I'm running the latest version of PortableApps, v12.0.5, with quite a few other progs w/o any problems (W7 64-bit).
I now also installed yr portable Firefox, v32.0.1, very neat. All installed on a second built-in hd.
My issue is the profile, should it be at ...C:\Users\xxxx\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles (9.87 MB) and also at C:\Users\xxxx\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles (24.8 MB)?
When I start from a desktop shortcut (FirefoxPortable.exe) I can do all, no problem, made it my default browser.
When I start Firefox from a saved site link/shortcut on my desktop then suddenly I have no extensions? If I add a new (not used before) extension immediately it runs fine but doesn't appear in my Firefox when started from FirefoxPortable.exe. This goes vice versa.
It's clear that the profile data not set correctly.
I've read other threads with similar issues but do not want to try all the tips I see in fear of making a bigger mess.
Any suggestions?
Visit the Community page
Join our forums
Subscribe to our email newsletter
Subscribe with RSS
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on LinkedIn
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Mastodon
Follow us on BlueSky
You shouldn't have set it as default. Doing so if cumvents the portable parts of the app, running it as if it's a normal install, just installed in a non-default location.
Thanks, I've reset IE as the default but now all the desktop site shortcuts/links opens with IE? I'm trying to get rid of IE?
Is there a way of that Firefox opens them?
I have a similar issue. I set the Portable Apps FF as default. On XP SP3, where is my profile; specifically bookmarks, passwords & pre-filled form info? What are the file names?
Can I just use the Moz Back-up tool? I'm assuming it would give me the vanilla install as a backup under the circumstances.
On Win 98 with early versions of FF I knew all this info, but no clue today.
normally it is located in FirefoxPortable/Data/Profile
If you spoiled your Firefox Portable and mixed all up, look simply in your user/appdata/mozilla/firefox/profile
inside the folder with the cryptic name you will find the local profile of your account for firefox
However in such case I can not understand why to use portable version and modify it back so it becomes non portable, why not to install the normal version and have all the advantages straight away.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
It has to do with how things worked on Win 98 when I started using Portable FF. At that time, EVERYTHING was stored in C/program files/Firefox/Profile; so I could use the exact same browser on both local pc's & remote by cdr or usb with no need to update.
With XP, I migrated, only to find out that there are 2 versions installed: a "vanilla" version with no add ons, bookmarks, etc & the portable version that I use with all my settings, boomarks, data & add ons. I don't know where Windows XP stores ALL the files for the FF portable. I do know where it stores the "Vanilla" files (FirefoxPortable/Data/Profile)
I THINK I've mitigated this with export add ons in the last 2 days, but haven't had a new machine to test on yet.
user/appdata/mozilla/firefox/profile
you can just copy the profile found there to the data file of your portable install.
Note that setting a portable ff as default will break mayn things and doing so you should know some more details of the operating system before you do such things.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
Thanks. Other than logins.json the dates & file size look right. When I get a new box I will try the backup I just made & hope!
I only set it as default when an Opera install made itself default & I didn't want that. Again, I wasn't even aware of this issue until recently as it was never an issue with 98.
you simply copy the profile to the new install. The complete profile I mean. Not just single files of it.
And if you want use features of default browser, do not spoil your portable browser or operating system, use properly installed browser for that.
w98 had no users, it was just a GUI for DOS.
Later operating systems have variables for each user stored separately, therefore it has to be stored in place where user has access to. Users have no access to something like ...program files...
We have now 2014 and operating systems without any user management were dropped many years ago.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
Hi Otto,
Thanks for all yr info, it seems that this is an old problem with the portable Firefox version from PortableApps, this comment dates back to 1 Feb 2008:
"When I double click on an internet shortcut firefox launches the .exe bypassing the portable launcher.
I lose all my custom settings, bookmarks, themes, extensions, etc.
It creates a profile folder in the Documents and Settings\username\Applications Data... etc, and elsewhere.
How to avoid this and launch the portable version with all my settings intact?"
I couldn't have said it better. The shortcut to launch Firefox uses the profile & extensions from C:\Users\xxx\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\xxx.default\extensions
while an Internet shortcut uses F:(my 2nd hd)\Portable\PA\PortableApps\FirefoxPortable\Data\profile\extensions
This forces me to install a new extension twice otherwise it's not always available. I do not mind that Firefox is writing to the C drive but why can I not have only one extensions folder (i.e. one profile)?
Shouldn't new users be warned in advance before they use the portable version that this issue is "normal"?
As previously mentioned, The only way you'll launch the exe directly, is if you've set Firefox, Portable Edition as default internet application. Any shortcuts should link to FirefoxPortable.exe, not firefox.exe
To start Firefox I always use FirefoxPortable.exe as shortcut, where do I specify the "default Internet application" option?
In the original post, you stated you made Firefox, Portable Edition your default browser. As I've said, this should not be done, it is not designed to be used as a default browser. If you're wanting Firefox to be the default browser for your system, you should install the non-portable version, and set that as the default browser.
To repeat - Firefox, Portable Edition does NOT have an option to set it as default.
"As previously mentioned, The only way you'll launch the exe directly, is if you've set Firefox, Portable Edition as default internet application."
and
"To repeat - Firefox, Portable Edition does NOT have an option to set it as default."
Sorry but I've lost you here.
"If you're wanting Firefox to be the default browser for your system, you should install the non-portable version, and set that as the default browser."
So it seems that PortableApps should warn the users that their conversion comes with this issue (two profiles) and should rather not be used?
1. Windows allows programs to be set as default applications for various tasks, including the default internet browser. That is what I have referred to here. Firefox simplifies doing by having an option in the settings to do so, and as we do not modify Firefox, Portable Edition, the option is in the portable app as well.
However, selecting this option will circumvent the portability, This is what I was referring to.
2. Having two profiles is not an issue relating to the portable application.
When you install Firefox, Portable Edition, there is only one profile, contained in FirefoxPortable\Data
The only way to change that, in other words to have two profiles, is if you have purposely set Firefox to be the default application, or associated files with Firefox. This is not how any portable application should be used, including Firefox, Portable Edition. If you have done this, we are not responsible for any unintended circumstances such as you have run into, nor can we anticipate that you will do so.
As a result, it is not our responsibility to warn users that using the software in manners that circumvent portability, such as above, will break said portability.
With that said, we will often do our best to assist users that have unintentionally broken portability to fix the problems encountered.
Thanks Cord, point taken and I've removed all regarding Firefox from my puter, no references anywhere to Firefox, profiles, etc. IE back and fully in charge. All running as it used to be and that's what I do not want.
I'm going to start afresh and install Firefox portable via PortableApps platform v12.0.5 which is installed on my 2nd hd.
So I'll just have to live with the fact that Firefox cannot open a site shortcut link on my desktop.
You can set it using a default browser tool and selecting FirefoxPortable.exe as your browser. There are quite a few on Google though I can't recall offhand which one we used to recommend (I'm on a train at the moment so don't have full access to all my digital stuff).
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Once I get this resolved, is it safe to update through the about Firefox option in Portable, or does that still cause this issue also?
Gord, thanks for all the effort but I eventually decided to skip the portable version, just too many hiccups for my usage. I've now installed Firefox in full. I'm using PortableApps extensively and all the other apps I've installed running w/o any (similar) issues at all.
Geff1, I've tried it before (registerfp_1_1.zip) but it didn't take at all, some folk had luck with it but I cannot confirm if it it will resolve the profile issue. The author actually warns that it's only effective when used on the PC where the portable version has been installed. It's an old Registry hack going back to 2010 and never been updated while Firefox updated many times.