Programs load default profile

[Kracov]

So I had to uninstall a new version, but in doing so some programs after I install them run firefox to take me to a page to thank me. But it seems to be a default firefox profile, not the one I use every day. I tried deleting the default profile with the profile manager, but that didn't seem to make a difference. Do I have to rename my profile to Default or something?

[videobruce]

You are referring to M$ O/S software, not add-ons/extensions for FF?

[Kracov]

Yes. Various programs run my default firefox profile rather than the profile I actually use.

[Kracov]

Its annoying because it disables an addon and messes up my toolbar.

[videobruce]

You are talking about O/S file associations? Is your installation a standard M$ installation that shows in add/remove programs using an 'installer', or a portable application?

[Kracov]

It shows an installer. But maybe this is the problem, I had two firefox installations and I uninstalled the newest version. I have to reinstall firefox?

[kerft]

If you run the profile manager, you may have more than one profile. Don't delete any, just use the manager to run the one you think is yours. Running it from the profile manager should make it the default for next time and for what other programs launch. If you picked wrong by accident, just run profile manager again. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_Manager

Another reason this could happen is a different Firefox profile is run when you run Firefox as yourself, than if a program running in admin account launches Firefox. Two ways around this - if the program doesn't need to be run as admin don't. If it does, you can kludge a solution by adding some things you need to a profile in the admin folder. They won't sync - anything done in the admin profile will be lost - but you could add your extensions. You can customize it the normal way by installing extensions, or you can copy files from your real profile to the one in the admin folder. This explains where the profile is. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox
There are two parts of any profile, a part in "roaming" and a part in "local." The part in local can be ignored it is only cache. Your user profile will be in \users\your username\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ the admin one will be in \users\adminname\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ . You have to log in as admin to write to the admin profile, and you have to agree to permissions to access the user profile from the admin (you will have to click ok).
Try the easy fix of the profile manager first it may be all you need.

[videobruce]

Do you know where M$ & Mozilla buries the additional files aka 'Profiles' in the Users folder? IIRC, that doesn't or might not get deleted/uninstalled. It's considerably large.
I use a portable version, but unfortunately it still creates these separate folders.

[Kracov]

I had deleted the default profile through profile manager, the only one remaining in the list is my own, which is named Kracov. however, i did see two extra profiles in the profiles folder. I did try to delete them, but the next time I ran firefox, it had an error message, and I had to restore those two profiles in order for firefox to run. The two extra profiles are called Default User and default.

[kerft]

Portable firefox, if run properly, stores its data in its own folder. That is the whole point of it. It can create folders in the user folder, in the default places mentioned here http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox - but only when a mistake is made. It should be run from the firefoxportable.exe launcher exe. A subfolder also contains firefox.exe. This should not be run. If you pin a running portable firefox to the taskbar or start menu, the wrong exe, the firefox.exe is pinned. Also, if you attempt to make portable firefox the default browser, the wrong firefox.exe may be made the default browser.

For emphasis. Portable Firefox cannot be a default browser. If you have made it work, what you have really done is "installed" portable firefox accidentally, defeating its purpose, by having it create a profile in the user folder, by either running the firefox.exe or choosing the "default browser" option.

[Kracov]

How do I check if I have portable firefox?

[kerft]

Normal Firefox - a firefox.exe is in program files\mozilla firefox or sometimes program files (x86)\mozilla firefox in a folder with a lot of stuff. The profile is in \users\username\appdata\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\
Portable Firefox - a folder that can be anywhere on your computer although it was originally intended to be on a flash drive contains only 3 or 4 things. Portablefirefox.exe, portablefirefox.ini, and a subfolder called app and a subfolder called data.
The profile is in \anyfolder\data.

[Kracov]

No, I definitely don't have portable firefox. I'm a firefox veteran and I am aware of what I install.

[videobruce]

Are you talking about folders that Windows creates?

[Kracov]

I've included a screenshot, and my profiles are located at C:\Users\Owner\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles

> https://i.imgur.com/T2GscQR.jpg