In the latest Firefox (regular) and FF ESR the updating options have been changed. Now the only "option" is "automatically install updates". If you try to tick the other option "check for updates but let you choose to install them" this warning box pops up "Firefox encountered an error and didn’t save this change. Note that setting this update preference requires permission to write to the file below. You or a system administrator may be able resolve the error by granting the Users group full control to this file.
Could not write to file: {$path}"
I assume this means that Portable FF and FF ESR will try to update itself from Mozilla automatically. What will this do to the portable setup? Can this be fixed so that the second option works properly again? I don't want auto-updating. Thanks.
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Same issue here
Paul vP
I can confirm the issue. And I've determined that it's due to the custom AppID. Turns out Firefox uses it in multiple ways. For background, Firefox and Thunderbird changed the way their AppID works and broke taskbar pinning. To fix it, I added it back the way it was but this broke Thunderbird itself so Thunderbird Portable uses a simplified one (ThunderbirdPortable). Firefox only encounters this error when trying to write to the update settings json file (which it can't write to because the AppID contains backslashes).
To fully fix this, I'll need to push an update out to Firefox, Thunderbird, and the Platform to properly handle it all and preserve the ability to disable updates. I'll continue working on it tomorrow.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Deleting "updater.exe" for Firefox and Thunderbird, will stop auto updates. There is only a pop up message for anew version.
Thanks, John. I really appreciate your work on the portables. I'll await your fix. In the meantime I'm using the previous versions since I backup the folders.
As per user goveto (and confirmed by me) it also causes: "I just updated Firefox Developer Portable to 85.0 Beta 1, and I'm having the following issues in the address bar.
1. When you click Page Actions (3 horizontal dots), the pop-up shows an empty box.
2. Bookmark this page star button is missing."
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I've compiled an updated launcher (FirefoxPortable.exe). The launcher, code, and GPL are included in this zip:
https://portableapps.com/downloads/temp/FirefoxPortableTaskbarPinFix-202...
This should fix the issue with being unable to set update preferences as well as the issues with Dev/Beta having the three dots menu fail. Please test it out and let me know if this works for you.
Note that the AppID for Firefox Portable will be changing so this won't work with your existing taskbar pins and the pin will change once the official release is out.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Sorry John, but it won't run in Win7 x64. I get this error after extraction. and trying to run the exe.
https://i.postimg.cc/RZbMcjZf/FF-Error-12-22-20.jpg
You have to manually extract it and put FirefoxPortable.exe where your existing one is.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I get the same error as I posted in #1 when I try to select manual updates. Also, under Help, there is a button to "Check for Updates", but that has been there since v 84.0 came out.
Are you sure you replaced the existing FirefoxPortable.exe in your install in the FirefoxPortable directory?
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I started over with a fresh copy of my FF 84.0 (portable) folder copied to a test directory. Then I took the FirefoxPortable.exe from your download (unzipped) and put it in the FirefoxPortable directory after deleting the original FirefoxPortable.exe. Then I ran FirefoxPortable.exe and got the same error.
Sorry.
I did the same thing here and it works fine. Of course it's set to only notify and not automatically update by default.
What's the exact install path and the exact steps you're using?
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I'm sorry John but I don't have any more time to work on this. I have to go out of town for a few days for Christmas. If it works for you after testing then it should be fine. The next update will be 84.0.1. Don't you have a couple different guys to test it before release? Sorry.
No worries. Could you just tell me the path and os version? It's just me working on it. It's built and ready to go but I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything in a specific scenario like yours.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
The path of the test directory is C:\_Utility folder\FirefoxPortable\FirefoxPortable.exe
Win7 Home Premium x64
I never used the other 2 files in your Zip download. Only the .exe. You didn't say otherwise.
This should be fixed in Firefox Portable 84.0.1. Please report back and I'll start pushing this out to all channels.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Hi John, This new release seems to fix the issues in the address bar. I'm using FirefoxPortableDeveloper and when I replace the FirefoxPortable.exe with the one you just released, the Page actions and bookmark button reappear. I'm not sure if its okay to use the same exe between the 2 versions but it seemed to work.
I tried the FirefoxPortable.exe that was in FirefoxPortableTaskbarPinFix-2020-11-28.zip but this didn't work for me.
Thanks for all your work on this. I'll wait for the release of the Developer version. Thanks
It's fine, but taskbar pins won't work until I release the update. It's building right now.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
This is also fixed in ESR 78.6.0 Rev 2
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I just installed your latest 84.0.1 update to my test folder and it works fine in Win7 x64. The updater is back to being set at "Check for updates but let you choose to install them" Under Help is says "Up to date". So my issues are fixed. Thanks, John.
This is now fixed in all channels with the release of Test 85 Beta 4, Development 85 Beta 4, and Nightly 86 Rev 2.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I am not using the same version, so I do not know about this problem.
But, I do not want it to be updated itself automatically also.
So, I use "search" on the "App" folder, to find out some files then modify them.
1. Renamed the "updater.exe(there are two of it)", "updater.ini(there are two of it)",
"update-settings.ini(there are two of it)" and "update-config.json" by adding ".jpg"
after the end of the extension letters.
For example: rename "updater.exe" into "updater.exe.jpg",
rename "updater.ini" into :"updater.ini.jpg".
2. After that, open "channel-prefs.js" by notepad, and edit the last
sentence into " pref("app.update.channel", "default"); "
(There are totally two "channel-prefs.js" , we must edit both of them.)
3. After I had done the above, the portable Firefox cannot update itself forever.
Thank you.
❇️