When I run PortableFirefox, does it write any cookies, cache, bookmarks, password etc anywhere on C: , e.g. users/Appdata folder?
Or is all activity within PortableFirefox stored inside its own folder?
And where is the PortableFirefox v3 cache located? I cannot see it anywhere inside the PoretableFirefox folder.
Thank you
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
No, all the activity is stored in the "PortableFirefox" folder.
I used to see the cache on version 2 but now I don't seem to see it anymore on version 3.
Well that concerns me. Why cannot we locate the firefox3 cache anywhere inside the Portablefirefox folder?
That must mean its writing the cache somewhere else.
Does anyone know why it's doing that, and where exactly portablefirefox 3 cache is located?
Or is caching turned off in portable firefox3? If so, does that mean that is the reason I cannot find a cache folder anywhere?
One question: Why do you care so much?
Admin can see what you were watching anyway.
"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." Asimov
that's not really true there is some information stored temporarily in the page file and even from memory in the pre-fetch but windows clears these out fairly regularly
short answer yes but nothing permanent or personal
i had a quick look and all i could find was a folder called offline cache and file called extensions.cache both in the profile directory
UPDATE: hawk, go into tools/ options / Advanced/ network.
What does it say in your cache?
mine says "use up to 0MB for space for cache".
Does this mean my cache is totally turned off, and no websites that I visit are cached? If so, that would be good for security purposes as nothing is stored anywhere.
Portable Firefox, so that should not be an issue; you only want to set that at 0 MB if so it doesn't keep writing to your drive and its reducing the speed.
The cache is in your RAM and not on any drive.
"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate
Thats excellent. So when I use portablefirefox, none of my internet activity gets written anywhere, not even to my portablefirefox folder. Is that right?
Pretty much.
Alive and kicking!
"If you were a robot, and I knew but you didn't, would you want me to tell you?"
Nope, it depends on configuration.
If you have disk cache enabled - it's stored in \data\profile\cache, as arizona480 wrote before.
"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." Asimov
It does get written to RAM, but that is easily (and permanently) cleared by turning off the computer.
(Ignore the previous responses in reply to this, they are all wrong)
At the top of that is the "History" fieldset. Inside that is "Keep my history for xxx days" - if you uncheck that, your activity will not be written anywhere - not even in memory. This speeds it up. But be warned: if you like the autocomplete stuff in the address bar, that will no longer work, except for bookmarked pages.
Like normal, when posting in a forum, please look at a topic at the top called "Read me first" if there is one - they will often solve all your problems. In this case, point 4 addresses your issue. Also, go to the Portable App's help page - help.html in the FirefoxPortable directory - and it will reference a global support page, in this case https://portableapps.com/support/firefox_portable. This answers your other questions. (Especially take note of the "Improving Firefox Portable's Performance" section. I can recommend the disabling the phishing etc. filter tip, as it improves performance noticeably on a slow disk, and also saves 50MB!)
I am a Christian and a developer and moderator here.
“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1
We weren't wrong, we just assumed that they were using the configuration you describe
I realise it's probably to do with add-ons etc. but this should really be noted clearly somewhere.
For anyone who is on a corporate network wanting to use Firefox Portable so they don't leave a footprint do NOT trust FF Portable to leave your Appdata folder alone (as above, possibly only when you use plugins).
Various things do not work well on FF Portable (e.g. del.icio.us bookmarks plugin works fine - if you want to use your appdata folder and not use the plugin manager).
FF Portable DOES leave a footprint - the FAQs should be updated to advise this.
Your reply has left much to be desired. Firefox portable does work on coprate computes with leaving little data behind. If you set it up correctly it works quite well
If you want STEALTH which is what i think you are refering to then FIREFOX and any browser for that matter wont work. All web browsers access a perticular port that is then sent to the IT. so for Stealth reasons dont use any other browser than the one on your computer.
If your workplace is that stringent then dont use portable apps at all. it can lead you into legal trouble.
It's not only a matter of web browsers. Stealth programs don't exist. Period.
Admin can create detailed logs of all user's activities coupled with a video of what was on the screen. It's not only easy, but cheap too.
"Those people who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do." Asimov
Okay, let me clarify the situation so you don't break down the strawman again: Firefox Portable DOES leave a footprint on your system when used with plugins. That needs to be updated on the FAQ page where it says that it does not, and it needs to be noted on this Forum topic where the same reply is given. I could give a flying toss about your answer re: corporate networks.
It is also clearly NOT a case of FF Portable "not being setup correctly". FF Portable works fine - until you add certain plugins.
Then you must have updated it using the firefox updater which changes the program from the portable firefox to an installed normal version WHICH DOES leave a foot print.
As for plugins most are portable but the ones that are not do not specify. that is not a problem with FIREFOX but more of a problem with the plugin.
Solution: dont use plugins
Edit: also dont double post . it is bad edaqute there is an edit button that you can use to edit your previous post.
Must I? What are you, Big Brother?
No I did NOT update using the Firefox Updater. Unlike you, clearly, I actually read. You're a classic tech guy - you immediately assume that you know everything. Here's a tip for you, know-it-all: As I SAID EARLIER - the issue is MOST LIKELY a plugin issue (confirmed for 1 plugin so far: del.icio.us bookmarks).
The point is - if you're not a typical "no, we don't support that" automatic response IT guy (to whit: "don't install any plugins") - the FAQ is for USERS, not know-it-alls. The FAQ should therefore point out that there is a case/situation where Firefox Portable WILL leave a footprint. And this thread should therefore point out that the response to the question raised is, at least, "yes - but not under certain circumstances (i.e. with certain plugins)".
Get over yourself for 5 minutes and accept the remote possibility that you might not know everything there is to know about Firefox and/or customer service.
The reason interface design is gradually being moved away from the realm of tech nerds and into the arena of psychology is proven here: when a user asks a question ("will FF Port leave a footprint") what an intelligent support person would do is look at the motivation behind the query, not a pedantic word-for-word reading. The user, in this case, is clearly asking: "can you tell me whether I'm going to find files left after I use FF Port?" and obviously they are assuming that if you know of cases where this would happen - whether it's directly FF Port's fault or not! - you would advise them of such.
The reason I've mailed support and asked them to update the FAQ and also noted my reply in this forum post is because the answer to the question is: "you will find Firefox files left behind in your appdata folder if you are using FFPort with certain plugins." Tech nerds like yourself can then wax on about how it's the fault of those plugins, etc. I don't care - I just want to know that answer next time so I don't install it if I'm hoping to not leave a footprint.
fanglove
This "tool", as you call him, is an established member of the community who has proven himself.
Your reply is boarding on hostile, try to tone it down a bit.
Thanks.
Moderator Tim
Things have got to get better, they can't get worse, or can they?
you know something you responded to this thread in a hostile and innaproriate manner that shot at those who have slaved at creating thses programs.
Big Brother? Interesting attempt to rebuke your faults.
You found the fault, it was a isolated plugin. you take a chance with F/OSS software and if you have a problem with that plugin leaving a footprint then go complain to them. Get off you're tall chair and join the little people.
How am I on the tall chair when you're the one shooting me down for something that you obviously didn't know about in the first place? I have no illusions about the fact that I don't know anything about Firefox compared to most of the popular contributors in these forums like yourself - I have no hesitation at all in placing you "above me" when it comes to knowledge of Firefox. I also have no issue with the creators of these apps - where did I say or imply that? (Answer: nowhere)
I do, however, have an issue with you condescending to me ("your reply has left much to be desired") and assuming that I haven't followed obvious instructions (Updater doesn't work) and am too stupid to comprehend basic points ("If your workplace is that stringent then dont use portable apps at all").
None of your knee-jerk responses to my first thread post (which was not at all hostile and inappropriate, as you put it) were of any value or addressed the issue that I was clearly referring to (since it was the whole point of the thread - does FF Port write any data to C - and as I said, not a pedantic reading of that query).
I'm sorry Moderator Tim, I don't mean to be rude but the fact of whether someone contributes regularly to a forum doesn't automatically preclude them from being boorish and condescending - and that's what I was responding to.
Hi. After reading this discussion, Mir and you seem to be shooting at each other.
I'm gonna reply like i'm just replying to the topic.
Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition, is told by the launcher to store its data in a folder on your flash drive. (somewhere in the 'Data' folder.) So this eliminates the possibility of data being written to the Application Data folder. Any other information, like registry info, is temporarily written, saved (if necessary.) and deleted, when Firefox closes. The launcher does a great job of doing its job in a nice, plain, and simple way.
Na na na, come on!
I'd like you to calm down a bit.
Mir is a knowledgeable user of PortableApps.com and a regular on the forums. He not once so much as made it sound like he was a "holier than thou" IT who thinks he knows everything.
He was just saying that your post did, in fact, seem to say that that was it, and was just trying to add to it. He wanted to inform you that you might not know something that he did. It isn't always an addon. Just because you didn't use the Mozilla Update doesn't mean another user did without knowledge of the consequences. For the most part, addons do not, in fact, mess with the Application Data or the registry. They generally play nicely with the launcher. However, as you found, some addons do make a problem. But, that isn't the only possible problem that can be found with using Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition.
Please, he was only trying to be helpful, and I do believe that you might have taken it a little personally.
I'm pretty sure that many of the members of our community like having Mir around, and if you want to get good support and friendly help around here and be welcomed, it may do you good to try to keep things calm when possible.
"Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning." - Rick Cook
If you want to see your current cache usage, go to about:cache in the address bar.