XPS Writer & Acrobat 10 Pro not working with Firefox
I have been using the Microsoft 'XPS Writer' printer for several years to print web pages, even HTTPS webpages. Last month it stopped working. When I go to print, I get as far as naming the file and it starts to print. Then a large rectangle on the left half of the screen goes blank and Firefox freezes. When I try to use Acrobat 10 Pro to print the same type of web pages, Firefox freezes in the same way. Sometimes after Firefox has crashed during the XPS Writer printing attempt, when I print with the same web page a second time with XPS Writer I am able to print it.
As a work-around, with Firefox limping along, I now use the Snipping Tool to make a screen capture and then paste that into a Word document. This is the worst problem that I've had with Firefox in 10 years.
Operating system: Windows 7, 64 bit Firefox 35.0
Thanks for your help.
Tom
All Replies (1)
Hi Tom, I understand that when you use XPS Writer to print webpages from Firefox, that Firefox hangs.
Please try to disable hardware acceleration, or check if this is due to a new add on/update by trying this in Safe Mode.
Try Firefox Safe Mode to see if the problem goes away. Firefox Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode that temporarily turns off hardware acceleration, resets some settings, and disables add-ons (extensions and themes).
If Firefox is open, you can restart in Firefox Safe Mode from the Help menu:
- Click the menu button
, click Help 
and select Restart with Add-ons Disabled.
If Firefox is not running, you can start Firefox in Safe Mode as follows:
- On Windows: Hold the Shift key when you open the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
- On Mac: Hold the option key while starting Firefox.
- On Linux: Quit Firefox, go to your Terminal and run firefox -safe-mode
(you may need to specify the Firefox installation path e.g. /usr/lib/firefox)
When the Firefox Safe Mode window appears, select "Start in Safe Mode".
If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, theme, or hardware acceleration. Please follow the steps in the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article to find the cause.
To exit Firefox Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again.
In order to disable hardware acceleration in Firefox try these instructions:
Try disabling graphics hardware acceleration. Since this feature was added to Firefox, it has gradually improved, but there still are a few glitches.
You might need to restart Firefox in order for this to take effect, so save all work first (e.g., mail you are composing, online documents you're editing, etc.).
Then perform these steps:
- Open Firefox Options window (Preferences on Mac or Linux) as follows:
- In Firefox 29.0 and above, click the menu button and select Options for Windows or Preferences on Mac or Linux.
- In Firefox 28.0 and previous versions, click the orange Firefox button at the top left, then select the "Options" button, or, if there is no Firefox button at the top, go to Tools > Options.
- In Firefox 29.0 and above, click the menu button
- In the Firefox Options (or Preferences) window, click the Advanced tab, then select General.
- In the settings list, you should find the Use hardware acceleration when available checkbox. Uncheck this checkbox.
- Now, restart Firefox and see if the problems persist.
Additionally, please check for updates for your graphics driver by following the steps mentioned in the following Knowledge base articles:
Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!
Thank you.