Firefox "already running"

I just downloaded Firefox 3 and immediately can't launch it because "Firefox is already running, but not responding. To open a new window, you must first close the existing Firefox process, or restart your system. "

Restarting my computer just gives me the same message. I'm using XP; once upon a time, I did have Firefox 2.something on my computer, but removed it . . . and I thought all traces of it.

Any suggestions?

 

lee2000,

Open your profiles.ini file, using WordPad, or Notepad
The file is located here:
C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox

Ensure that the Path=Profiles line contains the correct Profile Name. If by chance you missed deleting the Firefox folder in the above location, the profiles.ini file may still contain an older profile path...

[General]
StartWithLastProfile=1

[Profile0]
Name=default
IsRelative=1
Path=Profiles/v6zui74n.default

Let us know if this solves your problem.

 

still "running "

Edited the profile as shown and rebooted computer, but I still get the same error message.

 

If this was done, I don't think that it is quite correct. The alphanumeric preceding default, i.e. v6zui74n, will be the number of your profile, whatever it is, in the Mozilla|Firefox|Profiles.
In fact, i don't even have a "default" profile, as I gave different names to all profiles.

 

Not a fix in its self but:

Reboot run nothing
Hit Ctrl Alt Del to open taskmanager (taskmgr)

First click applications and if running end the task

if not running in Applications click Processes, rt click and End process tree for firefox.

Once ended now see if FF will open for you, if so it will still need to be fixed and then Westside and Ramona who are very up on FF may be able to help you better with FF actually running.

Mike

 

Lee, I assume you substituted your profile name, and didn't use the example profile name?

Open the Profile Manager
Start | Run | firefox.exe -Profile Manager
Is the correct profile name showing?

 

Mr Flynn-

Nice to see you under better circumstances.

My cure;
reboot
uninstall FF and get rid of your downloads.
Get a new download of FF3 setup and reinstall.

I had the same problem and that took care of it for me. I did not touch my profile.

Others are free to disagree.

>>RSM

 

Hi Richard

Yes better for us anyway.

No as I said not a fix.

I just did not want to do anything that may lose bookmarks etc or profile. As Westside and Ramona are the experts with FF.

Mike

 

Hi Lee,

I'm glad you've solved your problem, but here's another option, which you, and others, might want to file for future reference.

Any time a program is uninstalled, whether with the program's own uninstaller (if it has one) or with Add/Remove, entries are left behind in the Registry. Although they're not usually a problem, they have been known to cause problems if the same program, or a newer version, is reinstalled.

What I propose may seem complicated, and a bit radical, but the procedure works well with Firefox. If it seems long, that's only because it's easier to do than it is to describe.

1. If you don't already have it, download RegSeeker. It's free, and doesn't need to be installed ... you can run it from any folder you choose (I maintain a dedicated folder for programs like this, just to keep them separate from C:\Program Files).

2. In Windows Explorer, delete the C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Mozilla and C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Application Data\Mozilla folders. No harm has been done, but do NOT delete your Firefox program or profile folders.

3. Even if you gave your profile a logical name, like "Lee" or "Lee2000 ", when you installed Firefox, if you installed the profile in the default location your profile folder is a subfolder of the C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles folder. If so, the installer added eight gobbledygook characters (Ramona refers to them as "salted "), which are completely unnecessary. Delete the eight characters, renaming the folder to "Lee ", "Lee2000 ", or anything you like, but keep it simple.

4. Open RegSeeker and click on the top sidebar menu selection, "Find in Registry... ". When the window opens, the boxes for HKEY_USERS and KEY_CURRENT_CONFIG are unchecked by default. It's probably unnecessary, but I always check them, just to be sure all bases are covered.

In the search window type firefox and, when the search is complete, click on the blue checkmark at the bottom of the window, then click on "Select All" from the pop-up menu.

Click on the "Action" icon, then click "Delete selected items" from the menu. This step is completely reversible if you leave the "Backup before deletion" box checked ... it's the default setting. The *.reg file, which will reinstall all deleted entries back into the Registry, is located in the RegSeeker > Backup folder.
​

NOTE: FWIW, I think the procedures in #4 should be used after the uninstallation of any program.

5. Follow the steps in #4, this time searching for mozilla. This will NOT affect Thunderbird in any way.

6. The creators of Firefox didn't provide a shortcut icon for the Profile Manager, but it's easy to create one, and it's handy to have. Make a copy of Firefox's Desktop shortcut and rename it "Firefox Profile Manager ". Right-click on it and select Properties; to the Target Line add -p.

The Target Line should look like this:

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -p
​

7. Open the Profile Manager and, if there's a profile with your desired name delete it, but don't delete the files. Click on "Create Profile ", enter the name of your profile folder in the new window, click on the "Choose Folder" button, navigate to the location of your profile folder in the Browse window that opens, and click on it.
​

What's happened is that you've just re-created the C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox folder, with its included profiles.ini file.

Your Firefox shortcut locates firefox.exe, and points to the profiles.ini file, which tells the program which profile to use.
When Firefox first runs it creates the required Registry entries, which are far fewer than those created by installing it.

Basically, you've just created the same Firefox program that used to be released, during beta and pre days, in .zip files. In fact, you can create your own Firefox3.zip file simply by zipping your program folder. In short, you'll never have to install Firefox again ... just unzip Firefox3.zip and follow the procedures listed. With a little practice, it's actually easier than installing Firefox.

Which brings me to my last (whew!) point. If you do install Firefox, never, never, never use the Standard (default) installation. Instead, use the Custom installation, which gives you far more control over how and where Firefox is installed. The same is true of Thunderbird.

HTH.

 

Jim,

Lee didn't solve her/his problem yet, but perhaps your approach may do just that! I have to say, that it does sound rather complex, but if it works for you, then kudos!

 

Hmmm, I must have misread a post while I was composing mine.

I know the procedure seems complex, but it's really not. As I said, it's easier to do than it is to describe. I've done it many times with both FF and TB, if only to verify that the information I post is correct.

I don't think it's absolutely necessary to delete the two Mozilla folders in Docs & Settings, but I prefer to delete all traces of FF (except the program and profile folders), and then start with a clean computer. When the Profile Manager is run, they're re-created anyway, along with the profiles.ini file. Profiles.ini can be edited manually but, in my experience, FF doesn't always recognize the changes.

 

Jim,

Yes, explanations do seem more complex in the telling than in the actual hands on, and as I said, kudos to you, and hopefully it will also help Lee...

 

I am going to paste in what worked for me when I needed a complete removal and purging.

Part of this I got from another forum, part from Ramona. In instructions related to FF2, should still be good for FF3

>>RSM

Here it is, copied and pasted Word document:

Agree with Ken Berger - sounds like you need a complete overhaul - clean the slate and start fresh. You didn’t mention whether this is Mac or Windoze. I’ll assume your OS is Windoze. Here is the correct way to remove Firefox.
Uninstalling and cleaning out all the Firefox files including your profile(s) is an excellent way of resolving any extremely strange behavior or annoying problems you may get with Firefox. To completely remove all traces of Firefox from your system follow these steps:

1. Go to Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs in XP or Control Panel>Programs & Features in Vista, and if a "˜Mozilla Firefox’ entry (or similar) exists, select it and click Change/Remove and uninstall it. Reboot if required.

2. Go to your Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Mozilla directory in XP, or the \Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Mozilla and \Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\ directories in Vista and delete the entire \Firefox subdirectory and all of its contents. Note that this will delete all of your bookmarks. Backup your bookmarks - I recommend using extension { Bookmark Backup 0.4.3 } download from FF add-ons.

3. Go to your \Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\ directory and delete it and all of its contents.

4. Using a registry cleaner like RegCleaner 4.3, find and remove all Firefox/Mozilla-related entries (usually there are several Mozilla entries to be found) and remove them. Alternatively you can use the Registry Editor (Start>Run>Regedit) and delete the following keys - that is, right click on their name in the left pane of Registry Editor and select Delete:
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FirefoxHTML]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Applications\firefox.exe]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Mozilla]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MozillaPlugins]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mozilla]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\mozilla.org]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MozillaPlugins]
Added by Ramona 11.28.07
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Clients\StartMenuInternet\FIREFOX.EXE]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths\firefox.exe]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\Mozi lla Firefox (2.0.0.x)]

That will remove the bulk of the Firefox-related settings which can cause problems with newer installations if they have become corrupted (through overclocking for example). Note: If you also have Mozilla Thunderbird or any other Mozilla products installed, make sure to only uninstall entries under the keys above which relate directly to Firefox.

Install the full 2.0.0.6 package. This will prevent a wide range of problems down the track. Once Firefox 2.0.0.6 is installed, you can then use the automatic update feature to keep it up to date quickly and easily. Import your Bookmarks backup. Reinstall your extensions one at a time and observe if there is any slowdown. This will help solve and weed out problems with corrupt extensions. Some of your extensions may not be compatible with version 2.0.0.6 - to get around this problem install this amazing little extension { MR Tech Local Install 5.3.2.5 } Go here for details and D/L : http://www.mrtech.com/extensions/local_install/
Following these procedures correctly will most definitely solve and enhance Firefox’s performance. Hope this helps. Good luck !

 

problem solved

Well, no, I used the example because the only profile name I saw was the one already in my profile manager.

Finally solved the problem by deleting everything again and downloading again. Third time worked.

Thanks to everyone who helped.