Computer Help and Support

Kali

(55,701 posts) Tue Jun 30, 2020, 04:43 PM Jun 2020

Did Facebook just highjack my computer?

Desktop Windows 7 Firefox. I had five or six tabs open and for some reason was on Facebook which I have been avoiding lately. Everything kind of bogged down like it can does at times, but I couldn't shut any tabs I couldn't close the window I couldn't get to my email. Finally I managed to close a few tabs by clicking on the little dealey in the tray and Xing those out. Including and especially the Facebook one. So while it wasn't on a tab, the FB page was still there and I could even continue scrolling. But I couldn't shrink the window or switch tabs. I couldn't x the window out. I finally rebooted couldn't shut Firefox down had to force it. What the hell was that?

17 replies

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Did Facebook just highjack my computer? (Original Post) Kali Jun 2020 OP

Delete your Facebook account and see if that helps. ZZenith Jun 2020 #1

no shit, huh? Kali Jun 2020 #4

My advice might have sounded flippant but wasn't meant to be. ZZenith Jun 2020 #7

Check to see if you computer can handle the upgrade to win 10. mikeysnot Jun 2020 #2

I have a laptop with 10 Kali Jun 2020 #5

Check the link out, if you desktop mikeysnot Jul 2020 #13

I meant that I just havent made the mental change Kali Jul 2020 #14

Try shutting down running programs using task manager sobenji Jun 2020 #3

you mean if it happens again? Kali Jun 2020 #6

Right click on the task bar and select Task Manager. Click on processes tag. OAITW r.2.0 Jun 2020 #8

when I look Kali Jun 2020 #9

That's normal for Firefox. Foolacious Jun 2020 #10

I once joined facebook. Binkie The Clown Jun 2020 #11

I have an account, use it to see a few friends. Maybe twice per year. LuckyLib Jul 2020 #15

This was several years ago. Binkie The Clown Jul 2020 #16

TBH, this was the initial reason I refused to get a FB account JDC Jun 2020 #12

A resource hog LeftInTX Jul 2020 #17

ZZenith

(4,310 posts)

1. Delete your Facebook account and see if that helps.

Reply to Kali (Original post)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 04:44 PM

Jun 2020

Kali

(55,701 posts)

4. no shit, huh?

Reply to ZZenith (Reply #1)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 04:50 PM

Jun 2020

ugh. sometimes you get a link, and get trapped...

ZZenith

(4,310 posts)

7. My advice might have sounded flippant but wasn't meant to be.

Reply to Kali (Reply #4)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 04:54 PM

Jun 2020

A lot of our internet weirdness vanished once my wife deleted her account.

If you have ever looked at your server logs and seen how often Facebook gets pinged back you’ll understand why.

mikeysnot

(4,770 posts)

2. Check to see if you computer can handle the upgrade to win 10.

Reply to Kali (Original post)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 04:48 PM

Jun 2020

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-10-specifications

You can upgrade to the free one if you meet the requirement.

Win 7 is dead get off it asap.

Kali

(55,701 posts)

5. I have a laptop with 10

Reply to mikeysnot (Reply #2)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 04:51 PM

Jun 2020

and I notice that I am almost always here on the the desktop instead.

mikeysnot

(4,770 posts)

13. Check the link out, if you desktop

Reply to Kali (Reply #5)

Wed Jul 1, 2020, 11:24 AM

Jul 2020

can handle the specs, I can send you the link to the free MS update.

I have to look for it again. Did all my systems this winter.

Kali

(55,701 posts)

14. I meant that I just havent made the mental change

Reply to mikeysnot (Reply #13)

Wed Jul 1, 2020, 09:43 PM

Jul 2020

and prefer 7.

sobenji

(319 posts)

3. Try shutting down running programs using task manager

Reply to Kali (Original post)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 04:50 PM

Jun 2020

Kali

(55,701 posts)

6. you mean if it happens again?

Reply to sobenji (Reply #3)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 04:53 PM

Jun 2020

all running programs? I think I have been in task manager before for some reason, and it was out of my comprehension

OAITW r.2.0

(28,228 posts)

8. Right click on the task bar and select Task Manager. Click on processes tag.

Reply to Kali (Reply #6)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 05:31 PM

Jun 2020

Click on CPU and/or Memory - this will sort the apps from hi/lo or lo/hi to see which apps are hogging the resources. Right now my Opera browser is feeding on 692MB of memory.

If I right click on the Opera app and select "End Task", this will shut down the app immediately.

Kali

(55,701 posts)

9. when I look

Reply to OAITW r.2.0 (Reply #8)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 05:36 PM

Jun 2020

it is listing firefox 5 times. is that normal? right now I have one tab open and it has 5 listings

Foolacious

(514 posts)

10. That's normal for Firefox.

Reply to Kali (Reply #9)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 06:00 PM

Jun 2020

(I'm assuming you mean that you have one Firefox window open, with five tabs open within it.)

Not all browsers use memory, or are managed by Task Manager, the same way. Some browsers might only show a single instance in Task Manager no matter how many tabs you have open. In fact, I use Opera, and Task Manager shows one instance no matter how many tabs or separate Opera windows I have open.

Binkie The Clown

(7,911 posts)

11. I once joined facebook.

Reply to Kali (Original post)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 06:07 PM

Jun 2020

It took me 45 minutes to discover what a mistake that was, so I deleted my account and never looked back.

LuckyLib

(6,886 posts)

15. I have an account, use it to see a few friends. Maybe twice per year.

Reply to Binkie The Clown (Reply #11)

Fri Jul 31, 2020, 03:03 PM

Jul 2020

Do they make it easy to delete it? I'm not tech savvy, and hate getting trapped in internet hell.

Binkie The Clown

(7,911 posts)

16. This was several years ago.

Reply to LuckyLib (Reply #15)

Fri Jul 31, 2020, 03:33 PM

Jul 2020

I was able to delete my account quite easily as I recall. A few clicks, several "warning" screens, and it was done.

JDC

(10,474 posts)

12. TBH, this was the initial reason I refused to get a FB account

Reply to Kali (Original post)

Tue Jun 30, 2020, 08:11 PM

Jun 2020

My kids had accounts and it basically worked itself into everything; becoming impossible to remove. I had to blow out the OS and put my foot down on "never again"

Good luck with you machine, I hope it cleans up.

LeftInTX

(29,847 posts)

17. A resource hog

Reply to Kali (Original post)

Fri Jul 31, 2020, 07:08 PM

Jul 2020

Much, much worse for me is email.
I still have AOL..I just go to the their website and don't use their software.

If I leave the AOL site open, eventually my computer freezes up. I don't know if it is the AOL site or email itself.

I'm on Win 10 and use Firefox.

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