I am finding that web page links that are unresponsive when using the portable version of FF work fine when I access FF directly, even though it is the EXACT same version. More details:
I have Portable Firefox installed here: D:\FirefoxPortable.
In that folder is FirefoxPortable.exe, which is how I normally run FF (via a desktop shortcut). Doing it that way, an increasing number of links do not work.
But when I drill down and run FF directly from D:\FirefoxPortable\App\Firefox\firefox.exe, the same links load just fine.
Ironically, one such example is the Comments link at the bottom of this Wired article on how FF is in trouble.
http://www.wired.com/2015/12/mozilla-is-flailing-when-the-web-needs-it-t...
Any ideas why this would be? Everything is up to date.
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When you run firefox.exe directly, it runs in local mode and uses the Firefox profile on your local machine. So, it's the same as running Firefox locally. They'd both use the same settings. When you run FirefoxPortable.exe, then it runs in portable mode and uses the settings within FirefoxPortable\Data\profile.
You should determine what is different about your portable settings vs your local ones. Does one have a proxy but not the other? Is one using a software firewall but not the other? Is some extension or setting different between them?
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Thank you. I appreciate the reply. I am not 100% certain I understand.
Are you saying that even though the actual file I am running (firefox.exe) is located in the Portable Firefox folder, when it is run directly, from that Portable folder, it is nevertheless using the profile settings from some other FF installation that has its profile and other settings in the folder where they would be were I not using the Portable version, which is located under C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData?
My Portable FF is installed on my d: drtive.
When I look on my c: drive for non-portable FF, I find two paths with a Profiles folder.
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
For normal non-portable installations, are both of those actually in use? How can I determine which of these is being used when I run the firefox.exe that is located in D:\FirefoxPortable\App\Firefox\firefox.exe?
I'd like to eliminate as many variables as possible. What about uninstalling the regular FF (on c:)? I never use it and it has not been updated in well over a year.
Any clarification you can give would be appreciated. I like using the Portable FF, but I increasingly find that pages do not behave as expected, but work fine in Chrome, and I can not tell if there is a problem with my portable version, or with Ff generally.
Thank you.
You shouldn't not be running firefox.exe in the first place. PortableFirefox.exe makes a call to firefox.exe. That's how it sets the portable profile path, etc. Running firefox.exe calls the LOCAL install, I.E. doesn't use portable settings.
To check the profile you are using, type about:support in the address bar, then click the "Show Folder" button next to Profile Folder.
Also verify which version of Firefox you are using, 32 or 64 bit. If you are having problems, use the 32-bit version.
Thanks. Right, I understand that PortableFirefox.exe calls to firefox.exe. I was running firefox.exe directly just as a means of troubleshooting, and understanding the behaviors I was seeing
Running about:support shows that I am
As it turns out, I do not have another non-portable installation of Firefox, it was uninstalled after I made PAFF my only FF install . There are however Mozilla folders (with profiles, etc.) in both C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\ and in C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\ .
Both of those seem to be accessed by PAFF: when I renamed both of those folders and then ran PPFF as I normally do, new Mozilla folders were re-created in both of those locations.
Prior to renaming, both of those Mozilla folders contained identically named Profiles folders. After the rename, the re-created version Mozilla folders do not have any Profiles folders.
How can I tell if I am using a 32 or 64 bit version of portable FF? I am on 64-bit Windows 8.1, but I have never explicitly selected that.
Thanks. I appreciate your help.
If you run firefox.exe directly, it runs in local mode. That means it runs just as if you have it installed directly and stores data in APPDATA. Do not run firefox.exe within FirefoxPortable unless you specifically want it running in local mode.
If, when you run it in local mode, it runs correctly and the pages you are concerned about have no issues, that means it is something within your portable profile interfering. A setting, extension, etc. When you ran firefox.exe directly, it created a new local profile with the default settings (aka none of your portable settings or extensions) and used that. If that works and your portable profile doesn't, something is set wrong or you're using an incompatible extension within your portable profile. Determining which one is entirely manual and not something we can assist with.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
The C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\ and C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\ folders are temporary while Portable FF is running. They should disappear after you close FF.
To check bit type, run about:support and look at User Agent. If you are running x64, it would say Win64; x64. If you have 64-bit Windows, but are running 32-bit FF, it would say WOW64.
To make sure you only run 32-bit FF, you need to add the following line to FirefoxPortable.ini
AlwaysUse32Bit=true
Thank you, John and Midknyte. You've been very helpful!
All apps should be portable!