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on a firefox install i get the message "Error! Cannot initialize plug-ins directory"

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  • Last reply by FredMcD

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I have tried multiple times to download and install the latest Firefox and I always get the error message above. This doesn't happen on other software installs. My OS is Windows 7 Enterprise, SP1.

I have tried multiple times to download and install the latest Firefox and I always get the error message above. This doesn't happen on other software installs. My OS is Windows 7 Enterprise, SP1.

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https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-issues-with-plugins-fix-problems

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/warning-unresponsive-plugin


Remove Firefox's plugin registry file Sometimes the pluginreg.dat file becomes corrupted. You can remove it and have Firefox re-scan for plugins. As a side effect, any plugins you have disabled on the Add-ons page probably will be re-enabled, so you'll need to go back to that page one more time.

Close Firefox. Open your file browser to this hidden location:

  • Mac: *~/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles
  • Linux: *~/.mozilla/firefox/Profiles
  • Windows: %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
  • *C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles

Search for the above file. Then rename or delete them. Restart Firefox.