205597 - Cannot Load Preferences at Begining - prefs.js, line 42: SyntaxError: illegal character

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 191557

(Core :: Preferences: Backend, defect)

Description

[Camron]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4b) Gecko/20030507
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4b) Gecko/20030507

Everytime I start up Mozilla I get this error:  "An error occured reading the
startup configuration file.  Please contact your administrator.  prefs.js, line
42: SyntaxError: illegal character."  Because of this none of my settings which
I saved are remember durring my next session...highly annoying.  How in the
world can I fix this?

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Start up Mozilla
2. As Mozilla is starting up, error happens

Actual Results:  
I am given the error stated above in the section called, "details" and my
settings are not saved.

Expected Results:  
I have no clue

Comment 1

[Chris Casciano]

Camron,

* Have you edited your prefs.js file by hand?

* Can you please attach your prefs.js file to this bug so it can be looked at to
see whats causing the error you're seeing? [file is found in your mozilla user
directory.]

... then once you attach that file so we can see it you can rename it to
something else or delete it and things will hopefully clear up.

Comment 2

[Camron]

Attachment: My 'prefs.js' file

I was asked to upload this...it is what causes the problem I think

Comment 3

[Camron]

After this problem made me go insane after the fifty billionth time of trying to
get it to stop, I finally ended up uninstalling the program. Here recently after
finding that there really is no better browswer out there I decided to get it
once again.  Since doing so the problem still exists.  I get this stupid error:
  "prefs.js, line 42: SyntaxError: illegal character" - I have now attached my
pref.js file, and I hope this can be of some help. As well since then I've tried
the latest version of Netscape, and it as well gives me the same error.  So, get
back to me on what the dill-yo is...thank you.

Comment 4

[Conrad Carlen (not reading bugmail)]

It's not a user pref file, but a default pref file, or part of one. All the
prefs in this file begin with "pref" not "user_pref" I'm pretty sure this is the
only place we form pref strings which get written out:
http://lxr.mozilla.org/seamonkey/source/modules/libpref/src/prefapi.cpp#600 -
hardcoded to emit "user_pref" I would think that somehow the contents of your
prefs.js file got switched with those of another file. Can you run a hard disk
check/repair program on your drive?

The only thing you can do with that prefs.js is to remove it. A new one will be
generated.

Comment 5

[Andrew Kane]

Also bugs on WINDOWS ME!!

I did this on Version 1... and is still doing it on Version 1.4

Never loads without some error relating to the configuration file and a syntax
error.

I'm new here... maybe someone else will fix it.

;)

Comment 6

[Stephen Donner [:stephend] Not actively reading bugmail]

*** Bug 219806 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 7

[Stephen Donner [:stephend] Not actively reading bugmail]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 191557 ***