Firefox 3 Reverts To Old Theme

[Rivera42]

Occasionally, when I launch FF3, it reverts back to the theme I'd originally been using when I installed it on this machine. It also opens the Foxmarks Setup Wizard, indicating that a bookmark backup has never been done (not true - I do it every day). Also, while it does open the tabs I expect to see - namely, whatever I'd had open during the previous session - it also opens about five or 6 other tabs. These tabs are the pages that display upon installation or updating of certain add-ons - NoScript, ColorfulTabs, things like that. They're the pages that say "Thanks for Installing so-and-so" or "You've Upgraded to the Latest Version" and so forth. However, from what I can tell, it seems to leave my actual setup alone - the buttons in the toolbars are where I expect them to be, my bookmarks are intact and in order, and nothing else seems missing or altered. This happens only occasionally, maybe once in every 10 sessions or so. At first I thought it had something to do with CCleaner's cookie cleaner, but it happens even if I haven't run CCleaner for several days. I haven't been able to figure out a cause (or remedy) for this so I was hoping maybe you guys might be able to help.

For system specs, click the computer icon next to my username.

 

[stantley]

I would do a complete reinstall of Firefox including deleting your profile. http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Uninstalling+Firefox

Save off your bookmarks which are in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default and the filename is bookmarks.html. Then after you reinstall Firefox you can import that file to get all your bookmarks back. You'll also have to reinstall all add-ons.

You're also going to lose all passwords and cookies, which if you don't have that many you can recreate manually.

 

[Rivera42]

But I DO have a lot of passwords and cookies, especially passwords. I also have a lot of add-ons, what should I do about hanging onto these? FEBE? Back-up the profile? Or just write a list and re-download all of them?

Lately Firefox has developed a new habit: it loads with the correct theme, but my toolbar buttons and customizations ("flexible space" and "separator" placement, e.g.) are all undone, and I have to re-do them "by hand." Is this them, or is it my system?

 

[stantley]

But I DO have a lot of passwords and cookies, especially passwords.

Ok, for passwords you can get the add-on Password Exporter, export the passwords and then import them after the clean install.

I also have a lot of add-ons, what should I do about hanging onto these? FEBE? Back-up the profile? Or just write a list and re-download all of them?

I wouldn't backup your profile because that's probably the source of the problem. I would make sure Firefox is working correctly after the clean install and the reinstall the add-ons. You could open the Add-ons window and do a screen shot, instead of writing them down.

 

[Rich-M]

OOh thanks for Password Exporter Stantley, I never heard of that one.

 

[Rivera42]

I backed up all my passwords and bookmarks, using both FoxMarks and Password Exporter. I also manually backed up my bookmarks by copying the file, and wrote all my passwords in a notebook. In the same notebook, I listed every add-on I had installed, noting which ones were disabled or disused. I then completely removed FF3 from the system through the Add and Remove Programs dialog. I rebooted the machine, but before I reinstalled Firefox, I checked my Add and Remove list. FF3 was gone, but there were two entries (or three, I forget) for FF version 2.0.0.16 and .14 . I clicked the uninstall buttons, and discovered these entries apparently correspond to the Firefox For U3 installed on each of three U3 USB drives. None of the drives happened to be inserted at the time. Now, if I'm not mistaken, the whole point of having programs installed to the U3 platform is that they DON'T add any information or register any program data on the local machine. So I'm thinking there must be a problem somewhere at the root of this. None of my other U3 programs are listed in Add/remove, either. In any case, I reinstalled Firefox 3 from the ground up, retrieving all my bookmarks and passwords and setting everything up the way I like it. Things were going well, until I launched it one morning to discover it had somehow rolled itself back to Version 2.0.0.16, returned to the Firefox default theme, and blanked my bookmarks menu. Oddly, the add-on "FoxyMeter" which is a sort of page-views odometer, had not rolled itself back. When I opened this thread, the counter rollback was part of the original problem, but after the reinstall, I believe the count has remained the same. It may be of note that I had one of my U3 flash drives in the system at the time of start-up, as is often my practice. I run Skype and Weatherbug from the U3 drive, you see. I was thinking there might be a conflict betwen the two installations of Firefox, even though, logically, there isn't supposed to be. To be on the safe side, I removed the U3 version.
I apologize if this post ran long, but I wanted to provide as much detail as possible. Any thoughts on possible causes or remedies?
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[stantley]

Uninstall ALL versions of Firefox. Delete all profiles and all Firefox files:

C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\Mozilla

C:\Documents and Settings\username\Local Settings\Application Data\Mozilla

C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox

Reboot and reinstall.

 

[CapriAnupam]

FEBE is a nice extension to backup up the extensions, themes and bookmarks. Other options are also there in FEBE... you can do a full profile backup, or selective.

 

[Rich-M]

Actually the easiest way to deal with Bookmarks is to use Foxmarks so that all you have to do is add it back as an addon when you install clean and then login and use the server online which automatically backs you up.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2410

 

[Rivera42]

Stantley, iiuc, you mean take off all U3 installations from every flash drive? And when I do that, will I need to re-reinstall FF on the hard drive, or leave the current (recently reinstalled) version in place? And when/how is the correct method for restoring the U3 version to the respective flash drives? Is there a particular sequence I need to follow?
Capri: you're right about febe, I've used it in the past. But this was supposed to be a "clean" install of FF so I had to do it the "long" way. I must add that Foxmarks delivers as promised, if anybody's wondering. Great extension.

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[stantley]

Yes, I would uninstall the ones on the flash drives too, because they shouldn't be showing up in Add/Remove programs. Then get rid of all Firefox files. Reinstall FF 3.0.5 on the PC and make sure it's working properly before doing anything with the flash drives.

Try installing Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition on the flash drives.

 

[LauraMJ]

If you don't use the portable FF on the flashdrives, I think that it may very well leave something on the computer when it's run. If I understand the U3 stuff right (I have one with FF and ThunderBird on it), only the U3 compatible applications do run strictly from the flashdrives, and when I researched getting firefox on it, it seemed to me that ONLY the portable FF application would work like that. in other words, I couldn't just download the regular FF onto the flashdrive and run it strictly from the flashdrive without leaving anything else on the computer.

 

[Rivera42]

If this helps: I get the version labeled "Firefox For U3" and credited as coming from "PortableApps.com" ... The only place I get U3 software is from the official download site, accessed via the link in the U3 drive's own menu.
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[Rivera42]

Is it possible the folders or files left behind on the local machine have something to do with using the "update" feature on Firefox-For-U3? I'm pretty sure it pulls its updates from the same place "normal" Firefox gets them from.
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[Rivera42]

it's still doing it. there's only one firefox on my computer and it's still doing it.
what's going on here?!!