Firefox doesn't load logins/passwords after moving

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arlener
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Firefox doesn't load logins/passwords after moving

Post by arlener »

I moved Firefox from my XP computer to Windows 7 computer except it won't load my logins/passwords. Someone on this site said to copy the key3.db and logins.json files, so I redid that. After starting firefox I notice that firefox made a new key4.db file instead of using my key3.db file.
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therube
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Re: Firefox doesn't load logins/passwords after moving

Post by therube »

What version of FF were you coming from?
(52 is the latest, last for XP, right.
So it should be key3.db & logins.json.)
Passwords: (Both of these files must be copied)

key3.db (key4.db in Firefox 58 and above) - Key database for passwords.
signons.sqlite (Firefox 3.5) or logins.json (Firefox 32 and above) - Saved passwords.
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_ ... _-_Firefox
Last edited by therube on July 4th, 2018, 7:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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therube
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Re: Firefox doesn't load logins/passwords after moving

Post by therube »

Go into about:config (in FF 61), set the Preference, signon.importedFromSqlite to 'false'.
Exit FF.

Copy your two files, key3.db & logins.json, back into your FF 61 Profile, overwriting the existing.
Start FF.

Your passwords should now be there (imported).
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arlener
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Re: Firefox doesn't load logins/passwords after moving

Post by arlener »

Success. Before I saw your 2 suggestions I deleted parent.lock file.
I solved my Thunderbird problem this way and figured maybe it was the same for Firefox and it was.
I don't know anything about that parent.lock file, how it got there, but anyway, it's working great now.
Thanks for your help anyway.
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DanRaisch
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Re: Firefox doesn't load logins/passwords after moving

Post by DanRaisch »

I don't know anything about that parent.lock file, how it got there, but anyway, it's working great now.
If a profile is copied while Firefox or Thunderbird is running, that parent.lock file will be present.
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makaiguy
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Re: Firefox doesn't load logins/passwords after moving

Post by makaiguy »

arlener wrote:I don't know anything about that parent.lock file, how it got there
A "lock" file is created by a program as a marker to indicate some particular activity is taking place. It is then removed when that activity is finished. This is usually done to be sure some other operation of the program (or second instance of the same program) does not interfere with the operation being "locked" - such as making sure two operations don't try to write to the same file at once. Before an operation is carried out, a check for the appropriate lock file is made, and if found the operation aborts, or waits until the lock file is removed by whatever put it there.

In the case of Mozilla products, the "parent.lock" file is created to indicate that that Mozilla program is running. If you try to open another instance of that same program, it first checks to see if a parent.lock file exists, and if it finds one, aborts loading the second instance. Deleting the parent.lock file is part of the normal shut down process for Mozilla products. If you shut down the computer without first exiting the Mozilla program, it doesn't get a chance to remove the parent.lock file and that file's presence prevents you from loading that program when you restart the computer.

As you've seen, copying a profile from a running copy of the program copies the parent.lock file as well, so that it must be removed from the copied profile before it can be used elsewhere.
Doug Wilson
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therube
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Re: Firefox doesn't load logins/passwords after moving

Post by therube »

In the case of Mozilla products, the "parent.lock" file is created to indicate that that Mozilla program is running. If you try to open another instance of that same program, it first checks to see if a parent.lock file exists, and if it finds one, aborts loading the second instance. Deleting the parent.lock file is part of the normal shut down process for Mozilla products. If you shut down the computer without first exiting the Mozilla program, it doesn't get a chance to remove the parent.lock file and that file's presence prevents you from loading that program when you restart the computer.
I don't think that is correct. Or at least correct any longer.
Not sure just what principle they're working with, but it might be the ability to delete the file, rather then its' existence?

With FF closed, parent.lock can be deleted without ill consequence.
With FF running, parent.lock cannot be deleted.

FF (no longer, at least) "deletes" parent.lock on browser close.
It persists.
Its' date/time gets updated to the date/time of the next browser startup.

Likewise, what is in here is not quite correct, http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_in_use.


Just pulled a couple bugs for some sort of reference (while at the same time not being definitive ;-)).
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=726759
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=294260
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