Firefox 4 Hanging...

[Cheval]

In regards to this issue, I noticed that the mirror drivers download file still list same version (1.22) since 1.0.9.5.

Are there any newer ones?

[Rudi De Vos]

No,
There is nothing we can do at driver level to fix this.
A mirror driver has a limited set of instructions and nothing changed in years.

[AYOU]

Nothing? Please there must be something. New mirror?

[Rudi De Vos]

I'm sorry, but this can't be fixed by a driver change.

1° mirror driver is software, no hardware acceleration
2° most application are video card specs aware, and put themself in non acceleration mode on specs change
2° FireFox 4 seems to be unable to do this -> hang

If you disable earo ( win7) while firefox is running, keeps it working ?
Is this a problem on all OS's ?

If you start firefox after the driver is active, does it still hang ?

[B]

Right, in other words, can't you just close and restart Firefox?

You might also try Firefox's "Safe Mode" and/or alternative browsers (older Firefox, Seamonkey, Opera, Chrome, etc.)

[Cheval]

Rudi:
1) I've not tested it on Win7 running as the server only XP 32b.
2) Yes, the problem only exists after a client connection is made and the Display Adapter "mv video hook driver 2" is enabled.

B:
1) You can only close the Firefox window. All other functionality stops working after 3~4 seconds on opening every time you open it. The really strange thing is watching what happens in SysInternals Process Monitor, from the application activity point of view it's working fine. There are no errors or anything odd that I can see. I wonder if the problem is not the driver itself but that there are two display adapters and it's trying to draw to the hook one? Dunno.
2) Firefox 3.x and IE8 works fine. XP can't get IE9 which would be interesting to see.
3) Yes, I've tried the Safe Mode but that "hangs" as well. I use the term "Hang" as only the client area is unresponsive, the max, min, restore and close work and the process doesn't report a hung state to Windows.

[Rudi De Vos]

I'm trying to understand the problem...

Is firefox still working local, and only the viewer fail to show the content insite ?
Or firefox fail also on the local display ?

Is this a system with 2 displays ( primary/extended).
On XP, a mirror driver behave different on multi monitor systems.

A workaround could be to goto to display properties, troubleshooting and lower the acceleration level.
In the past i needed to do this to show opengl apps remote on a single headed system, for some unknown reason
it wasn't needed on a dual monitor system...
Possible opengl and the firefox hardware acceleration behave the same.

[Cheval]

Rudi:
1) Firefox works perfectly on the client viewer both when connected and not connected, it only doesn't work on the server when a viewer is connected.
2) In this particular setup. The server has 2 screen primary on the left WinXP32 machine and the client viewer runs in Win732 also 2 screen primary on the left. I use the default of getting both of the servers screens and just scroll around to use them.
3) Ok thanks. I'll change the server properties and let you know of the results.

[Teazle]

I have the same problem as described in this thread, but I am currently using FireFox 3 on the server. However, I have another program that excibits the same symptoms as Firefox 4 did.

Disabling the mirror driver lets me controll the program successfully, with it activated i only see remnants of whatever window was previously on top of it.
The program (and FireFox 4 too) works just fine, you just can't see anything with the mirror driver activated. Sooo when i need to access this particular program I disable mirror driver, use it, then reactivate mirror driver.

Annoyance, but I can live with it, but if I can somehow give you a debug I will gladly help you solve this issue. How do I do this?


Regards

Teazle

[Cheval]

Not that it is unexpected, but the new Firefox 5 also exhibits the same problem...

[B]

Um, this is our usual suggestion for things like this, so you've probably already tried, but I don't see mention of it at the older thread at https://forum.ultravnc.net/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=27899

Have you turned on "capture alpha blending" at the server end?

[Cheval]

Yes, I tried the alpha capture as part of the "Double Connection" problem but no difference. IE 8 works, but not Firefox 4 or 5.

Apparently the server machines video drivers were not the latest, so I updated them and still no success with Firefox.

[B]

Okay. Not an answer, but you could give Seamonkey a shot. It's basically the same and I prefer it to Firefox, which seems to have lost its way in a search for cash (and not cache).

[Cheval]

Hello. This issue just got even more weird?!?

The server PC has two screens; left main with Windows Taskbar and right flow over secondary. The PC was left with Firefox 5 maximized on the right hand screen. (this is the weird part) Firefox 5 was fully working and functioning!?!

I couldn't believe it so I closed the browser and reopened it and went to a number of sites. All worked fine. So I then restored the window and dragged it over the two left window; still ok. I then maximized it on the left window and it hung. I then closed it and reopened it (maximised) and hung after a couple of seconds. I've now got it again maximized on the right window, working flawlessly.

This raises the question, has the code for multi-screen layout and/or functionality changed in 1.0.9.6.1? This issue doesn't present itself in the older versions.

[lecrawford]

B that was a great idea using Seamonkey. I tried it and really like it much better. Not any problems so far. Thanks

[B]

Cheval, that could make sense, since a lot of times video drivers don't bother supporting fancier modes on secondary monitors (and/or the features or specs of the second monitor preclude those modes). Maybe once it gives up on the UVNC-incompatible mode for a session, that mode stays off. Still, it would be a lot better if FF would give you control of its own video handling. (And in case it wasn't obvious, I'm just spitballing here.)

[cbkschroeder]

Hi there,

I've been watching this thread and a related thread in the 1.0.9.6 forum. I figured I might as well pipe up and say that I seem to be having these same issues, both with Firefox and with Acrobat reader 9.4.5. It's as though the server just seems to ignore what's happening in these windows. It's happening on two very different XP machines for me and, as I just tried with one server, turning off the hook driver resolves the problem. I suppose I'd like to use the hook driver, but I guess I'll have to live without it...

Thoughts are always appreciated.

Cheers,

Christian

[smgerber]

If turning off the hook driver solves the problem by allowing screen captures and transmissions to the listener, isn't it possible to generate the SC file in a way that accomplishes this? It would be great to have this automated for us.

On Windows 7 it's not only Firefox. Spybot S&D 1.6 will freeze the viewer also, as will Windows 7's "Windows DVD Maker".

Rudi?

[sen_tricon]

thanks for the help and ideas
Im using Firefox 13.0 - and ultra vnc . , wondering why in viewer machine it appears that the browser hangs - in local machine the Ffox browser works well.
- as you guys mentioned bout the video hook driver -; i found out that POLL check boxes ;system hook ; video hook are selected -

i did disable those and try to view the browser again as a viewer and works well ^_^ cool ;:: d