diff --git a/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprocess_linux.py b/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprocess_linux.py
index bf7e8f2bc56..ad847761d4e 100644
--- a/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprocess_linux.py
+++ b/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprocess_linux.py
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ import subprocess
 import signal
 import os
 from select import select
+import time
 
 
 
@@ -114,10 +115,16 @@ def TerminateProcess(pid):
     pid: integer process id of the process to terminate.
   """
   try:
-    os.kill(pid, signal.SIGTERM)
+    if ProcessesWithNameExist(str(pid)):
+      os.kill(pid, signal.SIGTERM)
+      time.sleep(5)
+      if ProcessesWithNameExist(str(pid)):
+        os.kill(pid, signal.SIGKILL)
+        time.sleep(5)
+        if ProcessesWithNameExist(str(pid)):
+          print 'WARNING: failed to terminate: %s' % (str(pid))
   except OSError, (errno, strerror):
-        print 'WARNING: failed os.kill: %s : %s' % (errno, strerror)
-
+    print 'WARNING: failed os.kill: %s : %s' % (errno, strerror)
 
 def TerminateAllProcesses(process_name):
   """Helper function to terminate all processes with the given process name
diff --git a/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprocess_mac.py b/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprocess_mac.py
index c55c3fdd594..aabfd7fc79f 100644
--- a/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprocess_mac.py
+++ b/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprocess_mac.py
@@ -118,7 +118,14 @@ def TerminateProcess(pid):
     pid: integer process id of the process to terminate.
   """
   try:
-    os.kill(pid, signal.SIGTERM)
+    if ProcessesWithNameExist(str(pid)):
+      os.kill(pid, signal.SIGTERM)
+      time.sleep(5)
+      if ProcessesWithNameExist(str(pid)):
+        os.kill(pid, signal.SIGKILL)
+        time.sleep(5)
+        if ProcessesWithNameExist(str(pid)):
+          print 'WARNING: failed to terminate: %s' % (str(pid))
   except OSError, (errno, strerror):
     print 'WARNING: failed os.kill: %s : %s' % (errno, strerror)
 
diff --git a/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprofile_unix.py b/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprofile_unix.py
index 7ef4e810aff..90bc9c9f081 100644
--- a/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprofile_unix.py
+++ b/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ffprofile_unix.py
@@ -45,8 +45,13 @@ def MakeDirectoryContentsWritable(dirname):
   Args:
     dirname: Name of the directory to make contents writable.
   """
-
-  for (root, dirs, files) in os.walk(dirname):
-    os.chmod(root, 0755)
-    for filename in files:
-      os.chmod(os.path.join(root, filename), 0755)
+  try:
+    for (root, dirs, files) in os.walk(dirname):
+      os.chmod(root, 0755)
+      for filename in files:
+        try:
+          os.chmod(os.path.join(root, filename), 0755)
+        except OSError, (errno, strerror):
+          print 'WARNING: failed to os.chmod(%s): %s : %s' % (os.path.join(root, filename), errno, strerror)
+  except OSError, (errno, strerror):
+    print 'WARNING: failed to MakeDirectoryContentsWritable: %s : %s' % (errno, strerror)
diff --git a/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ttest.py b/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ttest.py
index 08eedabc2aa..9a9cc79c51e 100644
--- a/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ttest.py
+++ b/mozilla/testing/performance/talos/ttest.py
@@ -215,6 +215,7 @@ def runTest(browser_config, test_config):
 
     utils.debug("Completed test with: " + browser_results)
     #kill any remaining firefox processes
+    ffprocess.Sleep()
     ffprocess.TerminateAllProcesses("firefox")
     all_browser_results.append(browser_results)
     all_counter_results.append(counter_results)
@@ -222,7 +223,6 @@ def runTest(browser_config, test_config):
   # Delete the temp profile directory  Make it writeable first,
   # because every once in a while Firefox seems to drop a read-only
   # file into it.
-  ffprocess.Sleep()
   ffsetup.MakeDirectoryContentsWritable(temp_dir)
   shutil.rmtree(temp_dir)