Google crashing Firefox bug
What is up with Google's web apps? For the last couple of days, I have started getting the same crash on both Google Analytics and Google Adsense in Firefox. The same 'Alert TypeError: window._content has no properties' javascript alert has popped up in Firefox 1.5 and Firefox 2.0 on the PC. Now I just got it on my Mac too.

I've figured out how to recreate it reliably. Log into Google Adsense, and click anywhere that isn't a link.
Crazy.
Is anyone else having this problem?
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Comments
I am having same problem but I can't find information.
Posted by: James | December 17, 2006 6:37 PM
I'm having the same problem, it happens on random websites for me, only if I close the tab using the middle click.
I can't find any info on it either, asides from this blog post.
Posted by: Adam Kinder | December 29, 2006 4:37 PM
hehe, same here, FF 2.0.1, happens sometimes when closing a tab. installed extensions are: adblock plus, all-in-one sidebar, flashgot, JSView, QuickPref, TabMixPlus, WebDev, Zend
and ofcourse google finds only 4 links to posts like this one
Posted by: nick | January 17, 2007 12:09 PM
I have the same problem. I have also installed the TabMixPlus addon. It happens when I close a tab using the middle click
Posted by: George | January 19, 2007 1:56 PM
I've been having this too - on various versions of FireFox since a recent update was auto-downloaded (I swore I turned that off too!)
It happens regularly if I close the tab that I'm viewing. But not if I close a tab I am not viewing. The catch is, that it does it only on my home computer, my work computer (set up much the same way) has never had that problem.
Anyone hear of a fix yet?
Posted by: Paul | April 1, 2007 12:46 AM
I've discovered that the Zend Debugger extension causes this problem, at least in the case of www.wired.com. To reproduce:
1. Open a new Firefox window
2. Open a second tab
3. In the new tab, visit www.wired.com
4. Let the site load completely
5. Middle-click the wired.com tab to close it
6. Boom, the error appears.
Now if you disable the Zend extension, it should go away. I guess the goal, now, is to get Zend to figure out what the problem is and fix it. Not only does it give you the annoying Alert error, but other strange issues occur afterward. I have noticed problems with middle-clicking on certain links (middle-clicking a headline on Digg.com no longer works), and strange keyboard behavior (page-movement keys are applied to the wrong tab, or not at all) after the Alert error has appeared.
Posted by: Ethan | June 22, 2007 6:24 PM
Yes, it's from Zend Debugger. Disable it from Tools -> Addons in Firefox. The problem appeared on my system right when I installed Zend Studio.
Posted by: Rudy | July 19, 2007 3:56 PM
I have this error, too, and I also have the Zend Debugger installed. I can't absolutely confirm that this is the case, but it adds to the circumstantial evidence.
Posted by: Travis Kroh | October 11, 2007 1:55 PM