Firefox stopped opening after an auto update
Hello team,
Firefox stopped opening after an auto update. I saw briefly the message that the update was being installed, and from then on it's dead. I tried everything in the last 24 hours. I spent hours reading ALL the related articles in Firefox support and trying their "remedies". None worked.
Firefox Safe mode ===> won't launch Profile Manager ===> won't launch either My profiles folder exists and all the subfolders about session restore, extensions, features, bookmark backup and so on. My profile.ini file also exists and hasnt ever been reamed or deleted.
So official Mozilla articles about this are not helping at all. It s really disappointing to see people reporting this serious problem since 2012 and still a permanent fix to it has not been provided by Mozilla. Please, I need some volunteer who would think out of the box and give a comprehensive solution.
Note: One of the many suggestions in the official articles asks us to manually delete or rename the profile.ini file. I am reluctant to do this UNLESS I AM REASSURED that last session windows and tabs if Firefox opens with the new profile will not be lost. I mean the new profile wont open them obviously, but if I switch back to the old profile I need those to open.
Thank you.
Guido.
All Replies (7)
A few more comments on this: Since the profile folder/files structure seems to be intact: 1) is there a way to launch firefox by opening/executing any of these files? 2) is there a way to confirm if the profile.ini file or any other is corrupt by simply opening/inspecting them? A way different than Safe mode and Profile Manager which as said are not working for me. Again terrible that Mozilla provide debugging tools that work for some not for all !
Modified by gcascardo
Let’s do a full clean re-install;
Note: Firefox comes in three or more folders on all computers. They are;
Maintenance: (Programs Folder) <Windows Only> Firefox itself: (Programs Folder) And two folders in the profile of each user on the computer for each Firefox profile for that user.
If you remove the Firefox folder, the user profiles would not be affected.
Download Firefox For All languages And Systems {web link}
Save the file. Then Close Firefox.
Using your file browser, open the Programs Folder on your computer.
Windows: C:\Program Files C:\Program Files (x86) Note: Check Both Folders
Mac: Open the "Applications" folder. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-download-and-install-firefox-mac
Linux: Check your user manual. If you installed Firefox with the distro-based package manager, you should use the same way to uninstall it. See Install Firefox on Linux; https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/install-firefox-linux
If you downloaded and installed the binary package from the Firefox download page, simply remove the folder Firefox in your home directory. http://www.mozilla.org/firefox#desktop ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Look for, and remove any Mozilla or Firefox program folders. Do not remove the Mozilla Thunderbird folder if there is one.
Do Not remove any profile folders.
After rebooting the computer, run a registry scanner if you have one. Then run the installer. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If there is a problem, start your Computer in safe mode and try again.
http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Linux+Safe+Mode This shows how to Start all Computers in Safe Mode; Free Online Encyclopedia
Also, Some problems occur when your Internet security program was set to trust the previous version of Firefox, but no longer recognizes your updated version as trusted. Now how to fix the problem: To allow Firefox to connect to the Internet again;
- Make sure your Internet security software is up-to-date (i.e. you are running the latest version).
- Remove Firefox from your program's list of trusted or recognized programs. For detailed instructions, see
Configure firewalls so that Firefox can access the Internet. {web link}
Hello FredMoD,
I tried the Firewall procedure first and nothing happens, Firefox did not launch.
Regarding the clean install that you are suggesting: 1) as all problems started after an autoupdate of Firefox, why not reinstate previous version that worked fine? The version currently installed is 67.0.3 (x64 en-US). 2) if item 1 is not possible, will you confirm that if I follow your steps NONE of the data will be lost? i.e. bookmarks, history, passwords, tabs and windows etc? Note that I have Synch but as it constantly logs me off I am not sure how up to date it is. Is there a way to find when Firefox last synched my computer?
Modified by gcascardo
gcascardo said
1) as all problems started after an autoupdate
Sometimes an update on top of an update on top of . . . . can cause issues. A clean install could fix this.
2) if item 1 is not possible, will you confirm that if I follow your steps NONE of the data will be lost) i.e. bookmarks, history, passwords, tabs and windows etc?
If you remove the Firefox folder, the user profiles would not be affected. See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1262788#answer-1232013
Note that I have Synch but as it constantly logs me off
Type about:preferences#privacy<enter> in the address bar. The button next to History, select Use Custom Settings.
At the bottom of the page, turn on Clear History When Firefox Closes. At the far right, press the Settings button. Turn on ONLY Cache and Form And Search History leaving the others off.
FredMcD said
Type about:preferences#privacy<enter> in the address bar. The button next to History, select Use Custom Settings.
At the bottom of the page, turn on Clear History When Firefox Closes. At the far right, press the Settings button. Turn on ONLY Cache and Form And Search History leaving the others off.
How am I supposed to do this if Firefox is not opening?!
I will try the clean install but after reading similar posts I am not too optimistic about it.
Hi gcascardo, In response to your question on the other thread - Here are two tools which may help: Malwarebytes AdwCleaner Norton Power Eraser I hope they can help.