Firefox default but Windows Media Player opens .html files

[KenAlcock]

I did search the forums for this topic and googled for it. One other person had a somewhat similar issue, but his was on start-up and his fix does not apply to my situation.

So for about 6-8 month now, the following happens with each new Firefox update:

1. Install new Firefox update.
   NOTE: I always shut down my browser for such an update.
   
   
2. During the update, my Firefox profile gets completely blown away, with a saved folder on my Windows Desktop to everything inside of it.
   
   Q: In the past, I remember my: add-ons, extensions and other profile-related settings being carried forward from version-to-version. Any incompatible add-ons or extensions were simply disabled. Did this process change or is this an issue in and of itself?
   
   
3. I can't remember if it is during the update or sometime after, but Firefox will prompt me to be the default browser.
   NOTE: I always set Firefox to my windows default browser.
   
   
4. I manually re-install all of my Firefox add-ons, and reconfigure my browser all over again.
   
   
5. Eventually, I will double click one of many .html or .htm files I have saved on my computer. At which time, Windows Media Player, not Firefox, will attempt to open the file, which of course results in failure.
   
   
6. At this time I get smart, right-click the file, and use the "open with" option and configure it to use Firefox.
   
   
7. The very next time I launch Firefox, it will once again prompt me to ask if I want it to be my default browser.
   NOTE: If I set Firefox to my windows default browser again, then the next time I double-click an .html or .htm file, then it will be Windows Media Player trying to open it, not Firefox.

It is as if Windows Media Player and Firefox have installed a new application named Whack-a-Mole. I can work around this by setting Firefox as my default, and disabling it from checking further that it is the default, and then going to manually set .html and .htm files to open in Firefox. And all of that will last until the next update when I get to play the whole game over again from the start.

Q: Any ideas what is happening or why here?

My system and Firefox data:

Application: Firefox 16.0.2 (20121024073032)
Operating System: Windows Vista Ultimate Edition 32-bit

November 19, 2012

Total number of items: 16

• Adblock Plus 2.1.2
  
  • {d10d0bf8-f5b5-c8b4-a8b2-2b9879e08c5d}
  • http://adblockplus.org/en/
  • October 26, 2012 20:01:24
  • Firefox 8.0 - 19.0a1
  • Gecko 1.9 8.0 - 17.0a1
  • SeaMonkey 2.5 - 2.14a1
  • Thunderbird 8.0 - 17.0a1
  • {aa3c5121-dab2-40e2-81ca-7ea25febc110} 11.0a1 - 17.0a1
  • Ads were yesterday!
• All-in-One Sidebar 0.7.18
  
  • {097d3191-e6fa-4728-9826-b533d755359d}
  • http://addonlab.com
  • October 26, 2012 20:59:57
  • Firefox 14.0 - 17.*
  • Sidebar control with award-winning user experience!
• Cache Status 0.7.10
  
  • cache@status.org
  • https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/1881
  • October 26, 2012 20:59:56
  • Firefox 1.5 - 11.*
  • Easy cache status & management from status
• CacheViewer Continued 0.8
  
  • {30E08C68-889E-11E0-95EF-DA7E4824019B}
  • https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/cacheviewer-continued/?src=api
  • October 30, 2012 20:37:19
  • Firefox 4.0b7 - 17.*
  • Allows searching and sorting cache files
• CoLT 2.5.7
  
  • {e6c4c3ef-3d4d-42d6-8283-8da73c53a283}
  • http://www.borngeek.com/firefox/colt/
  • October 26, 2012 20:59:57
  • Firefox 3.6 - 15.*
  • Makes it easy to copy link text and locations.
• DoNotTrackPlus 2.2.1.829
  
  • donottrackplus@abine.com
  • https://www.abine.com
  • October 30, 2012 20:15:57
  • October 30, 2012 20:09:11
  • Firefox 4.0 - 19.0a1
  • Stops web tracking to protect your privacy
• Extension List Dumper 1.15.2
  
  • extensionlistdumper@sogame.cat
  • http://www.sogame.cat/
  • November 19, 2012 14:47:15
  • Firefox 1.5 - 17.*
  • Flock 1.0 - 2.*
  • Songbird 0.4 - 1.11.0a
  • Sunbird 0.3 - 0.9
  • Thunderbird 1.5 - 6.*
  • Dumps a list of the installed extensions.
• Feed Sidebar 6
  
  • feedbar@efinke.com
  • http://www.chrisfinke.com/addons/feedbar/
  • October 26, 2012 20:59:56
  • Firefox 13.0 - 17.*
  • Displays the items from your Live Bookmarks in a sidebar.
• Flashblock 1.5.15.1
  
  • {3d7eb24f-2740-49df-8937-200b1cc08f8a}
  • http://flashblock.mozdev.org/
  • October 26, 2012 20:59:57
  • Firefox 3.0 - 17.*
  • Flock 1.0 - 2.9.*
  • Netscape Navigator 9.0b1 - 9.0.*
  • {aa5ca914-c309-495d-91cf-3141bbb04115} 0.2 - 2.0.0.*
  • Replaces Flash objects with a button you can click to view them.
• FoxTab 1.4.5
  
  • {ef4e370e-d9f0-4e00-b93e-a4f274cfdd5a}
  • http://www.foxtab.com/
  • October 26, 2012 20:59:57
  • Firefox 3.0 - 17.*
  • 3D tab management - your top sites, tab flipping and recently closed tabs.
• IDM CC 7.3.29
  
  • mozilla_cc@internetdownloadmanager.com
  • http://www.internetdownloadmanager.com
  • October 12, 2012 09:18:48
  • Firefox 1.5 - 18.*
  • Flock 0.7 - 3.0+
  • Mozilla 1.8 - 1.9
  • Netscape Navigator 9.0 - 9.9
  • SeaMonkey 1.1 - 2.13.*
  • Songbird 1.0 - 2.0
  • Internet Download Manager integration module for Mozilla
• Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant 0.0.0
  
  • (Disabled)
  • {20a82645-c095-46ed-80e3-08825760534b}
  • http://www.windowsclient.net/
  • October 30, 2011 03:19:56
  • Firefox 1.5 - 9.*.*
  • Adds ClickOnce support and the ability to report installed .NET versions to the web server.
• QuickDrag 2.1.3.23
  
  • quickdrag@mozilla.ktechcomputing.com
  • http://quickdrag.com
  • October 26, 2012 20:59:57
  • Firefox 2.0a1 - 7.*
  • SeaMonkey 2.0b1pre - 2.2a1pre
  • Extends the function of the drag-and-drop mouse gesture so that it can be used to load URLs, do a web search of selected text on a page, or save an image on a page.
• ScrapBook 1.5.5
  
  • {53A03D43-5363-4669-8190-99061B2DEBA5}
  • http://amb.vis.ne.jp/mozilla/scrapbook/
  • October 26, 2012 20:59:57
  • Firefox 10.0 - 17.*
  • Helps you to save Web pages and organize the collection.
• Tab Mix Plus 0.4.0.3
  
  • {dc572301-7619-498c-a57d-39143191b318}
  • http://tmp.garyr.net
  • October 26, 2012 20:59:57
  • Firefox 4.0 - 17.0a1
  • Tab browsing with an added boost.
• Xmarks 4.1.3
  
  • foxmarks@kei.com
  • http://www.xmarks.com/
  • October 26, 2012 20:59:57
  • Firefox 3.0 - 18.0a1
  • Flock 0.7 - 2.6.*
  • SeaMonkey 2.0a1 - 2.15a1
  • Bookmark Sync and Web Discovery

Applicable Windows Registry Values:

Code: Select all

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.html]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.html\OpenWithList]
"a"="firefox.exe"
"MRUList"="ba"
"b"="Notepad2.exe"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.html\OpenWithProgids]
"htmlfile"=hex(0):
"FirefoxHTML"=hex(0):

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.html\UserChoice]
"Progid"="Applications\\firefox.exe"

Code: Select all

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.htm]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.htm\OpenWithList]
"a"="firefox.exe"
"MRUList"="ba"
"b"="Notepad2.exe"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.htm\OpenWithProgids]
"htmlfile"=hex(0):
"FirefoxHTML"=hex(0):

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.htm\UserChoice]
"Progid"="Applications\\firefox.exe"

[patrickjdempsey]

I'm very confused. How does Firefox update if it's shut down? Also, the default browser question usually only appears when you *install* Firefox. Also the profile deletion sounds suspiciously like your entire Firefox installation is being uninstalled with the option selected to delete all user data.

[malliz]

What is your security software?

[KenAlcock]

Answers to the above questions.

A: There is absolutely no security software that comes into play for this issue. My system is behind a two different hardware firewalls, and I never install software on my PC that I do not first test inside a virtual environment. Instead of keeping security software running all the time, I periodically run system scans from portable drives.

A: If you have a Firefox browser window open when it finds an update, it will ask you to shut it down. However, I usually download the latest version of Firefox and install it while the browser is shut down. The word "update" was meant to imply installing the latest version.

[KenAlcock]

And before anyone suggest it, I should note that I have tried using the Windows Vista function to set your program defaults to all Internet Explorer, then switching them back to Firefox. I still get the same results.

[JayhawksRock]

[delete] wrong thread sorry

[malliz]

Did you install Firefox in the default location?
You could try right click on a html document and choose open with "choose default program" For some reason the file associations on your computer are messed up. What worries me most of all is your profile loss.

[patrickjdempsey]

That is definitely not normal Firefox behavior, normally Firefox updates in the background while it is running and then asks you to restart it to apply the update. This process only replaces the few files required for the update. It is completely unnecessary to uninstall/reinstall Firefox to apply an update.

[patrickjdempsey]

I think he lost his profile due to uninstalling/reinstalling Firefox for some reason instead of just updating. Profile deletion being an option of the uninstaller. It's also possible that for some reason his old profile was renamed and isolated and a new profile created.

[malliz]

Yep that could be the case. It's pretty rare to lose a profile just installing a new version over the top though. Before the update tool for nightly became usable. I used to install over the top all the time.

[patrickjdempsey]

Are you running Firefox inside of a sandbox maybe?

[KenAlcock]

Okay, I managed to fix this issue myself...finally. There is another Windows registry area that deals with how any file type is opened. (And I should have figured this out much earlier because I have worked with the Windows registry before.) I'll post what happened here so others may benefit.

I was poking around again tonight trying to fix this and I finally found the clue that I missed before under:

Open the "Set Default Programs" dialog - Click on "Firefox" in the list of programs - Click on "Choose defaults for this program"

There are several html document file extensions displayed in the list: .htm, .html, .shtml, .xht, and .xhtml. Each of these extensions has a description of: "Firefox HTML Document". Before I fixed my issues, the "Current Default" field displayed Windows Media Player (despite the steps I took above). As I mentioned above, I inspected the .html and .htm registry listings and they still store now (after my issue is fixed) exactly what I posted in my first post. However, this is not the end of file association Windows Registry entries. The key clue was the file type Description of: "Firefox HTML Document". That is the proper file type installed in the Windows registry. And if you inspect the registry exports I posted earlier, you will not see that description in either of those. That is because Windows does not actually store File Type Descriptions under the HKCU hive, those go under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. So basically there is one file type, but it could have many different extensions associated with it. And Windows can store associated applications under both hives. One is system-wide and one is per-user. So all I needed to do was search the registry for: "Firefox HTML Document", which found me the key and related settings below (what you see below is correct after fixing my issue).

Code: Select all

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FirefoxHTML]
@="Firefox HTML Document"
"FriendlyTypeName"="Firefox HTML Document"
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FirefoxHTML\DefaultIcon]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Mozilla Firefox\\firefox.exe,1"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FirefoxHTML\shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FirefoxHTML\shell\open]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FirefoxHTML\shell\open\command]
@="\"C:\\Program Files\\Mozilla Firefox\\firefox.exe\" -osint -url \"%1\""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FirefoxHTML\shell\open\ddeexec]
@=""

In addition to the correct keys noted above, there was an additional subkey of [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FirefoxHTML\shell\play]. And under that subkey were entries that point to Windows Media Player. How they got there I have absolutely no clue, but they were what was telling Windows to hand off HTML documents to Windows Media Player.

So bascially the behind-the-scenes sequence of events is:

1. User double-clicks a file.
2. Windows checks the file extension.
3. Windows resolves the file extension into the correct file type.
4. Windows goes through a precedence of commands listed below the file type registry key and picks the most appropriate action to take
   
   NOTE: Apparently if you have both a play and an open action, play will be the default action. It's been awhile since I played in the registry, but I believe there is a way to designate a default action when double-clicking a file, but I don't remember how at this point.

So the fix was a simple, close the browser, delete the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\FirefoxHTML registry key and let Firefox put it back when it launched next. And this time without the erroneous play entry pointing to Windows Media Player.

The case is closed.

As to the profile thing. I consider that a separate issue. Next Firefox update, I will completely uninstall Firefox, and start with a clean profile for that one. I just wasn't sure if they were related things or not.

[KenAlcock]

I think he lost his profile due to uninstalling/reinstalling Firefox for some reason instead of just updating. Profile deletion being an option of the uninstaller. It's also possible that for some reason his old profile was renamed and isolated and a new profile created.

When I was done with the last update, Firefox put a folder on my Windows desktop that was my old profile folder, completely in-tact. Like I said though, that is really a separate issue and if it should happen again I will start a new thread for that.

[SonarX]

I had the same problem with my Windows Media Player opening the .html and .htm files. It kept on reverting back to Windows Media Player as default for those files everytime I set Firefox as my default browser. Thanks to you, now my problem was fixed. I was going to do a reset on my PC but thankfully I found your registry edit. Thanks very much KenAlcock, kudos to you.

[Cayley]

I had the same problem with .htm files reverting to default opening by WMP, and Uncle Joe Google directed me to this thread. Your registry edit (in Windows 7 Pro) worked perfectly --- thanks very much. Could I just add the usual caution to create a restore point before touching the registry.