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When surfing web as an administrator, Firefox remembers ID's and passwords, but when I surf as a standard user it doesn't.

  • 11 replies
  • 5 have this problem
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by RedWrangler

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Before Firefox updated to 6, my user ID's and passwords that I had saved or ask the website to remember were always available. If I shut off the browser and later started a new session, my ID's were still on the website when I went to them. After yesterday's, 8/31/2011, update to 6, when I close the browser after a session, the ID's and passwords are gone and must be re-entered. This happens only when I'm surfing as a 'standard' user. If I surf the web as an administrator, all my saved info is still there.

Before Firefox updated to 6, my user ID's and passwords that I had saved or ask the website to remember were always available. If I shut off the browser and later started a new session, my ID's were still on the website when I went to them. After yesterday's, 8/31/2011, update to 6, when I close the browser after a session, the ID's and passwords are gone and must be re-entered. This happens only when I'm surfing as a 'standard' user. If I surf the web as an administrator, all my saved info is still there.

Chosen solution

No worries; type "about:config" into your address bar, and you should get a voided warranty alert. I leave the box checked to warn me next time.

After you click "I'll be careful," Firefox shows you its myriad options, I'm guessing around 1500. Typing "form" into the filter will show only options containing that string. The options I looked for deal with automatically remembering the info you enter repeatedly into web forms.

Some changes require a restart, and I'm not hip to which. At least in this case, you'll restart anyway to see if it worked.

This isn't as critical as navigating the Windows registry, but the same sort of cautions apply; you can seriously break your stuff here. Just like Windows and the registry, a clean reinstall can fix whatever you break here, but it's still a hassle you'd rather avoid. Be careful and patient.

Make notes of which value you change, so you can change it back--right-click will copy the option name, its value, or both, making a Notepad list easier. Keep in mind that you might need to change a couple.

I'm not certain these options can alleviate your frustrations, but it's my last idea besides a clean reinstall of Firefox.

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All Replies (11)

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If your "form data" settings are the same between profiles, ensure that your "standard" user has write permissions to the profile directory. Do you have trouble saving bookmarks as well?

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Thanks for your response. Bookmarking is not a problem.

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Do you mean names and passwords in the Password Manager or do you mean that you are no longer logged on to (remembered by) websites after closing and restarting Firefox?

There is a difference between remembering the name and password in the Password Manager and a "remember me" check box on a web page.
The latter usually involves the creation of a special "remember me" cookie that is stored on your computer and that is send to the server.
If that "remember me" cookie is removed or gets corrupted or is not send to the server then the server won't remember you and you need to sign in once again.


Make sure that you do not run Firefox in permanent Private Browsing mode.

  • https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Private+Browsing
  • You enter Private Browsing mode if you select: Tools > Options > Privacy > History: Firefox will: "Never Remember History"
  • To see all History and Cookie settings, choose: Tools > Options > Privacy, choose the setting Firefox will: Use custom settings for history
  • Deselect: [ ] "Permanent Private Browsing mode"
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Thanks for the response. I am not in private browsing mode. The problem is with ID's and Passwords 'remembered' by web sites. After closing and opening the browser, I have to re-enter the 'remembered' data. I have looked at the saved information in the security section of options and some of the data is there but not all. For example, I use a customized My Yahoo for my home page. When I first sign in I request that the ID and Password be saved. That data is on the list of saved ID's and Passwords. But when I close the browser and re-start, I am sent to a generic My Yahoo and have to sign in again. On the sign in page, the ID and Password are there and I can sign in without re-entering them. Before revision 6, I would have automatically been sent to my customized My Yahoo without the additional step of re-entering the ID and password.

My banks allow me to 'remember' my ID. That data is not on the saved list. Every time i close and re-open the browser, I have to re-enter the ID even though I had ask the site to 'remember' it. I have also noticed that sites that used to recognize me and greet me with a 'Hi (ID) no longer do so.

It appears to me that my 'remember me' cookie is not being sent to the server as you say. I don't know how or what I've done to have caused that to happen.

Thanks for your help.

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Sorry, eons ago I remember seeing an option to "remember form data" or similar, which sounds to me like what you're [not] seeing. But I can't find it now in the options. I fear I might be smoking crack on this one, but that's what I meant above by "form data."

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I *think* I might have found it under about:config.

See if any of these is set to false, and if a toggle helps:

  • browser.formfill.enable
  • signon.autofillForms
  • browser.formfill.saveHttpsForms

Confirmation from one of the devs would be great here, but a "true" on this boolean might negate a "true" for either of the above.

  • privacy.clearOnShutdown.formdata

Modified by zedmelon

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zedmelon,

I'm sorry, but I'm not computer literate. I cannot find the 'about:config' location. I tried searching on Firefox Help but got nothing that resembled what you refer to. I really appreciate the help you people are giving me and I'm sorry that I don't completely understand your information.

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Chosen Solution

No worries; type "about:config" into your address bar, and you should get a voided warranty alert. I leave the box checked to warn me next time.

After you click "I'll be careful," Firefox shows you its myriad options, I'm guessing around 1500. Typing "form" into the filter will show only options containing that string. The options I looked for deal with automatically remembering the info you enter repeatedly into web forms.

Some changes require a restart, and I'm not hip to which. At least in this case, you'll restart anyway to see if it worked.

This isn't as critical as navigating the Windows registry, but the same sort of cautions apply; you can seriously break your stuff here. Just like Windows and the registry, a clean reinstall can fix whatever you break here, but it's still a hassle you'd rather avoid. Be careful and patient.

Make notes of which value you change, so you can change it back--right-click will copy the option name, its value, or both, making a Notepad list easier. Keep in mind that you might need to change a couple.

I'm not certain these options can alleviate your frustrations, but it's my last idea besides a clean reinstall of Firefox.

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zedmelon: You did it. The toggling of various forms in about:config did not help, but your last sentence with the statement "but it's my last idea besides a clean reinstall of Firefox" did do it. I tried downloading ver 5 then ver 6 but that didn't do anything. I finally uninstalled Mozilla Firefox completely, the second time deleting the cookies and history and passwords and viola! After re-installing all my bookmarks everything is back to normal. My ID's are 'remembered' and I go directly to remembered web sites with no intermediate ID and password re-loading.

Thanks for your patience and your help.

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sweeeeeeeeeeeet.

glad to hear it. Thanks for the props, and thanks for posting the solution; someone else will come along and say, "zed's full of hot air, but he finally comes around to something that works."

;-)

Modified by zedmelon

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Hey, as far as I'm concerned, you da man! I was ready to give up on Firefox completely.