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Can't get Firefox to remember passwords

FineArtSnaps
FineArtSnaps
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I recently had a total crash. Dell had to replace the entire machine. On the older machine I was running Windows 7 Ultimate, 64 bit. Now I'm running Windows 7 Professional, 64bit. On the older machine Firefox was asking if I wanted it to remember passwords. On the new machine that doesn't happen. "Remember Passwords for Sites" is turned on. I'm not running in private browsing mode. I've had to give up on Firefox and go back to IE. Not a happy choice.

I recently had a total crash. Dell had to replace the entire machine. On the older machine I was running Windows 7 Ultimate, 64 bit. Now I'm running Windows 7 Professional, 64bit. On the older machine Firefox was asking if I wanted it to remember passwords. On the new machine that doesn't happen. "Remember Passwords for Sites" is turned on. I'm not running in private browsing mode. I've had to give up on Firefox and go back to IE. Not a happy choice.

Chosen solution

Did you move any files from the old computer to the new computer or did you start with a new Firefox profile?

Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem (switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance).

  • Do not click the Reset button on the Safe mode start window or otherwise make changes.

It is possible that there is a problem with the key3.db and signons.sqlite files that store the encrypted names and passwords in Firefox.
Rename the key3.db and signons.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder.
You can add .old to the file names (key3.db.old and signons.sqlite.old) or move them to another folder to make it possible to undo the action.
You need to set a new Master Password after renaming or deleting key3.db and all currently saved passwords are lost.
If that has worked then you can remove the renamed files that are no longer needed.

See:

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All Replies (2)

cor-el
cor-el
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Chosen Solution

Did you move any files from the old computer to the new computer or did you start with a new Firefox profile?

Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem (switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance).

  • Do not click the Reset button on the Safe mode start window or otherwise make changes.

It is possible that there is a problem with the key3.db and signons.sqlite files that store the encrypted names and passwords in Firefox.
Rename the key3.db and signons.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder.
You can add .old to the file names (key3.db.old and signons.sqlite.old) or move them to another folder to make it possible to undo the action.
You need to set a new Master Password after renaming or deleting key3.db and all currently saved passwords are lost.
If that has worked then you can remove the renamed files that are no longer needed.

See:

FineArtSnaps
FineArtSnaps Question owner
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Getting rid of the two files solved the problem. Thanks, gang.