Hello,
Last night I tried to install Firefox portable on Windows 7 64 bit. Everything worked like normal when I started FF. However, changes made to the settings or add-ons installed are not remembered, no matter whether I run FF as a normal user or with admin privileges.
I can't seem to find anything about this behaviour on the Internet, so I assume that this must be a rather rare issue.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what might be the cause of this problem?
Cheers,
cormorant
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I've used Portable Firefox on both 32- and 64-bit systems for several months now, and haven't experienced any such problems at all.
Do you run it from a removable drive?
If yes, check that there is space on the drive, that there are no error on the filesystem, and that the drive isn't write protected somehow. Also check in the Tools menu that Private browsing isn't enabled, althou this sounds a bit far-fetched.
Hello AlleyKat,
I do not run it from a removable drive but from my hard disk. Private browsing is not enabled but could not explain the settings not being saved anyway.
What I have found is that firefox.exe is apparently copied to the temp folder and run from there. Don't know, though, what that may imply and how to fix it.
Cheers,
cormorant
You should be launching Firefox using Firefoxportable.exe. If you run Firefox using firefox.exe you will not be running it portably, it will simply operate like a regular installed version of Firefox. I use FirefoxPortable on Windows 7 64-bit daily and it's working fine, remembering all my settings without any issue.
Hello Darkbee,
Sorry, my mistake. I am actually running FirefoxPortable.exe, just typed firefox.exe by accident.
Thanks a lot for the hint anyway!
Cheers,
cormorant
Are you sure it's not remembering base Firefox settings? Some add-ons are NOT portable since they can choose to store their settings whereever they like. The PortableApps launcher doesn't and will not take into account every single add-on and where it stores its settings. Something to be aware of.
Also, the standard suggestion when a user runs into problems like this is to redownload the latest FirefoxPortable and install to the recommended PortableApps location, something like c:\PortableApps\, to avoid any path issues (typically the path being too long). If you haven't tried that, I'd recommend it.
Hello,
Once again, thanks for your reply.
I am running FF portable with the exact same settings, stored in the local file system on the fixed hard drive, without any issues on an XP machine.
I am away from the Windows 7 machine right now but later today I'll re-download it (even though it is the most recent version I am using), re-install it, check the file permissions for the respective folder, and try again.
And yes, I does not remember the settings. Every time I start I see the "welcome to FF" website being opened. Moreover, all settings are reset to default upon a restart.
I will keep you posted.
Cheers,
cormorant
The redownloading is not so much to make sure you're using the latest version (although that too) but more to try to ensure the download you have isn't corrupt. You should clear all your Internet temp files before downloading, to make sure you don't simply re-use the same (potentially corrupt) file you previously downloaded.
Good luck!
Ok, that can be quite significant where it's stored - I did assume removable drive as it's a portable app.*
You should note Darkbee's recommendation for where to install it - it is rather important that it does not end up in one of the Program Files folders, or in one of the other folders protected by the Windows system (mainly by the UAC). This despite your settings on the folders involved - for security reasons Windows may override such settings, even if you run it as admin. This was not the case in XP, so the difference is significant. (I can go into specifics if you want them)
I run this instance of FF 3.6.13 from a USB stick, and firefox isn't copied anywhere - it (FirefoxPortable.exe, firefox.exe and plugin-container.exe) runs straight from the USB-drive, in this case drive I:, according to Daphne, under the PortableAppsPlatform.exe. I'm on Win7 x64, and has a totally separate FF 4 b7 installed normally on the C-drive.
*) The more details you provide, the better the chance others can help with specifics instead of guesses! ;o)
If you installed it to Program Files or a similar directory with certain NTFS permissions set, it will not work properly.
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