package.  Two updates occured the night it started: FF and Adobe Acrobat X.  Bug was independently verified by a tech at a local office supply store.  i.e. He had seen it.

I have been running a distribution of Linux Live CD since a hard drive crash in June.

So, I belive, the problem got fixed by Adobe.  Now, I wish they would fix an intermittant flash problem on Windows and Linix when you interact with a window,

Comment 9

[Simona Badau, Desktop QA]

(In reply to keepitsimplestupid from comment #8)
> So, I belive, the problem got fixed by Adobe.  Now, I wish they would fix an
> intermittant flash problem on Windows and Linix when you interact with a
> window,

Please file a new bug (if there isn't already one in bugzilla) on the flash problem you're having.

Based on Comment 8, I'm going to set the status of this issue to RESOLVED WORKSFORME.

Comment 10

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

marking wfm