Firefox creates unauthorized additional profiles and then refuses to load, offering instead to download bookmarks from IE or from file
I've used Firefox for years but since last year Firefox repeatedly creates unauthorized additional profiles and then when I attempt to load the browser, it consistently refuses to load, bringing up that post-installation pop-up menu, offering to download bookmarks from IE or from file, as if I just installed it. I have no idea why it does this. I've tried everything including just about every suggestion I found online but nothing works. Firefox is my favorite browser with Edge as backup. However, because of this persistent annoying problem, I've switched temporarily to Cyberfox as my primary browser and Opera being my back-up, even though Edge is installed on my computer. My system is Windows 10; model HP 15-f387wm. My firewall is Comodo 10.0.1.6246 (Windows fire wall and Defender are disabled) and 360 Total Security is my Anti-virus. I also use an anti-malware program but don't think it is relevant. Please note that only Firefox does this as Opera, Cyberfox, IE and Edge all work perfectly. My system is x64 and Firefox x32 and x64 both exhibit this problem. What do you think is the cause of this problem? Thank you!
All Replies (4)
Hello,
Certain Firefox problems can be solved by performing a Clean reinstall. This means you remove your Firefox program files and then reinstall Firefox. This process does not remove your Firefox profile data (such as bookmarks and passwords), since that information is stored in a different location.
To do a clean reinstall of Firefox, please follow these steps: Note: You might want to print these steps or view them in another browser.
- Download the latest Desktop version of Firefox from mozilla.org (or choose the download for your operating system and language from this page) and save the setup file to your computer.
- After the download finishes, close all Firefox windows (or open the Firefox menu
and click the close button 
).
- Delete the Firefox installation folder, which is located in one of these locations, by default:
- Windows:
- C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox
- Mac: Delete Firefox from the Applications folder.
- Linux: If you installed Firefox with the distro-based package manager, you should use the same way to uninstall it - see Install Firefox on Linux. If you downloaded and installed the binary package from the Firefox download page, simply remove the folder firefox in your home directory.
- Windows:
- Now, go ahead and reinstall Firefox:
- Double-click the downloaded installation file and go through the steps of the installation wizard.
- Once the wizard is finished, choose to directly open Firefox after clicking the Finish button.
More information about reinstalling Firefox can be found here.
WARNING: Do not use a third party uninstaller as part of this process. Doing so could permanently delete your Firefox profile data, including but not limited to, extensions, cache, cookies, bookmarks, personal settings and saved passwords. These cannot be easily recovered unless they have been backed up to an external device! See Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles.
Please report back to say if this helped you!
Thank you.
Thanks for getting back to me. With regards to your suggestion, I've done a clean reinstall numerous times. And within a few launches, Firefox begins generating those additional profiles, just as if nothing happened.
I suspect that something, perhaps my Comodo firewall, is somehow preventing Firefox from writing to Firefox profile, forcing Firefox to generate those additional profiles; however, I've used Comodo for many years without this issue. Unless a feature recently introduced to Comodo Firewall sometime last year is the culprit.
My resources are limited thus I have no way of confirming or refuting that assumption. I'll keep on using Cyberfox in the interim until I figure out a way out of this mystifying dilemma.
Thank you!
Such issues are likely caused by a problem with the profiles.ini file that registers profiles. When the profiles.ini file is missing then a new default profile is created and you get the import wizard.
Make sure that your security software isn't removing or otherwise blocks Firefox from accessing the profiles.ini file.
I found a somewhat temporary working solution as outlined in http://kb.mozillazine.org/Shortcut_to_a_specific_profile. Thanks!