This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

Did "upgrade". Got malware. Uninstalled/reinstalled. Won't run.

  • 2 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

more options

I can keep trying by finding a "clean" install, but will I lose my bookmarks and other pieces of history? BTW, I'm getting the "cannot load XPCOM" error no matter how far back I go to do a restore.

I can keep trying by finding a "clean" install, but will I lose my bookmarks and other pieces of history? BTW, I'm getting the "cannot load XPCOM" error no matter how far back I go to do a restore.

All Replies (2)

more options

Hello,

Did you download Firefox from the official web site? If not you should uninstall it and download a fresh copy:

Your profile is stored separately from the Firefox install, so a new Firefox install should not affect bookmarks and history. You can always backup your profile by copying the folder as well. In Windows, your profile is stored in: %AppData%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\

Please see the following articles for more information on what is stored in your profile:

Before reinstalling Firefox, you can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:

Running one or two of the programs should be sufficient depending on the type of malware you have - some of the more complicated ones need further intervention. Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.

After running the scans and reinstalling Firefox, does your problem still occur? Please report back to us!

more options

Do a clean reinstall and delete the Firefox program folder before (re)installing a fresh copy of the current Firefox release.

If possible uninstall your current Firefox version to cleanup the Windows registry and settings in security software.

  • Do NOT remove "personal data" when you uninstall your current Firefox version, because this will remove all profile folders and you lose personal data like bookmarks and passwords including data in profiles created by other Firefox versions.

Remove the Firefox program folder before installing that newly downloaded copy of the Firefox installer.

  • (32 bit Windows) "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\"
  • (64 bit Windows) "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\"

Your bookmarks and other personal data are stored in the Firefox profile folder and won't be affected by an uninstall and (re)install, but make sure NOT to remove personal data when you uninstall Firefox as that will remove all Firefox profile folders and you lose your personal data.

If you keep having problems then also create a new profile.