I backed up my profile folder from another pc, something went wrong when pasting it to this pc, now I can't even install Firefox at all!
I copied my profile folder from one pc and went to paste it into the profile spot on the next pc, as per instructions on the Firefox web page. Obviously I did something wrong, because I got a pop up that said it couldn't access my profile, or something (can't remember). So I uninstalled and reinstalled, or tried to, but as it gets to the end of the installation, when it would normally be launching FF, I get a pop up saying Your profile could not be loaded. It may be missing or inaccessible. I think it has "installed" properly, because there's the FF icon in my taskbar and the shortcut on my desktop. Heeelp!
Chosen solution
Okay, here's a guess:
If you had already installed Firefox, then removed the default profile it created:
The problem may be that Firefox has a record of that missing folder and doesn't see your new one. Check the following path for a file named profiles.ini:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox
Note: By default, AppData is a hidden folder. If you can't see it, you can use this "shortcut" instead (paste into search box or address bar of Windows Explorer):
%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox
Open it in Notepad or another plain text editor and modify the profile folder name to match the one you copied over.
Is that the scenario/solution?
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Chosen Solution
Okay, here's a guess:
If you had already installed Firefox, then removed the default profile it created:
The problem may be that Firefox has a record of that missing folder and doesn't see your new one. Check the following path for a file named profiles.ini:
C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox
Note: By default, AppData is a hidden folder. If you can't see it, you can use this "shortcut" instead (paste into search box or address bar of Windows Explorer):
%APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox
Open it in Notepad or another plain text editor and modify the profile folder name to match the one you copied over.
Is that the scenario/solution?
Modified by jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
Each Profile has a unique "name". You can't just copy a whole Profile into Firefox with editing the name of the Profile folder to what the Firefox installation is expecting to fine.
Alternatively, in your situation it would have worked if you had copied the contents of that backup Profile - IOW, all the files in that folder - into the Profile folder on the 'receiving' PC. That gets' you the files you need and keeps the expected folder name intact. No editing of the profiles.ini file needed.
You will have to include the profiles.ini file from the other PC to make Firefox find the profile that is registered in that file. Alternatively you can use the Profile Manager to create a new folder and click the Choose Folder button to select the profile that you have copied.
Thank you, that's what needed to be done. Although I had to get help on another web forum to explain to me what the steps were.