Retina MacBook Crashing Because of Firefox?

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Level 1

30 points

Retina MacBook Crashing Because of Firefox?

Retina MacBook Crashing because of Firefox?

PLEASE REPLY if you use Firefox on Mac OS X on a Retina MacBook Pro and you have been experiencing Crash/Reboot GSOD (gray screen of death) problems on your Retina MacBook Pro.

My Retina MacBooks have been running for days, ROCK SOLID, and then all of a sudden I will have a day when it crashes SEVERAL times, within a few minutes or hours.

I think I have narrowed the situation down to Firefox for Mac on Retina MBPs.

I have run Firefox for years on Mac OS X MacBooks, so this crash situation on my Retina MBPs is a new thing for me. Firefox does not crash, rather the whole rMBP crashes with a gray screen of death (GSOD).

I don't run Chrome or some of the other apps that have been described in these forums/discussions as crashing rMBPs. I HAVE installed/Upgraded to Mountain Lion, which seems to have improved my stability, including USB3.0 reliability, visual retina display glitches. And, in general, Mountain Lion is awesome!

Here is why I think Firefox for Mac is the root cause of my crash/reboot Gray Screen of Death problems:

o 100% of the last 6 times my Retina MBP has crashed in the last 2 weeks, I have been using Firefox to surf the web.

o Since I began exclusively using Safari to surf the web, I have not had crash/reboot problems for over a week.

o This morning I used Firefox (pages, streaming audio and video) and I got my first crash/reboot since upgrading to Mountain Lion

o I don't have any peripherals plugged into my Retina MBP USB or TB ports (to help narrow down the problem space here)

Since dedicating myself to using Safari-only on Mac, and discovering some of the new features of Safari v6.0 on Mountain Lion (Including the new Share features that leverage the Reading List fit-n-finsh to send content) I have to say that I don't mind not using Firefox any more. Safari really rocks on Mac!

PLEASE REPLY IF YOU USE Firefox on Mac OS X on a Retina MacBook Pro and you have been experiencing Crash/Reboot GSOD (gray screen of death) problems on your Retina MacBook Pro.

Thank You very much.

P.S.: Given the Retina screen visual glitches that have been written about widely on these forums/discussions, I did some digging on the "Hardware Acceleration" setting in Firefox, which exercises among other things the OpenGL graphics engine/capabilities that have been a focus of Mac OS X Lion/Mountain Lion. I think this might be related and worth turning off in Firefox, but I'm tempted to just stay away from Firefox all together on Mac OS X on Retina MacBook Pros.

MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Mountain Lion

Posted on Aug 2, 2012 7:16 AM

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Answer 1

Aug 2, 2012 7:32 AM in response to BillHahn

Just as another data point. I use FireFox daily with my rMBP and have never had any issues with displays or performance including the one described in your post. I have hardware acceleration enabled. So I think as you troubleshoot you should extend your investigation beyond FireFox.

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Answer 2

mr da

Level 3

510 points

Aug 2, 2012 7:34 AM in response to BillHahn

Well, I've only used Firefox on my mbpr, and have yet to experience a crash or panic (knock on wood). It might be of some use to the community if you post a crash log of one of your events.

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Answer 3

BillHahn Author

Level 1

30 points

Aug 3, 2012 9:54 AM in response to BillHahn

I have since discovered that my Energy Saver > Automatic Graphics Switching" was accidentally turned back ON.

I have now re-installed gfxCardStatus so that I can ALWAYS see the status of my "Integrated" vs. "Discrete" graphics on my menu bar at the top...and force it to stay "Dedicated" always to avoid graphics switching issues that may be related to rMBP system stability.

Also, after having instability issues with my Retina MBP while using AirDisplay, I had uninstalled that for several weeks. I reinstalled AirDisplay after upgrading to Mountain Lion last week.

So, in summary, the Graphics Switching and AirDisplay now represent two additional variables in my crash history.

Since Disabling (unchecking) "Automatic Graphics Switching" and uninstalling AirDisplay, I have had no Crashes.

I will post here again if I am able to narrow it down to one of those two as the cause of my crash problems.

As the two previous posts have indicated, it seems that Firefox was NOT the cause of my crash problems.

Most likely "Automatic Graphics Switching" and/or AirDisplay.

Thanks much.

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Answer 4

oyoquem

Level 1

0 points

Aug 4, 2012 1:20 AM in response to BillHahn

I use both Chrome and Firefox on my MBPR. I experienced crashes while using Chrome and switched to Firefox since I read about Chrome being the culprit. I am now experiencing intermittent crashes that occur only when I close Firefox. I get the gray screen and reboot. It is getting frustrating since my new $2,000+ macbook does not feel reliable nor do I feel comfortable working on sensitive items. I have had my MBPR for 12 days now and have had about 8 crashes/reboots. Any sign of a fix? I'm considering returning it this weekend and sticking to my 2010 MBP since my return policy is about to expire.

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Answer 5

Shootist007

Level 6

16,703 points

Aug 4, 2012 1:25 AM in response to BillHahn

It is not from Firefox or Chrome or any other program, Apple program or 3rd party. It is from the bad drivers Apple is supplying with the new systems for the new hardware in those systems and holes in the kernal of OS X that is causing it.

There are numerous posts on this and there is NO one program that is the cause. It is the OS and driver set.

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Answer 6

BillHahn Author

Level 1

30 points

Aug 11, 2012 1:47 PM in response to BillHahn

Update:

I have NOT had any CRASHES since DISABLING "Automatic Graphics Switching" 8 days ago!

I will update this thread if I experience new crashes.

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Answer 7

CLW13

Level 1

0 points

Aug 15, 2012 7:33 PM in response to BillHahn

I'm having this issue too, but on a 2007 MacBook Pro. It's only been the last two days, and I wonder if it's the newest update to Safari 6.0. My primary browser is Chrome, but I've had all three browsers open both days. The only change I'm aware of is the update to Safari.

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Answer 8

Scott.e

Level 1

0 points

Oct 21, 2012 5:40 PM in response to BillHahn

I just picked up a referb MBP mid-2010 15". Running mountain lion now. Have had crashes directly caused by Chrome and Firefox. I can re-create the crash any time. I open some web page in the browser long enough that I can scroll down. If I two-finger scroll up and down rapidly two or three times, the screen goes dark and a kernel panic ensues. I have done this with graphics switching enabled and disabled. Same result. Knew chrome was having trouble, but unfortunate that now Firefox has the problem too.

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Answer 9

kzcook07

Level 1

4 points

Apr 7, 2016 1:37 AM in response to Scott.e

I'm having this same issue on a MacBook Air running Yosemite. I recreate the issue over and over again. The only resolution so far has been to reinstall the OS every time it happens, because each time it happens I can no longer boot my laptop fully. The boot process stalls half way through the progress bar. When I boot into safe mode I can see that i have no sound devices and my display constantly flickers while using the computer in safe mode.

I wish someone could give me a more permanent answer outside of reinstalling the OS every time this happens. I am a graduate student trying to complete a semester and this has cause major time delays for me trying to complete assignments.

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Answer 10

Apr 7, 2016 7:23 AM in response to kzcook07

You should not tag onto an unrelated 4 year old thread. Start your own thread detailing your issues.

Read this article for guidence: Writing an effective Apple Support Communities question

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