May be necessary to remake profile. The Shockwave and Java applications may need 'PLUGIN UPDATE' for newer versions. Suggest a check for any outdated PLUGIN UPDATE found from the Mozilla Firefox Toolbar 'Help' Menu > 'Firefox Help' > [lower right margin displays link to more info to review and 'UPDATE PLUGIN's!

I can't get to the help menu because the program will not open, so there is no toolbar for me to click on.

Is there still a profiles.ini file present?

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

• C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Firefox+is+already+running+but+is+not+responding
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_in_use

Negative. I'm pretty sure it's a registry problem at this point. Today I did a system restore to a prior date (before the WoW patch & the problems began), and that allowed me to USE Chrome, but not Firefox.

I gave up & decided to reinstall Vista. The headache it was becoming was urging me to find a bigger hammer.

Thanks for the help.

SOLVED / FOR ME AT LEAST AND MAY WORK FOR YOU

--Read carefully the brief description of what caused this problem before implementing my solution since I'm resetting file perms--

Using Vista and FF 16.x, my hard drive ran out of space after Mucking Ficrosoft tried to jam me with another Critical Microsoft Update to fix another terrible vulnerability that would allow someone to just imagine their way into your Windows installation. That download maxed out the hard drive and seemingly corrupted Firefox. A series of access errors prevented me from accessing any of the FF menus and no hope of starting it in Safe Mode.

Attempting to just right click the FF directory inside my Windows user profile resulted in a series of errors and more frustration due to either Windows or FF, ... at this point I didn't care.

Before any of the lazy attempt to offer their incompetent advice, rest assured I'm already viewing all files, and confident I'm unafflicted with spyware and viruses so anyone tempted to suggest that is my issue can spare themselves and just hold their breath for as long as possible and then for another extra minute.

THE FIX: Used the Windows command line to reset all of the file and directory perms since the Explorer / right click / Properties and Perms options weren't working.

1. Download Subinacl.msi from Microsoft, as of this writing iT ISN'T ONE OF THOSE ANNOYING DOWNLOADS REQUIRING VALIDATION / IF YOU ALREADY HAVE AN APPROPRIATE MS RESOURCE KIT THEN YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE SUBINACL on your PC but it is free and has been revised over the years and I suggest keeping things constant and just download the latest bug checked / fixed version at: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=23510

2. Extract / install and pay close attention to the location since you're firing this off from a DOS shell, you have to use the qualified path. I just install it to the %windir% directory ( c:\windows )

3. Execute a DOS/ COMMAND prompt As an Administratorand COPY + paste the following command (may wrap on your screen) in its entirety including quotes:

attrib -s -h -r /s /d "%appdata%\mozilla\firefox\*.*"

subinacl /verbose /subdirectories "%appdata%\mozilla\firefox\*.*" grant="%username%=f'

Lots of output will burst onto the screen but a summary will appear when the subinacl process has completed and added your user ID with Full Control perms on the FF profile directory, subdirectories and all files contained therein.

Sadly, no one uses the built in environment variables anymore including Mozilla support engineers and it forces users to navigate long paths and increases the chances of errors. Since Vista can do funky things with securing linked directories, I'm speculating it was preventing me from using the standard method of resetting perms. IF THAT STILL DIDNT' WORK / then follow the banal advice of triple checking cert8.db since you just executed two explicit instructions to open it up but verify the file exists and ISN'T read only.

If those commands didn't work for me, then I was planning to either use PortableApps or ToR's version of FF which would've installed and created new profile directories without being forced to follow Mozilla's useless advice to CREATE new user ID's or delete and rename existing profiles that could also be locked by other applications or errant processes and threads from FF. (Where does Mozilla find these people and their landmine instructions ?!?!?!)

OR, struggled to find GoogleChrome and Opera plugins to replace my FF plugins while continuing to swear at Mozilla and Mucking Ficrosoft for their simplistic bugs arising from conflicts that shouldn't be occurring due to over a decade of history.

XP SP3. FF stopped working for me 2 or 3 days ago and i'm not sure why. I did get a Start Firefox in safe mode or restart and I chose restart as i'd never seen that before. Ever since then I get the same error message "Your Firefox profile cannot be loaded. It may be missing or inaccessible." An Old Firefox Data folder did appear on my sometime around the time I started having problems with FF 16. I've uninstalled, deleted everything from FF folder, and reinstalled with no problems but upon trying to load it, same error message as above.

However, I did receive a totally different error message yesterday. "application or DLL E:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\xul.dll is not a valid Windows image. Please check this against your installation diskette." I'm not sure how to fix that or what it means.

As for what EAGLES posted, I installed Subinacl.msi and tried the 2 commands. First one seemed to go just fine but second one came up with " 'SUBINACL' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file."

PLEASE help :( I miss FF and IE sucks!

To BigJ67..., you clearly didn't read the preamble to my post, especially the part about "read carefully" since I'm using a completely different operating system and what caused my problem was completely different from yours.

Candidly, between you and me,,,,, you have demonstrated already that you have no business using the command shell and at this point you're just stabbing in the dark and trying everything you read to fix a problem you aren't systematically diagnosing.

I speculate subinacl and resetting the perms won't help you, and at this pace, you're going to end up reinstalling XP before election day since you're on a path to trashing by indiscriminately trying whatever you find online your system or just relying on unreliable XP system restores.

You really need to consider downloading the Portable Apps version of FF since it isn't as reliant on the local %userprofile% directories like classic FF is and will get you back up and using the web the same way a good spare tire does.

Regardless, I'll answer your problem about why subinacl didn't work for you .....AND THIS PART....YOU GOTTA READ IT.

OK ?

R - E - A - D

Kinda important to actually read the instructions especially when dorking around in a command shell.

Ready to read ???

Positive ?

1. Download Subinacl.msi from Microsoft, as of this writing iT ISN'T ONE OF THOSE ANNOYING DOWNLOADS REQUIRING VALIDATION / IF YOU ALREADY HAVE AN APPROPRIATE MS RESOURCE KIT THEN YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE SUBINACL on your PC but it is free and has been revised over the years and I suggest keeping things constant and just download the latest bug checked / fixed version at: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=23510

2. Extract / install and pay close attention to the location since you're firing this off from a DOS shell, you have to use the qualified path. I just install it to the %windir% directory ( c:\windows )

ok your post really didn't help much and bashing me cause I have no clue how to fix this isn't helping me either

YES I can read and I just figured I might try that anyway to see if it would work (desperate here since I can't seem to find any other fixes that actually work for me)

from READING yours, it looks like there is something missing from your post.... no need to repost those instructions, you mentioned them earlier lol, what I need is an actual fix or a better idea how to fix this without taking it to the guy who has worked on my computer before who happens to live an hour and a half away

oh yeah, I reckon I should mention as for your....

You really need to consider downloading the Portable Apps version of FF since it isn't as reliant on the local %userprofile% directories like classic FF is and will get you back up and using the web the same way a good spare tire does.

If i'm reading that right, it involves getting the app on my droid and putting on my computer but that's not an option for me either since my computer has never recognized my droid as a USB device. I'm not sure where to go on my phone to access that app to try to email it either.

OK tough guy,

and make sure you use your widdle bwoken dwown installation of firefox to email and annoy your country cousin friend so he can come over and join me in laughing at your lack of attention to detail.

AND your Android isn't recognized by your PC as a USB device ???? The most commonly manufactured smartphone isn't being recognized by your commonly installed version of Windows ?

Man, you got larger problems and you're clearly rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic !!!!

OK here is what you do!!! WORKS 100%.

It took me forever to find the right answer.

For windows. Go start run In the Run dialogue box, type in: firefox.exe -p This will bring up a new window, create a new default user and click START BLOODY FIREFOX!!!! I hope this helped out some people because this is the first time that I took the time to register for a forum and put up a solution! YAY!

BigJ67R

Do a clean reinstall and delete the Firefox program folder before reinstalling a fresh copy of Firefox.

• C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Installation_directory

Download a fresh Firefox copy and save the file to the desktop.

• Firefox 16.0.x: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all.html

Uninstall your current Firefox version, if possible, to cleanup the Windows registry and settings in security software.

• Do NOT remove personal data when you uninstall your current Firefox version, because all profile folders will be removed and you will also lose your personal data like bookmarks and passwords from profiles of other Firefox versions.

Remove the Firefox program folder before installing that newly downloaded copy of the Firefox installer.

• It is important to delete the Firefox program folder to remove all the files and make sure that there are no problems with files that were leftover after uninstalling.
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Uninstalling_Firefox

Your bookmarks and other profile data are stored in the Firefox Profile Folder and won't be affected by an uninstall and (re)install, but make sure that "remove personal data" is NOT selected when you uninstall Firefox.

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_backup

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Clean_reinstall

You could just create new profile: Use the Profile Manager to create and remove Firefox profiles in that way you could open the firefox....I've tried it with my mac....I hope it will help you too in Windows

Thanks for that - after reading your answer I first had a really good giggle, then followed your steps and walla ... Firefox BLOODY STARTED! Just want to thank you for brightening up my day!!!

Hi Laidmannic. Thanks for that - after reading your answer I first had a really good giggle, then followed your steps and walla ... Firefox BLOODY STARTED! Just want to thank you for brightening up my day!!!

Hi laidmannick

Thanks for that - after reading your answer I first had a really good giggle, then followed your steps and walla ... Firefox BLOODY STARTED! Just want to thank you for brightening up my day!!!