http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2249039&sid=b67c78c71b5a625cfd11373bc4898504

Hi the-edmeister,

Thanks, I just read your article.

If I don't use the profile manager and I create a second Program Files folder called say, "Program Files 2" and install Firefox 5 to that folder, will my original Firefox "Profiles" folder at C> Users> Username> AppData> Roaming> Mozilla> Firefox> Profiles>t85otw8d.default be overwritten?

I don't need to have both versions run at the same time, I just want to test Firefox 5 while I keep my Firefox 3.6.18 on this machine the way that it is now.

Thanks,

numetro

Do a custom install and install each version in its own program folder to use multiple Firefox versions.

• https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Custom+installation+of+Firefox+on+Windows

Create a new profile exclusively for each Firefox version.

Create a desktop shortcut with -P "profile" appended to the target to launch each Firefox version with its own profile.

See these mozillaZine KB articles for information:

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Creating_a_new_Firefox_profile_on_Windows
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Shortcut_to_a_specific_profile

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Using_multiple_profiles_-_Firefox
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Opening_a_new_instance_of_Firefox_with_another_profile

Hi cor-el,

Thanks for your reply and information.

I just have a couple of follow-up questions before I proceed with this information for my additional FF5 installation.

Your first link... https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Custom+installation+of+Firefox+on+Windows ... tells how to do a custom installation, which is good information so one can install a new version of FF to a new "Programs 2" folder on the C drive.

And your second link... http://kb.mozillazine.org/Creating_a_new_Firefox_profile_on_Windows ... tells how to create a new profile with the profile manager. So far I am following the information in these articles.

But if I'm creating a new profile for FireFox 5, that would assume that I've already installed FF5 (right? or am I wrong on that). If I'm wrong, how does one create a profile for a version of Firefox that hasn't been installed yet?

And what I was wondering in my last question was whether or not installing FF5 will create a profile that overwrites my existing profile for Firefox 3.6 at C> Users> Username> AppData> Roaming> Mozilla> Firefox> Profiles>t85otw8d.default.

In other words, if I intend to use the profile manager to create different profiles, but I need to install my second version of Firefox (FF5) first, wouldn't that overwrite my existing Profiles folder for FireFox 3.6 before I ever get to the step where I use the profile manager?

And assuming I do get to using the step of using the profile manager, does that just create an empty, bare minimum profile for whatever version of Firefox that I intend to use the new profile for?... or does it somehow include all existing data from the version of Firefox that I intend to use it for from whatever profile I already have at C> Users> Username> AppData> Roaming> Mozilla> Firefox> Profiles>t85otw8d.default ?

What seems to be the big question here is, how do I install FireFox 5, if doing so creates a new Profiles folder, without affecting my existing FF3.6 Profiles folder?

And I don't necessarily need to run the new Firefox 5 with a different profile from my existing Firefox 3.6... I just want to make sure to leave my existing FF3.6 in the same state that it is in now, and if I run the new Firefox 5 with the profile data from my existing FF3.6, that is actually my final intention... to have FireFox 5 with all the same extensions, add-ons, themes, bookmarks and everything that my current FF3.6 has.

Thanks for your further guidance on these issues,

numetro

You first install a Firefox version via a custom install and make sure not to start Firefox after the installation finishes to make sure that the new installation doesn't use an existing profile folder.
Instead you start Firefox via the command line or a modified desktop shortcut with -P appended that you can extend later or right now (you still get the PM if a profile doesn't exist) with the profile name that you specify in the Profile Manager as the name of the profile like default-50 for Firefox 5.0.x to avoid confusion.
Then you can start Firefox with the new profile via the shortcut that has a -P "profile_name" parameter.

Hi Corel,

I think I get it, so I'll list the steps in the order that I understand they should be done just to make sure...

1) I already have Firefox 3.6.18 installed and it's profile folder is at the normal location of C> Users> Username> AppData> Roaming> Mozilla> Firefox> Profiles>t85otw8d.default ... I also have it backed up to another location too.

2) I create a folder on the C drive named "Program Files 2". Then I right-click on the new Firefox 5 installer and select "run as administrator" and then select "Custom" in the "Setup Type" panel, then click, "Next>".

3) Then I browse to my new "Program Files 2" folder that I made, then click "Next>" again.

4) Then in the next panel, under "Create icons for Firefox" I check, "On my desktop", but uncheck, "In my Start Menu Programs folder" and uncheck "In my Quick Launch bar", then click "Next>".

5) Then in the next panel I uncheck, "Launch Firefox now" and then click "Finish".

6) The with the new desktop icon that has been created during the Firefox 5 installation process, I add a space, then a dash and then a P at the end of "firefox.exe" or just change the shortcut icon name to "firefox.exe -P".

7) Then I open the profile manager by typing "firefox.exe -P" in the RUN box, which I can bring up by pressing "windows key+R" on the keyboard.

8) Then I will get the "Firefox - Choose User Profile" panel, and I click "Create Profile...".

9) Then I will get a "Create Profile Wizard" panel and I click "Next>".

10) Then in the following panel that says "Completing the Create Profile Wizard", I enter a new profile name, say "Firefox 5" and then click "Finish".

11) Then in the final Profile Wizard panel I uncheck, "Don't ask at startup" and select my new profile name in the field above that, then click "Start Firefox" and my new Firefox 5 will open, without effecting my existing Firefox 3.6.18 installation or profiles folder.

Then later when opening Firefox 5, I can check, "Don't ask at startup" in that same "Firefox - Choose User Profile" panel, so it won't ask me every time I open Firefox 5.

Or later, if I want to use my Firefox 3.6.18 profile folder to run my new Firefox 5 app, I can select my t85otw8d.default profile folder to run my new Firefox 5 with all the extensions, add-ons, etc. that are now running my Firefox 3.6.18.

Is that correct?

Thanks,

digi

Yes. That looks fine to me.
You shouldn't switch profiles for one version, so as long as you have more than one Firefox version then you need to start that Firefox version only with its own profile.
Make sure that you open each version with its own desktop shortcut that specifies the profile to use.

You need to make sure that you have selected the profile for the default browser in the PM to avoid opening Firefox with the wrong profile if you click a link in another program and Firefox isn't running.

So if Firefox 3.6.x is the default browser then use the PM manager once to select the Firefox 3 default profile (the profile is marked with Default=1 in the file profiles.ini)

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

Okay cor-el,

I got it... so I guess if I want to try to run the new Firefox 5 with the profile data that I know have in FF3.6, then I'd copy the 3.6 profiles folder content and paste it in to the new FF5 profile folder... after backing up the new FF5 profiles folder content, just in case there are problems with the FF3.6 profiles data in FF5.

Thanks so much... I'll let you know how it goes.

numetro

Do not copy all data from one profile to another.
Copy only what you need (bookmarks, passwords etc.)

See:

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

Hi cor-el

Well, on this machine, it seems like it works for a few starts of each of the FF3.6 and FF5 apps, then it gets confused.

I was able to open each independently via double-clicking on the desktop icon and then selecting the profile of the FF version I wanted to open and it worked fine.

Then I was testing them, opening and closing each a few times, to see if I could make a separate desktop icon for each one and a separate taskbar icon for each, while leaving the one for FireFox 5 named "firefox.exe -P" and that seemed to actually work a few times during test openings, but the taskbar icon would always open to the profile manager that allows me to choose which I want to open... that was okay.

But then I started getting a message when I choose the "default" profile, which is the one for Firefox 3.6... it started giving a message saying saying that profile is in use, so close it down or choose another profile to open... but 3.6 and 5 were already closed. So then I'd choose the new FF5 profile and it would open FF5.

Then I was working with it some more and I kept getting the message about the default FF3.6 profile already being open, when neither were open, and so I'd choose the FF5 profile, but then it started opening up FF3.6 when I choose the FF5 profile, but with a clean, blank browser, without any of my customizations, as if 3.6 had just been freshly installed... this is exactly what I was afraid of... so all of a sudden I couldn't open FF5 and no mater what I did, and it would open 3.6 as if it was just installed.

So I tried removing the new FF5 profile from the profiles folder, then neither would open, which ever profile I would choose. So I thought I was going to need to do a restore point/system restore, but I tried restarting the machine first, and now it is back to properly opening the correct respective version, 3.6 or 5, based on the profile choice that I make when opening, just like it was the first few times after the successful installation and profile creation process.

So I'm okay for now, but I'm not sure if it gets confused after a few times and then the machine needs to be restarted for it to get unconfused or what... that's the way it seems based on what just happened.

So for now I'm good, but we'll see.

I'll read those links to see which info I can transfer over. What I wanted to do was to see if FF5 is that much faster or better than FF3.6 somehow, and if so, then just copy all my profiles folder data from FF3.6 over to the FF5 profiles folder to instantly customize it, as one can with transferring 3.6 profiles data to a new FF3.6 installation, but if I can't do that, then I guess I'd need to customize FF5 manually, if it turns out to be so much faster or something.

One thing I know I don't like is that I need to do a "restore last browsing session" upon opening, instead of having the "save all tabs" dialog box when I close the prior session.

Also, no menu bar at the top... I don't like that.

That's why I wanted to test FF5 before committing and loosing my FF3.6.

Thanks for all of your help,

numetro

Just follow the instructions that I wrote above and only use two desktop shortcuts that open each Firefox version with a specific profile folder and avoid using the profile manager.
You can only open one version at the time unless you add the -no-remote switch to the command line

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox3\firefox.exe" -no-remote -P "default_3"
"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox5\firefox.exe" -no-remote -P "default_5"

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Opening_a_new_instance_of_Firefox_with_another_profile

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Using_multiple_profiles_-_Firefox
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Shortcut_to_a_specific_profile

Hi cor-el,

The problems that the two versions of Firefox started having with opening was working at first with two desktop shortcuts, like I wrote above. Then when I started getting that message about FF3.6 already being open when both were closed, so I started just opening from one shortcut via the profile manager, and also the same way from a single taskbar shortcut.

Then a fresh copy of FF3.6 would open from using the FF5 profile, then neither would open... but like I said, after restarting the machine, that cleared it up and right now I'm just running FF3.6 as normal since I'll need to completely re-customize FF5, since I can't just drop in the FF3.6 profile data.

I'll read those links about creating two desktop icons to see if they are recommending some other desktop shortcut creation technique besides going in to each of the respective FF folders and creating separate shortcuts from each.

I only want to open one version of Firefox at a time... I don't know how to add command-line code anyway.

Thanks again,

numetro

Well, more complications.

Before trying the new method to create two different desktop shortcuts, I closed and re-opened my Firefox 3.6 again just to see if it was going to start having problems after a couple of opens and closes like it did before.

This time when opening FF3.6, it displayed a message saying that three of my existing extensions/add-ons are not compatible with version 3.6 (which have, of course, always been compatible) and it opened FF3.6 without those extensions... they were the black night-launch theme that I have, Adobe DLM, which is the Adobe download manager that is required to download and install Adobe Flash updates for FF3.6 and one other that I didn't catch the name of. Then it opened without my black theme, but all else looked to be in place, but I figure the Adobe DLM was disabled, plus one other unknown extension.

So I closed FF3.6 and restarted the machine and tried re-0pening it FF3.6 again and it seemed to go through some sort brief, visible extensions checking process with a progress bar and again opened without my black theme.

So I removed the new FF5 profile from the profiles folder and tried again, but I was still offered the choice of two profiles when I tried opening from my taskbar shortcut this time. I was about to do a restore point, but I decided to swap my default FF3.6 profile folder with a copy of the backup that I had made because I could tell something had been changed or corrupted in my FF3.6 profiles folder.

So I copied in the new copy from my default FF3.6 profile folder backup, restarted the machine again and now, fortunately, I have my old FF3.6 back the way it was.

So I can see that opening via the profile manager is getting things mixed up and somehow corrupted my original default FF3.6 profiles folder so some of the extensions were seen as incompatible with FF3.6.

I think I'm going to uninstall FF5 and get rid or it's new profile and I'll just stick with the good old FF3.6.18... I didn't like the lack of "save tabs and windows for next session" option when closing FF5 and the fact that there was no standard menu bar at the top anyway.

Thanks for all of your help... but sometimes stuff just doesn't work the way that it was intended to when new software comes out and one tries to have the best of both worlds.

numetro

Wouldn't it be great if Mozilla made an installer for their new browsers that has the option to install and leave the previous version in place, then it created a completely separate set of shortcut icons that opened only the new version of the browser, all as a normal part of the new software?

I really like Thunderbird too, but it has inherent problems with keeping the text in the same size and format and there are hundreds of people complaining and chattering about that on one specific thread on the "Get Satisfaction" forum. Thunderbird also has some problems when one has multiple placed photos in an email and if it auto-saves while one is writing their email it scrambles or deletes the photos that are in the email, and also sometimes when sending an email the photos disappear after one clicks the "send" button and the email has to be quickly canceled from sending or it sends with blank spots where the photos were placed.

I know that software is hard to write, but those issues with Thunderbird have been going on for years unresolved, if you read what people have been writing on that forum... but that's a whole other can of worms.

numetro

If you use the Profile Manager then you can easily make a mistake and select the wrong profile.
That is why you should use desktop shortcuts with a profile specified.

You probably have corrupted some files in the profile by starting with the wrong profile and in that case it may be better to create two new profiles and copy the files that you need (bookmarks, passwords) from the old profile to it.

Delete the files extensions.* (extensions.sqlite, extensions.ini, extensions.cache, extensions.rdf) and compatibility.ini in the Firefox profile folder to reset the extensions registry.
New files will be created when required. See "Corrupt extension files":

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Unable_to_install_themes_or_extensions

See also:

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Resetting_preferences

Hi cor-el,

There's no mistaking the names of my two profiles, "Default" and "Firefox 5", so there's been no wrong selection of a profile name.

The profile manager is supposed to open which ever one is selected anyway... first I had my original profile stop opening and I'd get the message about it already being open, then both stopped opening and I'd get that message with either profile.

Then after restarting the machine and getting the profiles back to normal again, somehow the original default profile got corrupt by only opening it properly one time, then I got the erroneous message that some of my FF3.6 extensions that have always worked properly were incompatible with FF3.6 and they wouldn't load upon opening FF3.6... there's no mistake about that.

I wouldn't write about very specific problems that this is causing unless I was absolutely sure of what errors were happening and what did or didn't take place before they happened.

As I said, after tossing my default profile, replacing it with a copy that I originally backed up, then moving the FF5 profile away from the profiles folder, now my FF3.6 is back to normal.

If you carefully read each post that I've made, you'll see what happened in detail and you won't be mistaken about the preciseness of each of my actions or whether or not I can understand the difference between "Default" and "Firefox 5".

All of this is way beyond what a normal computer user would understand or attempt anyway. If this software was written with user friendliness in mind, then one wouldn't have to do software surgery in order have both of these browsers on the same hard drive.

At this point, deleting five different specific files from each profiles folder to do emergency surgery on screwed up profile data would be like operating on a patient that is 100 percent likely to get sick with the same problem again.

I've done my tests and I can see that the Firefox 5 profile data or installation corrupts one or both sets of profiles when this two browser method is attempted.

Thanks for all of your input, but I think I like my FF3.6 since FF5 is missing some simple things like "the save tabs and windows" dialog when closing and the simple need for a menu bar at the top. If I want to use software that takes features away and that has no menu bar, I can go back to Microsoft browsers and email client... which I'm about to do anyway for my email app based on the apparent unsolvable problems with Thunderbird.

But thanks for your unrelenting help on all of this... without your assistance, I wouldn't have been able to perform these tests and find out for sure what problems can and do arise.

numetro

cor-el,

An IT expert friend of mine who has been following this thread said it can take "several minutes" for Firefox to clear its virtual memory after being closed... and re-opening one of the profiles too soon (within several minutes) can corrupt the profile data... that is a definite problem.

That would partially explain what has been happening here.

I'm still curious how one can use "the wrong profile" in the profile manager since the profile manager is supposed to just open which ever version of Firefox is selected, and not corrupt the profile data for both of the browsers that are installed.

numetro

Only if you get an error message that says that the profile is in use then you need to wait a bit longer before restarting with the same profile. Selecting a different profile shouldn't be a problem.

The problem is that Firefox doesn't show in the profile manager which version you are using and if you click the wrong shortcut by accident then problems lie ahead.
There also can be problems if you click a link in other programs that opens the default browser and Firefox isn't running.

I have my profile names set as "default" (which means FF3.6) and "Firefox 5" (which is Firefox 5)... if I was that stupid to mix those two up, then I never would have got this far with the written information about how to do this.

So what would the "wrong shortcut" be?... since both times that corruption got to my Firefox 3.6 profiles folder the profile manager was at a point of not opening either version of Firefox and giving a "profile in use message" for both, or it would open FF3.6 without 3 of the extensions that it always opens with.

The test failures of this two browser method last night didn't involve opening either browser from a link in an email or anyplace else... just the desktop icons with the profile manager and with the taskbar icon and the profile manager.

I know it is hard for software experts and code writers to admit that the software in question isn't working correctly, but to keep trying to blame the software glitches on opening the "wrong profile" seems to be a bit of a pointless denial at this time.

I already quoted an IT expert who has had experiences with Firefox hanging on to virtual memory for several minutes, and attempting to open a browser before that (undefined by Mozilla) time frame causes profile corruption.

At this point to keep trying to suggest anything but what the obvious problems are with the profile manager, or with FF3.6 and FF5 hanging on to virtual memory and causing profile corruption, is a bit hard to believe.

You keep talking about the "wrong profile" but since the profile manager is intended to open one or the other version of Firefox, there is no "wrong profile" to open... I keep asking, but you keep using that term that doesn't suit what we are talking about here.

I can see what is happening here and nothing else will convince me that there isn't a problem with either the profile manager or Firefox hanging on to virtual memory and causing problems with profile corruption if one tries to re-open the same or another Firefox browser too soon after one has been closed.

PS: If you talk to the Thunderbird coder team, tell them they need to do some deep work on Thunderbird... all of Tbird's users have been complaining about it on the "Get Satisfaction" forum for over 2 years now... there's no satisfaction there.

The problem with Firefox, versions 3.6.18 and 5.01, getting corrupt profile data when using the profile manager to open each version of Firefox separately is apparently caused by Firefox hanging on to virtual memory for a few minutes after one or the other version is closed.

I found from testing that as long as I wait a few minutes (apparently 3-5 minutes) between closing Firefox 5 and opening Firefox 3.6, and vice-verse, that no corruption of the profile data in either browser happens and no other problems occur.

So being patient and waiting for a few minutes is the key when testing and using two or more versions of Firefox separately.

Thanks for your prior guidance.

numetro