hello x2spare2000, see if you have profiles.ini file, if yes delete it, and check it again.

thank you

hi ideato. i did a file search and profiles.ini was not found. any further advice? thanks a bunch!

in %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox check if you have something like the screenshot (it is the profiles.ini file).

thanks

ideato, i couldn't see wording of file name exactly as you highlighted, but i ended up doing a "*.ini" file search on my hard-drive, which resulted in 359 files found. then i scanned down name column, and came to a 'configuration settings' file simply named "profiles" in folder: C:\Documents and Settings\Owner\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox

i deleted it and my Firefox browser opened! i've lost all my bookmarks, history, etc., but that's not the end of the world.

its been ages since i've had any problem to solve on my computer. i'm so thankful you replied and that i was able to get this resolved so quickly! its the first time i ever utilized this kind of public support.

i can't thank you enough, (((HUG))) gerri

p.s. firefox is running so much better than my internet explorer. may i ask, are you some kind of firefox expert? how did you know the solution?

Are there still other Firefox profile folders apart from the new default profile that is listed in the profiles.ini file?

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/profiles.ini_file

See also:

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Recovering+important+data+from+an+old+profile
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_Firefox

now i have another question, because even though i can now use my firefox browser, it is not keeping my bookmarks nor homepage i want; its like a clean slate every time i open it now. how can i fix this? do you know ideato or cor-el or anyone?

yes, there were other files titled 'profile.'

The profiles.ini is a file that Firefox uses to register and manage all profiles, so if there are other profile sections in this file then that means that you have created other profiles or possibly reset Firefox in older Firefox versions.
If you didn't do this then it is possible that Firefox is creating a new profile for some reason and that would explain the loss of your bookmarks.

Which security software (firewall, anti-virus) do you have?

i'm not concerned that i lost all of my original bookmarks, from when my original problem question occurred and firefox wouldn't even open. firefox opens since i deleted the ini profile which included 'mozilla' and i believe 'firefox' in its name. the other ini profile i looked at did not include 'mozilla' nor 'firefox' so i didn't worry about it.

the issue now: since i did delete the ini file which enabled me to open and use firefox browser, i cannot save new bookmarks and homepage, because they are disappearing between time i close firefox and then reopen it for use at a different time.

Hi gerri, did you try the steps in the next link ? How to set the home page

if you already do that then see: Corrupt or damaged prefs.js file

btw what is the start page when you re-open firefox ? Firefox's default home page ? (see : Firefox's default home page has quick links to common features )

thank you

You can press the F10 key or tap the Alt key to bring up the "Menu Bar" temporarily if you have the Firefox menu button and the menu bar is hidden.

Ideato I had the exact same problem about "Your Firefox profile cannot be loaded. It may be missing or inaccessible." and your suggestion about DELETING profiles.ini worked perfectly, thanks a bunch !

you are welcome suntandan