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How do I find & disable the webroot spy sweeper?

  • 11 replies
  • 9 have this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by John99

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I'm trying to get rid of the "non-responsive scripts" that freeze up my computer. Drives me crazy! I'm not very computer knowledgeable, so telling me to disable the webroot spy sweeper doesn't help. I have no idea what that is, where to find it, or how to do it. Help!

I'm trying to get rid of the "non-responsive scripts" that freeze up my computer. Drives me crazy! I'm not very computer knowledgeable, so telling me to disable the webroot spy sweeper doesn't help. I have no idea what that is, where to find it, or how to do it. Help!

Chosen solution

Hello cypressmd, as the link in John99's second reply said, probably the problem is an installed extension, try Firefox Safe Mode to see if the problem goes away. Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode, which disables most add-ons.

(If you're not using it, switch to the Default theme.)

  • You can open Firefox 4.0+ in Safe Mode by holding the Shift key when you open the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
  • Or open the Help menu and click on the Restart with Add-ons Disabled... menu item while Firefox is running.

Once you get the pop-up, just select "'Start in Safe Mode"

If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, and you need to figure out which one. Please follow the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article for that.

To exit the Firefox Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again.

When you figure out what's causing your issues, please let us know. It might help other users who have the same problem.

Thank you.

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All Replies (11)

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If you have Webroot Spy Sweeper, its going to show up in the Notification Tray (that area next to the clock with all the little icons in it). It should look like a tiny round yellow radar screen or rifle target.

If you right click that, it will give you the option to temporarily or permanently disable SpySweeper, or changing its settings. However, I don't recommend disabling it entirely as this would put your entire computer at risk of spyware or malware getting in. If you look through SpySweeper's options, you may find there's a portion that plugs into Firefox. This can probably also be found by clicking the Firefox menu in the browser and choosing Addons and disabling it there. (Two ways to accomplish the same purpose, much like having a light switch at both the top and bottom of a set of stairs.)

Disabling that Firefox plugin may stop the script errors while allowing Spy Sweeper to keep your computer safe in other ways. You might also want to contact SpySweeper's support to see if they have any fixes for the issue.

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Thanks for the information. I don't see anything like what you described, so maybe I don't have this webroot spy sweeper. Could it be anything else? It just started about three weeks ago. I never know when it will hit, but it takes a long time to get it to stop. Sometimes I just have to turn the computer off.

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  • What is the error you see ?
  • Does the error mention webroot ?
  • Is there any pattern to this error that you can identify. For instance does it always happen on startup or when playing videos

Shift+Control+J should open the Error console.

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No, it doesn't mention webroot. I got that from the Firefox help page. The error warning just says I have a non-responsive script working. There doesn't seem to be any pattern as to when it happens. All of a sudden my computer just stops working. Then sometime later, maybe 15 minutes later, an error message box will appear saying that I have a non-responsive script working. I can either let it continue to see if it will complete, or I can end it. I always try to end it, but sometimes that is unresponsive also. If it does respond, I may have to repeat the process a couple of times, and it is very slow to respond.

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If you look at the error console you may get a related message that you would be able to paste into your next post, it could help us to identify the cause.

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This is one of them:

Script: resource://gre/modules/XPCOMUtils.jsm:327

Is that helpful?

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Chosen Solution

Hello cypressmd, as the link in John99's second reply said, probably the problem is an installed extension, try Firefox Safe Mode to see if the problem goes away. Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode, which disables most add-ons.

(If you're not using it, switch to the Default theme.)

  • You can open Firefox 4.0+ in Safe Mode by holding the Shift key when you open the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
  • Or open the Help menu and click on the Restart with Add-ons Disabled... menu item while Firefox is running.

Once you get the pop-up, just select "'Start in Safe Mode"

If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, and you need to figure out which one. Please follow the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article for that.

To exit the Firefox Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again.

When you figure out what's causing your issues, please let us know. It might help other users who have the same problem.

Thank you.

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Hi - Thanks for your suggestions. I did try the "Restart with Add-ons Disabled." About two hours later, I had another Unresponsive Script Warning. Any other thoughts?

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Hi - For several days I started Firefox in the safe mode with no problems. I tried starting it regular, and I had a problem almost immediately. I reviewed all programs and looked at everything I had on the computer. I remembered something that I had downloaded not to long ago, so I just deleted it. I have not had a problem now for several days, so I think the problem is solved. I really appreciate all of the help and suggestions. Thanks everyone.

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Thanks for posting back 'cypressmd. Glad we were able to help you.

Safe Mode can be a bit fiddly to use and may result in a user having to try a few steps afterwards, but in almost all cases if a problem does not occur in Safe Mode at least a workaround will be found.

For those with less patience Firefox Reset may get a faster solution, but may cause more information loss.

Yours seems a slightly odd problem, in that it seems it was a plugin causing the problem, and safe mode does not disable plugins, they need to be manually disabled, or in some cases uninstalled.