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Fixes for "one of Firefox's files is in use by another app" don't work. What to do?

  • 3 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 494 views
  • Last reply by cprn

cprn
cprn
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Firefox complains about places.sqlite being inaccessible. It says: "The bookmarks and history system will not be functional because one of Firefox's files is in use by another application. Some security software can cause this problem."

0. yesterday it worked without issue

1. I use no security apps that could lock files, I don't think my file system supports locking

2. after deleting places.sqlite Firefox recreates it and still displays the error

3. rebooting doesn't help

4. I use bleachbit to remove temporary files and vacuum sqlite databases automatically

5. I can open places.sqlite and browse it with sqlite3 without issues so it's not broken

6. I have 644 permissions on places.sqlite so +rw for the same user that runs Firefox

Any suggestions? How come Firefox can create a file but complains about accessing it? Can this message be displayed in case of another file missing?

Firefox complains about places.sqlite being inaccessible. It says: "The bookmarks and history system will not be functional because one of Firefox's files is in use by another application. Some security software can cause this problem." 0. yesterday it worked without issue 1. I use no security apps that could lock files, I don't think my file system supports locking 2. after deleting places.sqlite Firefox recreates it and still displays the error 3. rebooting doesn't help 4. I use bleachbit to remove temporary files and vacuum sqlite databases automatically 5. I can open places.sqlite and browse it with sqlite3 without issues so it's not broken 6. I have 644 permissions on places.sqlite so +rw for the same user that runs Firefox Any suggestions? How come Firefox can create a file but complains about accessing it? Can this message be displayed in case of another file missing?

Modified by cprn

Chosen solution

Fixed it by completely removing ~/.mozilla folder in my home directory and running Firefox in normal mode, then logging into Sync and letting it download everything.

No idea why it worked, though. Maybe Firefox couldn't access some other file, not `places.sqlite`, but didn't communicate the issue properly. Nevertheless, solved.

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All Replies (3)

Shadow110
Shadow110
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Hi, please try : SAFE MODE

In Firefox Safe mode these changes are effective:

  • all extensions are disabled (about:addons)
  • default theme is used (no persona)
  • userChrome.css and userContent.css are ignored (chrome folder)
  • default toolbar layout is used (file: localstore-safe.rdf)
  • Javascript JIT compilers are disabled (prefs: javascript.options.*jit)
  • hardware acceleration is disabled (Options > Advanced > General)
  • plugins are not affected
  • preferences are not affected

TEST''''is issue still there ?

cprn
cprn Question owner
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Pkshadow said

Hi, please try : SAFE MODE In Firefox Safe mode these changes are effective:
  • all extensions are disabled (about:addons)
  • default theme is used (no persona)
  • userChrome.css and userContent.css are ignored (chrome folder)
  • default toolbar layout is used (file: localstore-safe.rdf)
  • Javascript JIT compilers are disabled (prefs: javascript.options.*jit)
  • hardware acceleration is disabled (Options > Advanced > General)
  • plugins are not affected
  • preferences are not affected
TEST''''is issue still there ?

Yes, problem is still there in safe mode. Also removing the `places.sqlite` and starting the browser in safe mode makes it create a new file and still complain about it being locked.

cprn
cprn Question owner
more options

Chosen Solution

Fixed it by completely removing ~/.mozilla folder in my home directory and running Firefox in normal mode, then logging into Sync and letting it download everything.

No idea why it worked, though. Maybe Firefox couldn't access some other file, not `places.sqlite`, but didn't communicate the issue properly. Nevertheless, solved.