Important Notice: We're experiencing email notification issues. If you've posted a question in the community forums recently, please check your profile manually for responses while we're working to fix this.

On Monday the 3rd of March, around 5pm UTC (9am PT) users may experience a brief period of downtime while one of our underlying services is under maintenance.

Avatar for Username

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

This thread was archived. Please ask a new question if you need help.

FF4 won't open if FF3 already running, regardless of profile

  • 2 replies
  • 3 have this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by Pendle

Pendle
Pendle
more options

I've just installed FF4 Portable as a trial. I gave it a unique profile using the profile manager. It works fine, but if FF3 is already running, I get the message: Firefox is already running... so I can't use it unless I close FF3.

But if I start FF4 first, I am then able to open FF3 in as many profiles as I like.

Why is this? I want to use FF3 in several profiles for my main work, and open FF4 occasionally. Not the other way round!

Update: I've just worked out that FF4 is not using the profiles. It's opening as default. Is there a different procedure for creating profiles?

I've just installed FF4 Portable as a trial. I gave it a unique profile using the profile manager. It works fine, but if FF3 is already running, I get the message: '''Firefox is already running...''' so I can't use it unless I close FF3. But if I start FF4 first, I am then able to open FF3 in as many profiles as I like. Why is this? I want to use FF3 in several profiles for my main work, and open FF4 occasionally. Not the other way round! ''Update: I've just worked out that FF4 is not using the profiles. It's opening as default. Is there a different procedure for creating profiles?''

Modified by Pendle

All Replies (2)

John99
John99
more options

I do not use Firefox Portable, but I do use multiple profiles and multiple versions of Firefox. Your profiles.ini should allow you to figure out which profiles are in use.

Is one or more of the processes of Firefox using -no-remote  ?

If you want to use Firefox 3 (presumably Firefox 3.6) that should be no problem at present. (You may get a nag screen about upgrading to firefox 4)

Pendle
Pendle Question owner
more options

Hello John99, thank you for your input.

I've been using multiple profiles using -no-remote in FF3.6 for ages, they are no problem.

I've had a look at this thread on a forum:

http://portableapps.com/node/23783

and I have moved and edited a file called FirefoxPortable.ini which was not set up by default when I downloaded FF4.

Having done this, the situation has improved slightly.

Now I can invoke a single instance of FF4 when I please, having already opened several instances of FF3. That I am happy with, because I am only trialling the browser.

Ultimately, though, I will require to have multiple FF4 profiles, so my update question still stands: where is the profile manager for FF4?