All you have to do is hit''control-alt-delete', when box comes up ,you'll see firefox in the box, just highlight and hit end process, the firefox browser will be shut down, now click on icon for firefox and it will load.....
Carl R. Goodwin
December 21, 2007 6:27 PM
I use FF all the time, and only run into this when I try to install a back-up copy of a profile into the "Profiles" folder. You cannot copy the entire folder - only the contents inside it (by pasting it). :)
Peter Woerner
December 22, 2007 5:04 AM
My problem is that after I've put my computer into Stand By mode (where it actually shuts off and comes back to the same spot once you restart your computer), my firefox won't restart properly no matter how many times I follow this procedure. I need to ensure that I don't close my firefox when I put the computer into Stand By mode.
Terry Hollett
December 22, 2007 6:51 AM
I've had this problem on and off,where programs would not open up, yet in the task manager, it indicated they where open in the background.
Not just with Firefox. I do have it on my system but my browser choice is Opera, and I've had it happen with it. There was no error message, it just wouldn't open, except in the background, according to task manager.
My sister called recently and had a similar problem with Windows Live Messenger. And then another guy called me with the same problem. I first opened task manager by right clicking on the task bar and chosing it from the menue. Closed all instances of Messenger (there would be about a half a dozen or so where they tried to get it to run). Then to the 'control panel', double-clicked on 'Add/Remove programs', clicked on the list item for 'Windows Live Messenger', there where two options, 'change or uninstall', clicking on the change button will give you two options, to 'repair' or 'uninstall', I choose 'repair'. It seemed to work temperarily. I eventually uninstalled and reinstalled. So far so good.
And to top it all off, I still cannot run the newest versions of Adaware 2007 or Spybot 1.5, I still have to use the old versions. I just keep checking and downloading the newest version occassionally, maybe one of them will work one day.
Terry Hollett
www.geocities.com/terryhollett2003/
concerned student
March 13, 2008 11:54 AM
i use a school mac and i always get "firefox is already running" error im new to macs and the school admins are baffled any ideas on how to view processes on a mac running osx
Anonymous
August 4, 2008 11:31 AM
There's no reason to use IE even on sites that arent supported by Firefox. Just download IE tab extension. It emulates IE in Firefox. You can download it from here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419
SFC doesn't run "on a drive", it runs on your system. That means it checks the Windows installation in use wherevere it might have been installed.
-Leo
Michael
September 12, 2008 5:42 PM
I use FF all the time, and only run into this when I try to install a back-up copy of a profile into the "Profiles" folder. You cannot copy the entire folder - only the contents inside it (by pasting it). :)
Posted by: Carl R. Goodwin at December 21, 2007 06:27 PM
You sir, saved me about 30 minutes of headache. Old post, new info. Thanks.
Chris
October 21, 2008 12:57 PM
I am having the same problem, only firefox.exe is NOT in my task manager...what do I do ??
Use process explorer (http://ask-leo.com/d-procexp) - it shows processes that Task Manager by default does not.
- Leo 22-Oct-2008
shell
December 4, 2008 1:18 AM
I get this error all the time when im in uni. It says it cant open cause its already open, BUT its not listed in the processes. We have to use firefox for all our projects. It never works until you restart (it sometimes takes 2 or 3 restarts)..so almost everytime I log on in uni i restart (and the systems in my uni take at least 30 mins to restart!!!) the computer and log in again. I have reported many times this and they keep saying they've fixed it but it still keeps happening..my friend gets it about once or twice a week and i get it almost evey time i log in. Rahhhhh!!! Its extreamly fustrating. I never get this error a home!
Rolf
January 14, 2009 3:11 AM
the following happens when I use the pskill command in order to delete the blocking firefox.exe (Windows Vista business, running with administration rights):
C:\Users\Rolf>pskill -t firefox
PsKill v1.12 - Terminates processes on local or remote systems
Copyright (C) 1999-2005 Mark Russinovich
Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com
2 processes named firefox killed.
Ok, 2 processes? There is only 1 in the task manager list!
And this process remains in the list, it is not killed.
Also using pskill with the PID of this process has no success:
C:\Users\Rolf>pskill -t 5560
PsKill v1.12 - Terminates processes on local or remote systems
Copyright (C) 1999-2005 Mark Russinovich
Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com
Process 5560 killed.
But the process 5560 firefox.exe is still there! I have to restart to get rid of it.
Comments
Read the article that everyone's commenting on.
December 19, 2007 11:24 AM
All you have to do is hit''control-alt-delete', when box comes up ,you'll see firefox in the box, just highlight and hit end process, the firefox browser will be shut down, now click on icon for firefox and it will load.....
December 21, 2007 6:27 PM
I use FF all the time, and only run into this when I try to install a back-up copy of a profile into the "Profiles" folder. You cannot copy the entire folder - only the contents inside it (by pasting it). :)
December 22, 2007 5:04 AM
My problem is that after I've put my computer into Stand By mode (where it actually shuts off and comes back to the same spot once you restart your computer), my firefox won't restart properly no matter how many times I follow this procedure. I need to ensure that I don't close my firefox when I put the computer into Stand By mode.
December 22, 2007 6:51 AM
I've had this problem on and off,where programs would not open up, yet in the task manager, it indicated they where open in the background.
Not just with Firefox. I do have it on my system but my browser choice is Opera, and I've had it happen with it. There was no error message, it just wouldn't open, except in the background, according to task manager.
My sister called recently and had a similar problem with Windows Live Messenger. And then another guy called me with the same problem. I first opened task manager by right clicking on the task bar and chosing it from the menue. Closed all instances of Messenger (there would be about a half a dozen or so where they tried to get it to run). Then to the 'control panel', double-clicked on 'Add/Remove programs', clicked on the list item for 'Windows Live Messenger', there where two options, 'change or uninstall', clicking on the change button will give you two options, to 'repair' or 'uninstall', I choose 'repair'. It seemed to work temperarily. I eventually uninstalled and reinstalled. So far so good.
And to top it all off, I still cannot run the newest versions of Adaware 2007 or Spybot 1.5, I still have to use the old versions. I just keep checking and downloading the newest version occassionally, maybe one of them will work one day.
Terry Hollett
www.geocities.com/terryhollett2003/
March 13, 2008 11:54 AM
i use a school mac and i always get "firefox is already running" error im new to macs and the school admins are baffled any ideas on how to view processes on a mac running osx
August 4, 2008 11:31 AM
There's no reason to use IE even on sites that arent supported by Firefox. Just download IE tab extension. It emulates IE in Firefox. You can download it from here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419
-Leo
September 12, 2008 5:42 PM
I use FF all the time, and only run into this when I try to install a back-up copy of a profile into the "Profiles" folder. You cannot copy the entire folder - only the contents inside it (by pasting it). :)
Posted by: Carl R. Goodwin at December 21, 2007 06:27 PM
You sir, saved me about 30 minutes of headache. Old post, new info. Thanks.
October 21, 2008 12:57 PM
I am having the same problem, only firefox.exe is NOT in my task manager...what do I do ??
22-Oct-2008
December 4, 2008 1:18 AM
I get this error all the time when im in uni. It says it cant open cause its already open, BUT its not listed in the processes. We have to use firefox for all our projects. It never works until you restart (it sometimes takes 2 or 3 restarts)..so almost everytime I log on in uni i restart (and the systems in my uni take at least 30 mins to restart!!!) the computer and log in again. I have reported many times this and they keep saying they've fixed it but it still keeps happening..my friend gets it about once or twice a week and i get it almost evey time i log in. Rahhhhh!!! Its extreamly fustrating. I never get this error a home!
January 14, 2009 3:11 AM
the following happens when I use the pskill command in order to delete the blocking firefox.exe (Windows Vista business, running with administration rights):
C:\Users\Rolf>pskill -t firefox
PsKill v1.12 - Terminates processes on local or remote systems
Copyright (C) 1999-2005 Mark Russinovich
Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com
2 processes named firefox killed.
Ok, 2 processes? There is only 1 in the task manager list!
And this process remains in the list, it is not killed.
Also using pskill with the PID of this process has no success:
C:\Users\Rolf>pskill -t 5560
PsKill v1.12 - Terminates processes on local or remote systems
Copyright (C) 1999-2005 Mark Russinovich
Sysinternals - www.sysinternals.com
Process 5560 killed.
But the process 5560 firefox.exe is still there! I have to restart to get rid of it.
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