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Firefox only runs under administrator, will not open under other users.

  • 6 replies
  • 4 have this problem
  • 10 views
  • Last reply by kcwomack

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Running Windows XP Pro SP3. Removed and Reinstalled Firefox. Firefox still will not open under the 2nd user, only Owner/administrator. No error codes given.

Running Windows XP Pro SP3. Removed and Reinstalled Firefox. Firefox still will not open under the 2nd user, only Owner/administrator. No error codes given.

Chosen solution

Does disabling extensions has any effect?

If it works in Safe Mode and in normal mode with all extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) disabled then try to find which extension is causing it by enabling one extension at a time until the problem reappears.

Close and restart Firefox after each change via "Firefox > Exit" (Windows: Firefox/File > Exit; Mac: Firefox > Quit Firefox; Linux: Firefox/File > Quit)


Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problem.

See "Creating a profile":

If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over the problem

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All Replies (6)

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Did you try Safe Mode?

  • Safe Mode is a special diagnostic mode of Firefox used for troubleshooting. There are two ways to get into it.
    • Hold SHIFT while double clicking the Firefox icon on the desktop
    • Execute firefox.exe -safe-mode via the Run command (start > run)
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Firefox will start in Safe Mode for 2nd user, but still will not open with just a double-click or through RUN.

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Do you mean Firefox Safe Mode?

In Firefox Safe mode these changes are effective:

  • all extensions are disabled (about:addons)
  • default theme is used (no persona)
  • userChrome.css and userContent.css are ignored (chrome folder)
  • default toolbar layout is used (file: localstore-safe.rdf)
  • Javascript JIT compilers are disabled (prefs: javascript.options.*jit)
  • hardware acceleration is disabled (Options > Advanced > General)
  • plugins are not affected
  • preferences are not affected
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YES. We are talking about starting it in "Firefox Safe Mode". 2nd user account can open it in "Firefox Safe Mode", but double-clicking and starting from RUN does not work.

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Chosen Solution

Does disabling extensions has any effect?

If it works in Safe Mode and in normal mode with all extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) disabled then try to find which extension is causing it by enabling one extension at a time until the problem reappears.

Close and restart Firefox after each change via "Firefox > Exit" (Windows: Firefox/File > Exit; Mac: Firefox > Quit Firefox; Linux: Firefox/File > Quit)


Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problem.

See "Creating a profile":

If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over the problem

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Thanks so much cor-el for all the help. I do fine with hardware and driver issues, but always get lost in the many different software configurations. THANKS

Modified by kcwomack