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What should I do about the alert "Could not initialize the application's security component...." Firefox no responding.

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  • 17 have this problem
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  • Last reply by pcgirl405

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When I open up firefox I get the alert: Could not initialize the application's security component. The most likely cause is problems with files in your application's profile directory. Please check that this directory has no read/write restrictions and your hard disk is not full or close to full. It is recommended that you exit the application and fix the problem. If you continue to use this session, you might see incorrect application behaviour when accessing security features. When I click OK I get my home page (google), but nothing works: no web sites will open. I have downloaded the new version of firefox and carried out a defraggle without success.

When I open up firefox I get the alert: Could not initialize the application's security component. The most likely cause is problems with files in your application's profile directory. Please check that this directory has no read/write restrictions and your hard disk is not full or close to full. It is recommended that you exit the application and fix the problem. If you continue to use this session, you might see incorrect application behaviour when accessing security features. When I click OK I get my home page (google), but nothing works: no web sites will open. I have downloaded the new version of firefox and carried out a defraggle without success.

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This solution worked for me: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Could+not+initialize+the+browser+security+component

The step that worked for me was to locate and delete the cert8.db file.