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Howto: Convert your old U3 Firefox to the new 2.0 Firefox and the PortableApps.com Platform

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December 26, 2007 - 10:05am
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Simeon
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Howto: Convert your old U3 Firefox to the new 2.0 Firefox and the PortableApps.com Platform

This is a Howto I put together for all the people who own a U3 drive and want to switch to the new Mozilla Firefox, Portable Edition (2.0.0.11). The recommended Menu is the PortableApps.com Platform but I will also explain how to make it show up in your U3 Menu using Smithtechs ShortcutCreator for U3 if you don't want to switch.

First you have to download Firefox Portable from here and the latest beta of the PortableApps.com Platform.

Then we install the new Menu. Just click on the PortableApps.com_Platform_Setup_1.1_Beta_4.exe and install it to your flash drive. Now You click on the Firefox_Portable_2.0.0.11_en.paf.exe and extract it to your drive. It should automatically find the right place. If it does not, the right Place is ?:\PortableApps\.

Now we open the U3 drive in Explorer and copy 

?:\System\Apps\3C9F7B3F-D55C-42cd-8537-B878518B73AF\Data

to the address bar. You have to replace the "?" with the drive letter of your U3 drive. That takes us to the folder on our U3 drive where the Firefox Profile is located.
In there are 2 folders. Copy those 2 folders to the ?:\PortableApps\FirefoxPortable\Data\ folder.

Now You can launch your new Firefox by either directly clicking the FirefoxPortable.exe or launching it via the Menu. To start the menu, click the StartPortableApps.exe in the root of your drive. For more infos on the menu visit the support pages.

If you want to have Firefox showing up in your U3 Menu, do the following:

Download FirefoxPortable as mentioned above.
Create a folder called PortableApps in your U3 drive, click on the PrtableApps.com_Platform_Setup_1.1_Beta_4.exe and install it to that folder.

Now we open the U3 drive in Explorer and copy 

?:\System\Apps\3C9F7B3F-D55C-42cd-8537-B878518B73AF\Data

to the address bar. You have to replace the "?" with the drive letter of your U3 drive. That takes us to the folder on our U3 drive where the Firefox Profile is located.
In there are 2 folders. Copy those 2 folders to the ?:\PortableApps\FirefoxPortable\Data\ folder.

Now download Smithtechs ShotrcutCreator from here.

Now its time to create the new shortcut:
Extract the "ShortcutCreator4U3-VB6" you downloaded previously to your desktop.
Run the "ShortcutCreator4U3.exe" and fill out the fields:
Shortcut Name: Firefox 2.0
For the "Icon" and "Application Path" you click "browse" and browse to the "FirefoxPortable.exe" on your U3 drive. Now click on "Add Shortcut" , install the upcoming window like a normal U3 Application and close the Shortcut Creator. Now its time to test our new shortcut. Open the U3 Menu and click on the "Firefox 2.0" link.
It should now open the new Firefox but with all your old settings and bookmarks. If thats the case and everything went according to plan, you can delete the old Firefox.

If it doesn't work feel free to post here and well try to help you Smile

Could some folks test this so we know it works for other people than me ;)?
If i find the time maybe I'll do one for Thunderbird as well. Basically it works the same just the link on the U3 drive is different.

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December 26, 2007 - 10:26am
John T. Haller
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Nope

At the very least, it would need to be installed at X:\PortableApps\FirefoxPortable. And we'll probably never support running from the U3 menu via third party utilities.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

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December 26, 2007 - 2:40pm
(Reply to #2)
Simeon
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ok John

I understand that and changed it.

"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate

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December 28, 2007 - 11:37pm
(Reply to #3)
Ryan McCue
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Sticky material?

I'm thinking that this would probably be relevant to a lot of people. I think we should either sticky it or change it a bit and move the content to a page.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate."

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December 26, 2007 - 12:03pm
Tim Clark
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Thanks

Simeon,

Thanks for doing this Smile

I agree with John that the adding to the U3 Launchpad should be left to separate posting. Some people will want to convert their existing PFF4U3 and/or PTB4U3 to FFP and/or TBP on a new flash drive that does not have U3.

I think a basic, simple transition of the U3 series to the Current standard is the way to go.

I look forward to your step by step for PTB4U3.

Your current step by step for FF seems to indicate that there is no special tweaking needed in the transfer/upgrade. I am surprised, happily Smile I would have bet that the dual update from both U3 to non-U3 AND from the 1.5.0.x series to the 2.0.0.x series at the same time would have been a touch more complicated.

Hopefully it will be the same for TB. "If" it is, all we would really need is the U3 path to the TB data folder.

Thanks again for looking into this Smile

Tim

Things have got to get better, they can't get worse, or can they?

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December 26, 2007 - 12:33pm
(Reply to #5)
Simeon
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thanks

for your comments.
I didn't try the "transition" with any addons installed. That might complicate things a bit but I hope it doesn't :).
I'll play with it a couple more times and maybe add a "howto switch to PAM & Portable Firefox entirely"-thing to emphasize the fact that we want people t use PAM.
Maybe I should look more into the 1.5 to 2.0 thing as that might cause more problems than the U3 to non-U3 thing...
So stay tuned Wink

"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate

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December 26, 2007 - 3:43pm
Aciago
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It works

for me... both with PFF and PTh... BTW, I have tons of extensions and skins in both Apps...

I didn't "installed" from rooth, I copied my installed apps on my PDrive (Titan 4Gb) to my other Drive (Sandisk U3 1Gb), and did the shortcuts...

It also worked with VLC... Wink

If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port,
and the bus is interrupted as a very last resort,
and the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort,
then the socket packet pocket has an error to report Biggrin

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January 1, 2008 - 12:06pm
xelaw
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I want to install Firefox 2 on my USB Flasg Drive

Simeon, thanks for the instructions.

I have a SanDisk Cruzer USB Flash drive, and I want to replace the Firefox 1.5 with Firefox 2. I read your instructions on how to do this, but I'm somewhat puzzled as to what to do:

You say "Now we open the U3 drive in Explorer and copy". When I look at Explorer, I see that the drive appears as 2 drives in Explorer: U3 System (G:) and Removable Disk (H:). I assume the U3 drive you're talking about would be H: in my case.

You then say "and copy [the link] to the address bar". I've been using Windows for a very long time, but I'm afraid I don't know where to find the address bar in Explorer. Can you clear this up for me?

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January 1, 2008 - 12:42pm
(Reply to #8)
Simeon
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Address bar

With address bar i mean the field at the to of the explorer where it says in which folder you are. For example i open my usb stick and go to the POrtableApps folder it says "I:\PortableApps".
Maybe I used the wrong name. What would you call it?

I just did it like that to avoid having to explain how to enable hidden folders.
Because the "system" folder is hidden and so you wont find it unless you have hidden folders enabled.

So that would be the second way:
Enable hidden folders and navigate to ?:\System\Apps\3C9F7B3F-D55C-42cd-8537-B878518B73AF\Data

"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate

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January 3, 2008 - 3:40pm
xelaw
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Shortcut Link Doesn't Work

I followed your instructions but when I used the shortcut creator, after browsing to "FirefoxPortable.exe" for Icon and Application Path, and clicking "Add Shortcut", a window popped up which said "Run time error 53, File Not Found" and no shortcut was created. Any Idea what I did wrong?

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January 3, 2008 - 3:50pm
(Reply to #10)
xelaw
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I just want to add, that

I just want to add, that Firefox 2 works fine when I click on it in Windows explorer, with all the settings that I had previously.

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January 3, 2008 - 5:45pm
(Reply to #11)
SmithTech
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.NET or VB6?

Are you using the .NET version of the shortcut creator? Or the VB6 version?
The VB6 version has some issues, if your using it, use the .NET version instead.

I'm working on a new version written in Delphi which will be fully portable.

"Because they stand on a wall and say, 'Nothing is going to hurt you tonight. Not on my watch.'" (A Few Good Men)
Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.(Albert Einstein)

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January 3, 2008 - 6:05pm
(Reply to #12)
Simeon
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Vb6 i guess

I linked to the vb6 version cause I don't have .NET installed. I noticed the same error and it worked after I switched to the Advanced mode.

"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate

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January 4, 2008 - 3:27am
(Reply to #13)
xelaw
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I'm using the VB6 version,

I'm using the VB6 version, and that's the only link I have. How do I link to the .NET version?
I tried checking the "Advanced" check box, but the result was the same as I described above.
I didn't run the package installer or U3P2 exec file, and I'm not sure why I had to extract them if I just want to run shortcut creator. Or should I have run them? Simeon's instructions didn't mention them. I also don't understand why the 7Zip files were included in the download.
In any case, if I now wanted to download the .NET version, I assume I have to remove the extracted files from the VB6 version. Can I just delete them, or do I have to use Add/Remove from the control panel?

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January 4, 2008 - 3:50am
(Reply to #14)
xelaw
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Add one more comment to the

Add one more comment to the above post:
I just tried running StartPortableApps.exe (If the autorun.inf is supposed to autorun this application when I insert the flash memory, it doesn't.) The window which is supposed to show the Portable Apps menu is blank. Running "Options>Refresh App Icons" doesn't do a thing. I expect that this is because the Portable Apps platform was installed to the Portable Apps Folder and not to the root directory of the flash drive. Just checking to make sure there is no problem here

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January 4, 2008 - 6:44am
(Reply to #15)
Simeon
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NET

You can get all available versions here.
As for the other exes, I think they are needed by ShortcutCreator4U3.exe.
And to remove them I'd use the Add/Remove function.

The StartPortableApps.exe strats the PortableApps.com Menu. So its basically the same like the U3 Menu, its just a little different. But they are both for Launching Applications. It only shows Applications in the left panel if you have them installed into the right folder. Thats what the first half of my Howto is about: using Firefox with the PortableApps.com Menu and getting your data from the U3-Firefox to the other one.
The second half is about installing a new Firefox, making it show up in the U3 Menu via the Shortcut Creator and copying your passwords/bookmarks etc. over to the new one.

And the PortableApps.com Menu/Platform is installe dat the right spot, its just Firefox that has to be installed to the ?:\PortableApps folder to make it appear in the Menu.

Hope that clarifies a bit.

"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate

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January 4, 2008 - 9:58am
(Reply to #16)
xelaw
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Simeon, I'm afraid it's

Simeon, I'm afraid it's still not working.
I deleted the VB6 version of Shortcut Creator (it doesn't appear in Add/Remove Programs), and used the .NET version. No luck here either. Any suggestions?

I like the idea of using the U3 menu, because it's there in the system tray, and easy to navigate to the applications I want (mainly Firefox). I just looked at the U3 menu, and there is a setting there "Add Programs" which apparently allows you to install new applications. Why can't I delete everything that I placed in the PortableApps folder, then use "Add Programs" to install Portable Firefox 2.0 in that folder? As for the settings, I can copy the Firefox profile on my PC to the same location in the newly installed Portable Firefox 2.0 in the flash drive. (I periodically copy this file to the present profile folder in my flash drive anyway.)

If this works, then I can delete the old FPortable Firefox 1.5. Anything wrong with this procedure? The reason I hesitate is that I don't know if this can in any way damage the U3 system.

Thanks for your patience.

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January 4, 2008 - 12:09pm
(Reply to #17)
Simeon
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Firefox 2.0

cant be installed onto a U3 Stick just like that because U3 requires a special setup for the Application. The Firefox 2 which you can download from this site isnt made to show up in the U3 Menu. For that you have the Shortcut Creator. All it does is make a Shortcut in the U3 Menu pointing to the FirefoxPortable.exe. So it doesnt show in the U3 Menu itself.

I had the same problem but only oncew and it worked after I tried it a couple of times in a row while having the menu running.
Maybe that helps.

"What about Love?" - "Overrated. Biochemically no different than eating large quantities of chocolate." - Al Pacino in The Devils Advocate

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January 4, 2008 - 12:34pm
(Reply to #18)
xelaw
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Simeon, thanks for all your

Simeon, thanks for all your help. I finally got everything working correctly. Portable Firefox 2.0 is on my flash drive, launched from a shortcut on the U3 menu, with the profile exactly as I want it. It seems the problem was that there was one more step in the shortcut creator (.NET version) which I hadn't done previously.
Thanks again.

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