Windows 7 - Close Button problem

[grissom]

I have a problem with the Close Button when using Windows 7.

This tends to crop up if I am using Firefox in a private browsing window. At some point, I may accidentally click a button in the menu bar, or do something else, that results in a new, unwanted Firefox window being opened.

I move the mouse pointer to the Close button and click it. Sometimes there is a delay before the window closes, so I click the button again. Then I find that the active window closes, and immediately the window behind that closes as well. This is annoying if that window is a private browsing window, which it usually will be, because Firefox will not restore the previously open tabs when it is reopened (for obvious reasons).

I assume this is a general Windows behaviour, not something that is specific to Firefox.

It seems to me that there ought to be at least a configurable concept whereby mouse clicks on active windows would not be buffered and then used on windows that subsequently appear in that place. Specifically, I would like to flush the mouse click buffer as soon as a "close active window" event is triggered, and not allow additional clicks to be registered until a configurable time has elapsed after the affected window does close (if the actual closing time is known to the operating system).

Alternatively, I may be completely misunderstanding what I am seeing, and this isn't a Windows issue, but something specific to Firefox.

Any ideas?

 

[nerp]

I think it's a firefox thing. What are your PC specs?

 

[grissom]

I think it's a firefox thing. What are your PC specs?

I use a few machines, but I just noticed this on a Core 2 Duo laptop, 4GB RAM, 3.5GB available on 32 bit Windows. Nothing heavy happening, just Firefox and plugins with five tabs open.

 

[Ketchup]

If you have a lot of plugins, I could see why there might be a delay. It is probably waiting on one of them to respond. And this is normal behavior for a "second click" when the first click is waiting on something. Windows still knows you clicked that spot twice, even while it is waiting on whatever is holding up the first click.

As far as what is holding you up, we wouldn't know without more detail. But if we are talking about a core 2 running multiple firefox sessions (and multiple tabs within each session) and at least one of them is running video using HMTL 5 (especially on a system without dedicated video), it's not too hard to imagine some lag there.

 

[grissom]

If you have a lot of plugins, I could see why there might be a delay. It is probably waiting on one of them to respond. And this is normal behavior for a "second click" when the first click is waiting on something. Windows still knows you clicked that spot twice, even while it is waiting on whatever is holding up the first click.

As far as what is holding you up, we wouldn't know without more detail. But if we are talking about a core 2 running multiple firefox sessions (and multiple tabs within each session) and at least one of them is running video using HMTL 5 (especially on a system without dedicated video), it's not too hard to imagine some lag there.

I agree that it isn't all that surprising that Firefox can take some time to close. Nor am I hugely surprised that Windows behaves like this, in the sense that it buffers mouse clicks.

Rather, I was wondering if there might be something configurable either in the Registry, or within a Firefox event handler, that could change the behaviour.

 

[Ketchup]

Unfortunately, you can'try tell a computer to ignore commands at random. The computer reacts to every command you give it. It isn't "smart" enough to do anything differently. Now, you may have a command sitting in a buffer while waiting for its turn, but, short of a crash or programming error, the computer will eventually do what you tell it to do.

Suggestion? Take off the add-ons, or start some upgrades.

 

[grissom]

Unfortunately, you can'try tell a computer to ignore commands at random. The computer reacts to every command you give it. It isn't "smart" enough to do anything differently. Now, you may have a command sitting in a buffer while waiting for its turn, but, short of a crash or programming error, the computer will eventually do what you tell it to do.

[...]

Sorry, but this isn't the case at all. The whole point about computers is that they are general purpose devices that can be programed to behave in a configurable manner.

It may well be the case that Windows as a closed-source operating system cannot be adjusted in this respect. However, it would surprise me, because for example applications can do things such as hide the Close Button - see https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/oldnewthing/20100604-00/?p=13803.

 

[Ketchup]

Yes, you always have the option to re-write some code, if that is your skill set.