File Name Unchangeable

I have a file in my Firefox profile that needs to be renamed (or removed,) in order for other things to happen. Even after installing the W10 Forums Registry hack to take ownership, no matter what I do, I cannot get the file to be changed. I have tried changing ownership entries in the Security Tab of the file's Property Sheet, all to no avail: Each time I try to modify or delete the file, I am told that I need Administrator's permission to carry out the action.

I even created a new Firefox profile, which automatically created its own copy of the file in question; that copy was easily renamed, with the same admin ownership as I have tried multiple times with the recalcitrant exemplar. I tried to paste the new, modifiable file over the existing non-modifiable one, only to the the same error message.

I am the admin, I have set the admin to be the owner in the Security Tab (as well as, as mentioned, trying other owners,) all to no avail. Any idea as to how I can accomplish what I thought would be a simple task?

What is the file name and are you sure you dont have FF running when you try who is the owner of the file?

Samuria said:

What is the file name and are you sure you dont have FF running when you try who is the owner of the file?

search.json.mozlz4 As long as that file is there, with its original name, if you have a Search Engines folder in the Firefox profile, that folder will not be recognized, which means that my added search engines are not accessible. The related file, search.json, was quickly renamed search.json.old; apparently, a new search.json will not be created upon restarting Fx so long as the mozlz4 file remains with its original name.

Yes, Fx is always closed when making any changes to its profile, as in today's frustration exercise.

Thanks for responding to my plea for assistance.

spunk said:

This is how you change the default search engine in Firefox. Change Default Firefox Search Engine

Thanks, but I changed the default several days ago, and that is not what I am trying to do, which is, by renaming the recalcitrant file, access my collection of added search engines, which reside in their own folder in the Fx profile.

Instead of hammering on a Nerf nail, why not just copy 99.99% of the profile to the newly created one and use that as the default? Rename the old profile and it's done.

pyramid10 said:

Instead of hammering on a Nerf nail, why not just copy 99.99% of the profile to the newly created one and use that as the default? Rename the old profile and it's done.

I tried my 10-ounce finish hammer, my 16-ounce claw hammer, my 5-pound double jack, and my 10-pound sledgehammer, all with no effect. Seriously, there are (or were) good reasons: First, I was hoping to learn how to deal with such files, should I encounter any more, and second, were I able to rename that one file, I would not have to create and populate a new Firefox profile.

One can not "just copy 99.99% of the profile, as that would not work. There is a quite specific list of which files can be transferred:, found in this link:

Transferring data to a new profile - Firefox - MozillaZine Knowledge Base

You then have to determine what other folders and files need to be transferred, such as the additional search engines folder, which, incidentally, a short while ago I successfully installed in the new Firefox profile I created yesterday, after renaming the problem file. (I had not encountered that need previously, as I had not created a new profile after a change was made in Firefox.)

The worst part of transferring from one profile to another is how to best do that with extensions, which I have learned to more or less do without too much frustration.

As it has become apparent that, for reasons unknown, and likely unknowable, the file that I cannot rename shall never be renamed. Given that reality, I have moved all relevant folders and files from the Firefox profile with the problem into the Fx profile that I created yesterday as part of my renaming testing.

In that profile, I have the additional search engines that I could not access, and so far, with the exception of the expected extension options I have either not made or have chosen incorrectly, all seems well.

It surprised me just how well and how quickly the process of moving over to the newest profile went; I can only hope that, although I am using it , it is not watching and planning to take revenge....