Get Windows Temporary Profile on restart after updating Firefox on Windows 7
This happened a month ago when going from 15 to 15.0.1 also. And again now when upgrading to 16.0.1.
I have no idea how it fixed itself last time as I tried everything over the course of multiple days last time (many reboots, restarts, etc.). Ended up creating two additional accounts, just had the one originally, in order to copy all my files and start over last time. Then, seemingly at random, the original profile worked in which I noticed two instances of FF, 15 and 15.0.1, in the control panel so tried re-installing FF 15.0.1, even though the manifest listed it as successful, which fixed it.
Now the exact thing is happening again after upgrading to 16.0.1. It was a successful install, verified before rebooting via update history and closing FF and opening a couple of times, and it then only listing 16.0.1 in the control panel. But, on the first restart, Windows 7 goes into temporary profile mode again. I tried creating a second account again in hopes the first would magically work again, as I have no idea how I got back into the original profile the last time it happened, to no avail.
Can anyone help? I hate to give up on FF as I've been using it exclusively for years but I don't want to go through this a third time.
Also, what can I do to get back into my original profile so that I don't have to start from scratch yet again copying my files and recreating all my settings?
All Replies (4)
Update.
After many logoffs, restarts and switching user from the temporary profile and the second user account, it randomly let me back in to my original profile again.
I literally did nothing to allow me access to it other than many of those attempts.
As soon as I was in my original account again, I immediately went to the control panel -> uninstall a program and verified, same as last time, that it listed two instances of FF (recall that it did NOT after I upgraded before the first restart and getting the temp profile). I opened up FF, 16.0.1, and downloaded it again from http://www.mozilla.org/products/download.html?product=firefox-16.0.1&os=win&lang=en-US
Installed that, even though it was already successfully installed according to FF. And just like last time, that removed the earlier instance of FF, 15.0.1, and all is back to normal. Verified by restarting multiple times and no longer getting a temp profile (exactly like last time which lasted for about three weeks until the 16.0.1 upgrade).
This never happened until 15.0.1 and now 2 for 2 with 16.0.1. What is going on that would yield a successful upgrade yet on Windows 7 first restart after is causing it to kick to a temporary profile (yet also fixed, if one gets lucky enough to get back their profile, re-installing it over fixes it until the next upgrade?)? Some file not being created/deleted on reboot that is confusing Windows when trying to load the user profile?
I'm willing to copy over my W7 user profile to a flash drive and Fedex it to the FF team if one can fix this. It is the most basic software setup that I can't imagine others aren't experiencing the same issues.
Thank you so much for posting the problem. Last month was the first time I have ever had this problem. I finally just made a new user profile and abandoned, but not deleted the old profile. So, last night I let the updater install Firefox 16.0.1 and lo and behold my "new" profile would not work on boot this morning, but the abandoned one was working! SO, as per the above post, I uninstalled 2 versions of FF in my control panel. I downloaded 16.0.1 as a new install and then rebooted. Now both profiles work again. There must be something wrong in the updater program, corrupt user profiles are a real pain!
Glad you got it fixed.
Unfortunately, if my situation is common, it looks like it will just happen again whenever the next updated release comes until it is fixed.
Note also, not sure if it makes it any easier, that I did not have to uninstall anything either time. I just re-installed FF from the site over the previous install which then automatically both fixed the issue and the two instances of FF versions listed in the control panel. No loss of any Windows user profile data or FF settings.
I hope this gets fixed before the next release as I have no idea how it allows one back into that corrupted user profile when it happens other than blind luck after many, many attempts.
16.0.2 Update.
I had put the Firefox updates setting to check for updates but let me choose when to install them. When I received the new update notice I selected "ask me later" and this time instead went to the site to download it.
http://www.mozilla.org/products/download.html?product=firefox-16.0.2&os=win&lang=en-US
Saved the file and ran that rather than through the updater and had no issues whatsoever. I have restarted a couple of times and all is good.
I'll continue to handle it this way from now on unless/until Firefox states this issue has been fixed in a future update. Glad this bypass method works as I was one more time dealing with this away from permanently switching browsers.
Hope this works for everyone else experiencing the same issues when updating to new versions since 15.0.1.