Unknown Master Password is Set at Initial Startup (Firefox)

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Revision as of 22:22, 10 February 2005 by Ccl (talk | contribs) (→‎Solution:)
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This procedure applies to Win XP, for what it's worth. It may or may not apply to any other Operating System

Problem:

Upon initial installation, Firefox apparently believes it has a non-null Master Password in effect, and the user is unable to change it using..

Tools->Options->Privacy->Saved Passwords->Change Master Password

..because said Master Password is unknown to the user (1) (2).

Note: This situation may only occur when one imports an existing Mozilla suite profile's passwords at Firefox install time, but I'm not sure.


Solution:

Shut down Firefox.


Rename..

\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxxxxxxx.default\key3.db

..to some different name, e.g. key3.db.orig.


Then, if you want to actually set a Master Password you can use, re-launch Firefox, and use either..

Tools->Options->Privacy->Saved Passwords->Change Master Password

..or the..

chrome://pippki/content/pref-masterpass.xul (3)

..dialog to enter your desired password.


Otherwise, re-launch Firefox, and the insidious unknown default Master Password ought to now be disabled. Someone please test this.

RE Tested this solution:
Hope this is the right place to put this.
1. I was recieving request for password when using firefox to view/debug within dreamweaver mx.
2. Solution did not work for me. Firefox apparently recreates the key3.db file every time it is started. I also tried, after making a renamed backup, opening key3.db in a text editor and deleting everything. Basically creating a blank file. Firefox over wrote it when it was restarted.

References:

(1) master password problem-can I reset it?


(2) Avoid master password when filling in site passwords????

(3) Firefox : FAQs : Master password settings