Closed Bug 524165 Opened 15 years ago Closed 13 years ago

Minimize button "flickers" and refuses to minimize firefox on Windows 7

Categories

(Core :: Widget: Win32, defect)

Product:
Core
Component:
Widget: Win32
Platform:
x86
Windows 7
Type:
defect
Priority:
Not set
Severity:
normal

Tracking

()

Status:
RESOLVED WORKSFORME

People

(Reporter: bab5470, Unassigned)

Details

User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.3) Gecko/20090824 Firefox/3.5.3 Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.3) Gecko/20090824 Firefox/3.5.3 Intermittently when I attempt to minimize firefox the minimize button flickers and firefox won't minimize. I can work around this by clicking on the firfox button in the windows taskbar forcing it to minimize. Next time the problem occurs I will attempt to capture a video of it occurring. Reproducible: Sometimes Steps to Reproduce: 1. Press the minimize button in firefox Actual Results: Minimize button "flickers" (lights up and turns off) Firefox does not minimize properly. Expected Results: Minimize button should work. I'm using Windows 7 with aero theme. I have one extension installed - AI Robobform Toolbar for Firefox 6.9.96 No themes (other than the default) The following plugins 2007 Microsoft Office System 12.0.4518.1014 Google Update 1.2.183.7 Java Deployment Toolkit 6.0.160.1014 Java Platform SE 6 U16 6.0.160.1014 Mozilla Default Plugin 1.0.0.15 Shockwave Flash 10.0.32.18 Silverlight Plugin 3.0.40818.0 This problem has been noted by other users: http://www.smoothblog.co.uk/2009/07/29/found-a-bug-in-firefox-3-5-1/
I have repro'd the problem and recorded a video demoing it. Please note that due to limitations with the application i recorded the problem with - the flickering does not occur as rapidly in the video as it does in real time. Video link here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCmSYz1mahg
This bug absolutely needs to be fixed, it's extremely annoying and prevents correct operation of the browser. Sometimes it seems to happen on the close buttons too (for example in the Downloads panel).
I've noticed this happens after dragging the Firefox Window and then trying to minimize. The minilize button flickers indeed, but this affects also the maximize button and I can't drag the window no more. I have to click a few times on the Firefox button in the Windows toolbar and then it works until I drag the window again.
Ok, now it doesn't want to minimize even if I didn't drag it at all. It also doesn't restore or close unless I right-click on it in the windows toolbar and choose close. It just flickers.
Are you still seeing this bug with firefox 3.5.6 or later in a new profile? http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Managing+profiles
In 3.5.6 the minimize/maximize/close button flickers almost always after pushing it, but it doesn't happen because of the dragging anymore, it happens without an obvious reason. Also, the flickering doesn't occur immediately after opening Firefox if trying to minimize/maximize/close, but after a few minutes. P.S.: It only flickers in Windows 7.
Did you try a new profile? This does not happen for me with Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.3a1pre) Gecko/20091227 Minefield/3.7a1pre (.NET CLR 3.5.30729) ID:20091227042958
I got a report from an italian user about the same issue (3.6.3), but when using Firefox through Remote Desktop, when clicking the minimize button on Windows 7 it starts to flicker but nothing happens. I'm pretty sure his profile is clean. Jimm, any idea what could be happening here?
Status: UNCONFIRMED → NEW
Ever confirmed: true
Summary: Minimize button "flickers" and refuses to minimize firefox → Minimize button "flickers" and refuses to minimize firefox on Windows 7
Component: General → Widget: Win32
Product: Firefox → Core
QA Contact: general → win32
Sounds like some sort of a loop while minimizing. Try disabling trim on minimize by setting config.trim_on_minimize to false. We did some work in this area for win7, including cleaning up all the window state code. Possibly a regression from that. (bug 499816)
I think trim_on_minimize is not set since this person does not usually touch about:config at all, but I'll verify and let you know. It was also reported that the same problem happens with the Download Manager window, so even more likely some global widget thing.
(In reply to comment #10) > I think trim_on_minimize is not set since this person does not usually touch > about:config at all, but I'll verify and let you know. > It was also reported that the same problem happens with the Download Manager > window, so even more likely some global widget thing. trim_on_minimize applies to top level windows, and is on by default. You have to add the pref to disable it. It's a hackity hack thing that was added years ago that should now probably be removed. It can cause problems in minimize behavior.
According to this search http://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla1.9.2/search?string=trim_on_minimize it is false by default, since it is not among default preferences (and widget code sets to false in such a case)
(In reply to comment #12) > According to this search > http://mxr.mozilla.org/mozilla1.9.2/search?string=trim_on_minimize it is false > by default, since it is not among default preferences (and widget code sets to > false in such a case) 626 PRBool temp; 627 if (NS_SUCCEEDED(prefBranch->GetBoolPref("config.trim_on_minimize", 628 &temp)) 629 && temp) 630 sTrimOnMinimize = 1; Sorry, even the pref is a hack, I always get confused by it - 1) if set, and true, sTrimOnMinimize = 1: turns hack *off* 2) if set, and false, sTrimOnMinimize = 0: turns hack on 3) if not set, sTrimOnMinimize = 0: turns hack on so create a new boolean config.trim_on_minimize pref, and set it to true.
I forgot to post a status report here, we tried setting the pref to true but were still able to reproduce the problem.
Potentially fixed or improved by bug 575515.
Please re-open if you are still seeing this issue.
Status: NEW → RESOLVED
Closed: 13 years ago
Resolution: --- → WORKSFORME

I have just encountered this bug on Firefox 51.0 so it has not been fixed.

I have however through experience possibly identified the cause, and it's not necessarily firefox itself. some tracking cookies or html5 cookies (they call it storage, but legally it's the same thing just hidden outside the cookie archive) are programs which attempt to grab the users mouse pointer location or take screengrabs and upload such to their spyhost (google) by interjecting an interrupt followed by a screengrab over normal I/O operations (mouse and keyboard interactions) when there is an unexpected change. This interruption can cause buttons to not be clicked the first time (note it's different than with overlaid invisible layers on web pages which dissappear after click and do some function, instead these actively interrupt correct opperation of the hardware to instead collect that action and send it over the internet to Google's profile on you.)

In short if you use google or enable too many tracking javascripts, there is a slight chance when you click the minimize button those scripts/cookies/html5storagecookies could actually interrupt your leftclick just before the button is properly triggered, sending it into a flickering and unresponsive state (it thinks it has been clicked, but not released, but release is true on the mouse).

Category; spyware. malware. = Google.

note; facebook also sometimes causes these interrupts. it can get really bad if you have multiple trackers conflicting for your data.

Solution:
delete all google and facebook cookies (it will log you out of these websites, including their services like youtube, google maps, google scholar google translate etc.)
Flush all html5storage. (again this will log you out of those websites)
close and reopen firefox.

Suggested:
install no script and some form of tracker blocker and cookie manager. always block javascripts from google, googleanalytics or analytics.google.com etc. delete google cookies after use.

It's a malicious world out there, stay off google and facebook most of the time and you'll do fine.

Why would google do that?
they quantify data about your browsing habits to make a profile to compare your activities with others, and sell it with a thousand others to the highest bidding company (usually advertisers, but market research companies and professionals with-in large companies also buy and use this data.). Knowing where your mousepointer is and what it hovered over or what you typed (search "keylogger") is valuable to them. Also knowing what ads are loaded if any is also valuable hence screengrabs to verify that not only was your mousepointer somewhere on the screen near an ad, but also what specific ad was loaded. Also they grab information about switching tabs, minimizing and maximizing your browser and window position and XY sizes because they want to see what you're upto based off what was on the page. I have even caught the interrupt happening when switching application windows, they attempt to take a screengrab of what you are doing in some other application that you're switching to, because they could also profit by selling personal information and company secrets, dev code etc.

keep in mind google wont look away when you are entering usernames and passwords, they want to ensure they gather all your usernames so they can identify you even if you clear everything and open a page with google scripts again then login to somewhere else. "ah that account is used by ad ID 1213983718, append this information to that profile (thought you could get away did you?).

If you really get the hinkering to stop using google, you can watch resource monitor (inside task manager) and find the IP addresses that these scripts attempt to communicate with, and block them and any similar IP ranges in your firewall settings, incoming and outgoing separately. downside= you will have to disable those firewall rules to use anything google, including recaptcha (we really need a non-spyware captcha host).

but yeah it would be nice to have a secure firefox which doesn't allow scripts to keylog to grab mousepointer anything or do I/O interrupts or screengrabs. Just block those codewords (don't program the browser to know what they mean (by having the browser interpret the code with a custom interpreter library that omits those codewords) so the browser doesn't understand them.

I really hate google.

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