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Cannot uninstall firefox completely or reinstall the new version

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  • Last reply by AliceWyman

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I have been trying to uninstall firefox. I deleted it using the add/remove program utility. Next I tried to delete the mozilla firefox folder from program files but it doesn't let me delete the folder because the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable. I have tried reinstalling firefox but even then it says that a new directory cannot be created. Can someone please help me out?

I have been trying to uninstall firefox. I deleted it using the add/remove program utility. Next I tried to delete the mozilla firefox folder from program files but it doesn't let me delete the folder because the file or directory is corrupted and unreadable. I have tried reinstalling firefox but even then it says that a new directory cannot be created. Can someone please help me out?

All Replies (7)

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Hi sddatta- If Vista doesn't allow you to delete corrupted files (folders), you have to boot your PC up in Safe Mode. In Safe Mode with administrative rights you can delete any file (directory/folder) you like.

To boot your system up in Safe Mode if have to press F8 just right after BIOS finishes to test the system.

After that you should be able to reinstall Firefox without a problem.

Hope that helps!

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Hi, thanks for your suggestion I tried it but it still didn't work. What should I do now? When I right click on the firefox folder I can use previous versions but when I try to restore that folder the same corrupt file problem arises again...

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You said, When I right click on the firefox folder I can use previous versions but when I try to restore that folder the same corrupt file problem arises again...

I don't understand. What "firefox folder" are you right-clicking on? The leftover C:\Program files\Mozilla Firefox\ folder after you uninstalled Firefox? See Uninstall Firefox from your computer. The Firefox desktop icon?

If you can't delete the Firefox desktop shortcut, don't worry about it for now. Just reinstall Firefox by downloading the current version from www.mozilla.com (it's a green button) and run the installer file you downloaded. See How to install Firefox on Windows. If the desktop shortcut is still corrupt then you can try the one in the Start menu or create a new shortcut on the desktop by right-clicking on firefox.exe in the C:\Program files\Mozilla Firefox folder.

If you have uninstalled Firefox but you cannot delete the old Program Files\ Mozilla Firefox folder , you can reinstall Firefox using the "Custom" setup option and choose a different Destination folder as the install location, such as C:\Program files\Firefox\ . To do this, I would first create a new Firefox folder inside Program Files and then choose that folder when you do the Custom install. Ref: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Clean_reinstall

Hope that helps.

Modified by AliceWyman

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Basically what I did was uninstall firefox but the leftover mozilla firefox folder after uninstalling was still in the program files which is what I was trying to delete but windows wouldn't let me do it because the file or directory was shown as being corrupted. I reinstalled it by changing the directory location as you suggested and now I am able to open firefox however I still can't delete that corrupted left over folder. Am I gonna have to leave that folder as it is?

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You really should seek help in a Windows forum since those people are in a better position to help with Windows errors. For example, I found the following with a google search on your error:

Modified by AliceWyman

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Ok thanks for your help I'll try that. Do you think disk defragmenter would help in any way in checking the errors on the hard disk or it wouldn't make a difference?

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I don't know if defrag will help. See:

Here is how to check your hard disk for errors:

By the way, can you open the C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox folder, to see the contents? I was wondering if something inside the folder might be corrupt and unreadable and not the folder itself.

Modified by AliceWyman