I've noticed that when Firefox portable is opened and i restart my PC without closing it it doesn't save the settings.
Why this is happening and can i make Firefox save its settings every time in case i forget to close it before restarting or shutting down my PC?
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Firefox will save your settings regardless of whether you close it or not as the launcher doesn't need to move any of its settings around. If it doesn't save some things, that's due to Firefox itself and Windows' poor way of shutting down apps (it often crashes them). The local version of Firefox has the same issue. Always close your software before restarting or shutting down.
On the other hand, if you associated firefox with extensions and run it directly, you'd be running it in local mode (not portable mode) with a different profile. Not sure if that is happening, but wanted to note it just in case.
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I am running Firefox locally, not from usb and these looks like big disadvantage to me. If i forget to close Firefox before shutting down PC i will loose all new data like passwords, bookmarks, history, etc.
If there is no solution for this i think i will return to installed version of Firefox because i don't want to loose any data.
I mean it's exactly the same whether you use the portable version or the installed version. The portable launcher does not move Firefox's data around before or after Firefox runs. Firefox is the only thing saving its data to the right place. Windows often crashes apps when it shuts down if they take more than 2 seconds to close. So, you will experience the same issues whether you use the local or portable version of Firefox unless the portable one is being run off a slower drive (external, flash drive, etc) which will increase the likelihood of Windows crashing it.
Just shutting down Windows without closing your apps means its not a matter of if you lose data, but when.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
When i was using installed version of Firefox i never lost data when i leave windows shutting it down. And it is not just Firefox but other portable applications too. I don't understand how some portable application can save their settings and some doesn't.
For example, applications like Free Commander XE and Chrome save their settings on windows shut down and applications like utorrent and Opera doesn't. For the last two i am receiving some message like: Utorrent or Opera did not close properly last time it was run... " when i start them again.
That's an 'improper close' message. Not a 'you lost your settings' message.
Close your apps before you shut down Windows and it won't app. Windows doesn't understand multiple EXE apps (like portable apps that have a separate launcher) and will close them in the wrong order, often forcibly. The result is that the portable app doesn't shutdown correctly (uTorrentPortable.exe force closed before uTorrent.exe closes, so it can't clean up and move settings to the right place).
As for Firefox Portable, the launcher just points it to the right place. It's up to Firefox to save its settings on its own. So, what you're seeing is Firefox's fault (though, realistically, Windows' fault), nothing to do with our launcher. Again, if you close it rather than let Windows kill it, it will save its settings.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Well, if it is up to Firefox to save its settings i don't understand why when installed it saves its settings every time and when is portable it doesn't.
Can someone else confirm that portable Firefox doesn't save the settings on windows shut down? I am wondering if this doesn't work only for me. I am using windows xp service pack 3.
I use mainly installed FF and can confirm that if it crashes, it will not be able to remember all data it had before the crash.
Therefore I close it properly each time before closing windows.
Same applies to portable FF.
Before closing windows, I close it and the platform too.
Then all is retained as it should.
BTW: also installed office 2010 will not remember all data when crashed and also IE will not remember all data when crashed and also windows will not remember all data when crashed and also linux will not remember all data when crashed......
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
I've sometimes crashed firefox portable (usually when I download too may things at once), and it's saved/reopened the tabs I had open (with the Ooops message), retained the bookmarks I just made. This is ffp installed locally on my vista.
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