High CPU Utilization by Firefox 2.*
Jan 28, 2007, 8:25 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Programs: UA Lifetime 1K (3.52MM BIS miles) AA EXP (3.64MM)
Posts: 1,097
High CPU Utilization by Firefox 2.*
In Firefox 1.* it seemed like lots of tabs (2-8 in my case) caused high memory utilization...that has not gone away in 2.* but my boxes have more RAM now
But in FF 2.* I am getting high CPU utilization (25-70%) frequently and even when I'm not doing anything...
I typically have the following open:
* NY times
* CNN
* BBC
* Yahoo finance
* Yahoo mail
* Flyertalk
* NOAA weather (no adverts)
I suspect CNN because it always seems to be "auto-refreshing"...but wonder if there is some setting in FF I can tweak to get some resources back
But in FF 2.* I am getting high CPU utilization (25-70%) frequently and even when I'm not doing anything...
I typically have the following open:
* NY times
* CNN
* BBC
* Yahoo finance
* Yahoo mail
* Flyertalk
* NOAA weather (no adverts)
I suspect CNN because it always seems to be "auto-refreshing"...but wonder if there is some setting in FF I can tweak to get some resources back
Jan 28, 2007, 2:51 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 37,486
In Firefox 1.* it seemed like lots of tabs (2-8 in my case) caused high memory utilization...that has not gone away in 2.* but my boxes have more RAM now
But in FF 2.* I am getting high CPU utilization (25-70%) frequently and even when I'm not doing anything...
I typically have the following open:
* NY times
* CNN
* BBC
* Yahoo finance
* Yahoo mail
* Flyertalk
* NOAA weather (no adverts)
I suspect CNN because it always seems to be "auto-refreshing"...but wonder if there is some setting in FF I can tweak to get some resources back
But in FF 2.* I am getting high CPU utilization (25-70%) frequently and even when I'm not doing anything...
I typically have the following open:
* NY times
* CNN
* BBC
* Yahoo finance
* Yahoo mail
* Flyertalk
* NOAA weather (no adverts)
I suspect CNN because it always seems to be "auto-refreshing"...but wonder if there is some setting in FF I can tweak to get some resources back
Jan 28, 2007, 3:18 pm
#5
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: SYD
Programs: DJ, QF, SPG, Hilton
Posts: 2,984
The number of tabs I have concurrently varies, but I suffer from this problem as well. It may also be a dodgy extension.
FWIW, I've the following extensions:
- ....... Plus
- British English Dictionary
- Forecastfox
- FoxClocks
- GMail Manager
- Google Toolbar
- Talkback
I also have iFox theme in use.
Everything is up-to-date.
At its worst, it got up to 99% CPU utilisation and about 90Mb memory usage.
I don't recall this problem when FF2 was first released. Since updating to 2.0.0.1, this problem occurs more often.
FWIW, I've the following extensions:
- ....... Plus
- British English Dictionary
- Forecastfox
- FoxClocks
- GMail Manager
- Google Toolbar
- Talkback
I also have iFox theme in use.
Everything is up-to-date.
At its worst, it got up to 99% CPU utilisation and about 90Mb memory usage.
I don't recall this problem when FF2 was first released. Since updating to 2.0.0.1, this problem occurs more often.
Jan 28, 2007, 5:52 pm
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 11,439
It may not be Firefox. Maybe you have something else infecting your machine. I had a similar problem and reinstalled windows and everything else with a clean slate. The problem went away.
I frequently have as many as 30-40 tabs open at any one time and almost never see my RAM usage above 40% and my CPU usage is about the same or much lower.
I frequently have as many as 30-40 tabs open at any one time and almost never see my RAM usage above 40% and my CPU usage is about the same or much lower.
Jan 28, 2007, 6:05 pm
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Programs: UA Lifetime 1K (3.52MM BIS miles) AA EXP (3.64MM)
Posts: 1,097
It may not be Firefox. Maybe you have something else infecting your machine. I had a similar problem and reinstalled windows and everything else with a clean slate. The problem went away.
I frequently have as many as 30-40 tabs open at any one time and almost never see my RAM usage above 40% and my CPU usage is about the same or much lower.
I frequently have as many as 30-40 tabs open at any one time and almost never see my RAM usage above 40% and my CPU usage is about the same or much lower.
I've taken the advice of earlier posters and started fresh with my extensions...and add some additional ad/script/flash related ones
Jan 28, 2007, 10:05 pm
#8
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: PDX-ish
Programs: AS, DL
Posts: 107
I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only person who has been having this problem! 
The worst allocations I think I saw was 99% CPU and 250MB of memory. It improved somewhat after I removed StumbleUpon and Yoono. Now, after removing those two, I'm still seeing high resource use, but the highest utilization is closer to 100mb of memory.
I consistently use NoScript & ......./AdblockG.
In my case, FF also has not been good about wanting to release resources when I exit the program.
I'm not at all willing to go back to IE, and as my PC is old, if I scrape and reinstall I will have to re-up to SP2, etc as my install disk is original XP Pro. Not a terribly appealing choice. I suppose I could try going back to a restore point...
I'm scrupulous about running antivirus & antispyware checks and have been looking at everything very carefully to see if there's anything else that's "suspicious". Nothing else is doing anything noticeable, in any case....
Another indication that is is Firefox-related is that If I do exit FF and re-open it, it will take a while before the resource allocation climbs back up.
I think I will just keep disabling extensions and see where that takes me...
Is anyone else who has this problem using Foxytunes? I see that Leumas also is using Forecast Fox... I hope that's not the problem!
The worst allocations I think I saw was 99% CPU and 250MB of memory. It improved somewhat after I removed StumbleUpon and Yoono. Now, after removing those two, I'm still seeing high resource use, but the highest utilization is closer to 100mb of memory.
I consistently use NoScript & ......./AdblockG.
In my case, FF also has not been good about wanting to release resources when I exit the program.
I'm not at all willing to go back to IE, and as my PC is old, if I scrape and reinstall I will have to re-up to SP2, etc as my install disk is original XP Pro. Not a terribly appealing choice. I suppose I could try going back to a restore point...
I'm scrupulous about running antivirus & antispyware checks and have been looking at everything very carefully to see if there's anything else that's "suspicious". Nothing else is doing anything noticeable, in any case....
Another indication that is is Firefox-related is that If I do exit FF and re-open it, it will take a while before the resource allocation climbs back up.
I think I will just keep disabling extensions and see where that takes me...
Is anyone else who has this problem using Foxytunes? I see that Leumas also is using Forecast Fox... I hope that's not the problem!
Jan 29, 2007, 6:37 am
#10
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: south of WAS DC
Posts: 10,131
i have firefox 1.5.xx
with FT running, showed 112meg
adblocked two FT logos, and dropped to 32meg. had previously adblocked everything else I could.
cpu usage 2%. this is a very cheap hp with an amd 3400 sempron(i buy disposable computors)
with FT running, showed 112meg
adblocked two FT logos, and dropped to 32meg. had previously adblocked everything else I could.
cpu usage 2%. this is a very cheap hp with an amd 3400 sempron(i buy disposable computors)
Jan 29, 2007, 6:46 pm
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Programs: UA Lifetime 1K (3.52MM BIS miles) AA EXP (3.64MM)
Posts: 1,097
I'm so glad to hear that I'm not the only person who has been having this problem!
I consistently use NoScript & ......./AdblockG.
In my case, FF also has not been good about wanting to release resources when I exit the program.
I'm not at all willing to go back to IE, and as my PC is o
I think I will just keep disabling extensions and see where that takes me...
Is anyone else who has this problem using Foxytunes? I see that Leumas also is using Forecast Fox... I hope that's not the problem!
I consistently use NoScript & ......./AdblockG.
In my case, FF also has not been good about wanting to release resources when I exit the program.
I'm not at all willing to go back to IE, and as my PC is o
I think I will just keep disabling extensions and see where that takes me...
Is anyone else who has this problem using Foxytunes? I see that Leumas also is using Forecast Fox... I hope that's not the problem!
Then I installed:
AddBlock Plus (prev just was .......)
Flashblock (prev recommendation from this thread)
Forecast Fox
NoScript
Filterset G
Result:
* 115mb utilization for FF...a bit less than before
* CPU under 20% but that's still a far cry from the single digit I would prefer..
I wonder if this is a Forecast Fox problem....??
Jan 29, 2007, 8:40 pm
#12
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Honolulu
Programs: UA PA, *S (UA)
Posts: 245
No need for FiltersetG with ....... Plus
From FAQ at http://adblockplus.org/en/faq_project#filterset.g
"Do I need to install Filterset.G Updater?
No. Actually, it is recommended not to use Filterset.G with ....... Plus. There are several reasons for this:
* Filterset.G has been intentionally made incompatible with the built-in subscriptions feature in ....... Plus, updating Filterset.G requires a separate extension which basically duplicates existing functionality.
* Filterset.G is not optimized for use with ....... Plus, it will slow down your browsing considerably more than any other filter list.
* Filterset.G makes heavy use of very complicated regular expressions with the consequence that finding the source of problems is difficult and fixing those problems is even more so. In fact, Filterset.G is fixing most problems with exception rules which creates a problem on its own (see next point).
* Filterset.G contains a considerable number of exception rules. This is a big problem because exception rules cannot be overridden. It happened on several occasions that exception rules from Filterset.G whitelisted actual ads making these ads unblockable — something users usually blamed ....... Plus for.
While Filterset.G has had its uses in the past, nowadays other filter lists are certainly a better choice. If you already have Filterset.G Updater installed, you can uninstall the extension and remove the Filterset.G subscription in the ....... Plus Preferences dialog. Feel free to choose any subscription from the list then."
"Do I need to install Filterset.G Updater?
No. Actually, it is recommended not to use Filterset.G with ....... Plus. There are several reasons for this:
* Filterset.G has been intentionally made incompatible with the built-in subscriptions feature in ....... Plus, updating Filterset.G requires a separate extension which basically duplicates existing functionality.
* Filterset.G is not optimized for use with ....... Plus, it will slow down your browsing considerably more than any other filter list.
* Filterset.G makes heavy use of very complicated regular expressions with the consequence that finding the source of problems is difficult and fixing those problems is even more so. In fact, Filterset.G is fixing most problems with exception rules which creates a problem on its own (see next point).
* Filterset.G contains a considerable number of exception rules. This is a big problem because exception rules cannot be overridden. It happened on several occasions that exception rules from Filterset.G whitelisted actual ads making these ads unblockable — something users usually blamed ....... Plus for.
While Filterset.G has had its uses in the past, nowadays other filter lists are certainly a better choice. If you already have Filterset.G Updater installed, you can uninstall the extension and remove the Filterset.G subscription in the ....... Plus Preferences dialog. Feel free to choose any subscription from the list then."
Jan 30, 2007, 10:41 am
#13
Join Date: Mar 2005
Programs: UA 1K and PP, AA PPro (3MM, former CK), Marriott Ambassador and LTT, Uber One
Posts: 1,350
Something about FF 2.0.1 is causing high CPU utilization with several popular extensions, including the weather extension I used to use (I believe it's called ForecastFox). I second the recommendation about trying to disable your extensions and see if you can identify a culprit.
Jan 30, 2007, 11:04 am
#14
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: New Jersey
Programs: AMEX Plat, Hertz #1 5*, CO, AA
Posts: 176
my suggestion would be to do a complete uninstall/reinstall (and make sure all extensions are off)..
or..you can try starting up in safe-mode and if it works and doesnt take up memory, then you know its an extension.
I had similar problems in the past, however, the firefox forums have been great in giving answers and helped solve the problem.
or..you can try starting up in safe-mode and if it works and doesnt take up memory, then you know its an extension.
I had similar problems in the past, however, the firefox forums have been great in giving answers and helped solve the problem.
sigh...
