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Firefox 35.0 update loses Windows desktop and user profile

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  • 2 have this problem
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  • Last reply by John99

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Recently updated Adobe Reader and Flash player and Firefox to 35.0 on Windows 8.1 Dell laptop. This resulted in the administrator user profile failing. Windows Event Log has: Windows cannot find the local profile and is logging you on with a temporary profile. Changes you make to this profile will be lost when you log off. Windows has backed up this user profile. Windows will automatically try to use the backup profile the next time this user logs on. Windows was unable to load the registry. This problem is often caused by insufficient memory or insufficient security rights. Windows cannot load the locally stored profile. Possible causes of this error include insufficient security rights or a corrupt local profile.

DETAIL - The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process.
for C:\Users\Andy\ntuser.dat

Non-administrator user is ok. Reboots did not help. I did system restore and all was well. Then I only updated Firefox to 35.0 and got same problem. Restoring again fixed the issue.

Windows updates were last installed 22-Dec-14 and there are currently 9 updates waiting to be installed. Adobe is also notifying tht updates are available for Reader & Flash

Recently updated Adobe Reader and Flash player and Firefox to 35.0 on Windows 8.1 Dell laptop. This resulted in the administrator user profile failing. Windows Event Log has: Windows cannot find the local profile and is logging you on with a temporary profile. Changes you make to this profile will be lost when you log off. Windows has backed up this user profile. Windows will automatically try to use the backup profile the next time this user logs on. Windows was unable to load the registry. This problem is often caused by insufficient memory or insufficient security rights. Windows cannot load the locally stored profile. Possible causes of this error include insufficient security rights or a corrupt local profile. DETAIL - The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process. for C:\Users\Andy\ntuser.dat Non-administrator user is ok. Reboots did not help. I did system restore and all was well. Then I only updated Firefox to 35.0 and got same problem. Restoring again fixed the issue. Windows updates were last installed 22-Dec-14 and there are currently 9 updates waiting to be installed. Adobe is also notifying tht updates are available for Reader & Flash

All Replies (3)

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This is appears to be a Windows problem.

Yes Firefox may not be working but it would appear to be because of a Windows problem.

I do not think installing or upgrading Firefox could be expected to produce such an error, but if it did I would have expected this forum, and the input feedback to have had a sudden spike in complaints.

I am not noticing anything on this forum. The input feedback no longer has the useful pictorial graphics, but interactive results are here if you wish to look through them

Note people are probably more likely to complain than compliment. it is not at all unusual to have more negative than positive reports.


You could try asking on a Windows forum. Try doing a web search if you do not already have some favourite forum. Or have a go with this one

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Thanks John. I agree that it doesn't look like a fault specific to Firefox but possibly some combination/interaction of Firefox, or something, and the other s/w on my laptop. I set a restore point. I installed Windows updates from January. Ok I set a restore point. I updated Adobe Reader to 11.0.10. Ok. I set a restore point. I updated Adobe Flash Player from 15.0.0.239 to 16.0.0.257. Ok... or so I thought.. but on a second boot I again lost the administrators Windows profile.

On restoring to post-Reader and pre-flash I was suprised to see that Firefox 35.0 would revert to 34.0.5. I had not, conciously, updated Firefox as I was trying to do one thing at a time to isolate the cause.

Life is too short for all this :(

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I would not bother too much about Firefox being version 35 that is what it is supposed to be. Firefox does try to update, automatically, that helps keep you safe.

It is also worth noting Firefox will initiate an update if it is out of date and you check the version from the Help menu.

Try using Windows Safe Mode, that may cut down on some interactions. Up to Windows 7 [F8] was an easy method of starting Window's SafeMode

I still think your first port of call with this issue should be a Windows forum.