esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a word

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TDV
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Joined: January 27th, 2012, 4:37 pm

esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a word

Post by TDV »

After installing the esr update ALL my restore Point are gone! Which of course means that I cannot get rid off the changes made against my will!
And when I used ccleaner to check the start-ups of Frefox, there is a long list of new entries, none of them from me..

There is now amazon (twice), google, twitter, bing and more

Can someone explain to me what is going on?

Thanks. TDV
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DanRaisch
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by DanRaisch »

Were you using some extension to create "restore points", as that is not a term that is native to Firefox?
Is it possible that you now have more than one profile on that system? http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_Manager
TDV
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by TDV »

Thank you, I appreciate your answer.
First of all, I saw that I forgot to mention that I use Win 7 ultimate.
I usually install a restore point, before installing any new software, so I can return to it, in case the software (as usual) is more bother than help. I have done that since Win 7 exists. If Firefox does not use that term, then there ought to be another reason, you are correct. Do you have any idea what might be responsible, as the extensions I use, are extensions I have used for many years: Speed Dial, Imagus, ImTrAnslator and uBlock Origin. There are NO plug-ins....

My point was, that ALL the changes appeared right after installing the update, and as ALL the changes except the deletion of the restore point are directly linked to Firefox, I assumed that the restore point is also...

There are regularly additions Added to to the start up list directly connected to Firefox by updates. Until about a year ago, there were three This time there is again about another half dozen of them. Ccleaner clearly shows and they can be disabled but not deleted.
There used to be three, now there are TWENTYFOUR and ALL are initiated by Ff 68.4.1 esr....

Once again, thank you for answering...
Is there way to disable the more than a dozen start ups feature connected to Firefox and prevent any further additions by firefox?
kerft
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by kerft »

What is a start up or start up list? This is not a term used in Firefox that I know of.
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c627627
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by c627627 »

Consider starting from the beginning.
You would create a custom location of your personal Firefox profile.
Set it up just like you like it to be.
Now simply copy/paste your personal profile *folder* to restore things to the way you like them to be: by simply deleting the existing profile folder and copying the backup in its place.

Firefox must be completely closed to delete profile folders.
This is how you crate a custom Firefox profile location on your Windows 7:

* Start Menu > Run... >
firefox.exe -profilemanager -no-remote
> OK
Create Profile... > Next > Enter new profile name, select Folder location > OK > Finish >
make sure the newly created profile name is selected > Start Firefox.

So the personal profile FOLDER contains all your Firefox extensions - no need to use Windows Restore points.
Best way to get rid of a royal mess like you describe is to close Firefox. Delete your personal profile FOLDER. Then copy the back up folder in its place. Instant fix!
Open the pod bay doors, Cortana.
TDV
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by TDV »

kerft wrote:What is a start up or start up list? This is not a term used in Firefox that I know of.
If you read my post careful, you will see, that I am talking about Ccleaner. THEY (certainly not firefox) show a list of everything that starts, when you start f.e. Firefox. And you see immediately after the latest update, that Firefox opens now 24 different extensions, instead of only 12 like yesterday, or only two a few years ago....
TDV
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by TDV »

c627627 wrote:Consider starting from the beginning.
You would create a custom location of your personal Firefox profile.
Set it up just like you like it to be.
Now simply copy/paste your personal profile *folder* to restore things to the way you like them to be: by simply deleting the existing profile folder and copying the backup in its place.

Firefox must be completely closed to delete profile folders.
This is how you crate a custom Firefox profile location on your Windows 7:

* Start Menu > Run... >
firefox.exe -profilemanager -no-remote
> OK
Create Profile... > Next > Enter new profile name, select Folder location > OK > Finish >
make sure the newly created profile name is selected > Start Firefox.

So the personal profile FOLDER contains all your Firefox extensions - no need to use Windows Restore points.
Best way to get rid of a royal mess like you describe is to close Firefox. Delete your personal profile FOLDER. Then copy the back up folder in its place. Instant fix!
Thanks, that sounds like great advice, but it comes too late. I never made a backup of my old Ff profile, that I could re-install.

But I used a copy my profile in an installation on another computer a few months ago, which has not been started since that latest Ff update.

Do I need to do anything to stop an automatic update of Ff when I start that notebook? It is set to not update automatically. But from what I read, Mozilla is not really interested in a wish like that nowadays... and it has the habit of changing settings on its own
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DanRaisch
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by DanRaisch »

Unless Firefox launches on Windows startup it won’t update just by starting the laptop. Copy the profile from the laptop to the problem system and proceed from there.
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mightyglydd
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by mightyglydd »

TDV wrote:If you read my post careful, you will see, that I am talking about Ccleaner.
Which as as you've been advised before, shouldn't be allowed to touch Firefox, or any other browser.
#KeepFightingMichael and Alex.
TDV
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by TDV »

DanRaisch wrote:Unless Firefox launches on Windows startup it won’t update just by starting the laptop. Copy the profile from the laptop to the problem system and proceed from there.
After reading this, I no longer trust anything Firefox...
https://winaero.com/blog/disable-update ... -63-above/

But I will change the profiles (after checking the new bookmarks).

Thank you
Last edited by TDV on January 9th, 2020, 9:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
TDV
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by TDV »

mightyglydd wrote:
TDV wrote:If you read my post careful, you will see, that I am talking about Ccleaner.
Which as as you've been advised before, shouldn't be allowed to touch Firefox, or any other browser.
And as I have told you before, I am using itz, because it does certain things need that nothing else can!
And sitting back... waiting... until Ff is updated, to unleash a folder full of unwanted stuff, is not one of them.
The BS stems from Ff there is no question about it.

The erased restore points I do not, and I cannot know. But most certainly ccleaner did not remove them...
TDV
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by TDV »

c627627 wrote:.......
So the personal profile FOLDER contains all your Firefox extensions - no need to use Windows Restore points.
Best way to get rid of a royal mess like you describe is to close Firefox. Delete your personal profile FOLDER. Then copy the back up folder in its place. Instant fix!
The restore points are used, when I realise that a new software, or an update are nothing but a nuisance, and i was better off before. The I go back to where I was before, or at least I use revo or geek uninstallers. But in this case it does not, because most probably the Ff update has deleted my restore points.

I have now copied a Ff profile from a not updated Ff on my notebook and replaced the one on this desktop with that one.
It is there as expected, but makes no difference, as 68.4.1 esr is still installed.
Right now, I am trying to find an older Ff

http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... &t=3058240

I have decided to clean install Win7 , and then to install an older, never to be updated, ff version, and then add the older profile to it.... But first I need to do some more research about Ff versions.
kerft
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by kerft »

Reinstalling Windows should not be necessary. The entirety of Firefox changes to a computer when installed are:
The program files \ mozilla firefox directory which also contains the system extensions
The profile, in two places - roaming, and local (which is only the cache)
A few registry settings, usually related to icons and associations for htm and other file types
Sometimes, your default browser setting
If you were to remove or move only the first two - program files \ mozilla firefox, and your profile, that should take care of anything you would want and leave you at an equivalent starting point as a clean install.
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LIMPET235
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by LIMPET235 »

TDV,
If I may....?
I know that you want to keep using CCleaner, but please....
open it, go to the Applications Tab & remove any/all references to Firefox & Thunderbird.
It is most definitely not required for any other program to touch or modify any files in Firefox or Thunderbird.

As for Firefox removing any Restore Points?
Not likely.

Be aware that MS & some...errr one of it's so called "Updates" did more that it was intended to do.
I lost quite a few of my Restore Points a few months ago, due to an MS update.

So...do not blame Firefox.

&... I only get the Security Only updates for WIN7.
Go to askwoody dot com to keep up on all the newest & safest updates for WIN7.

I do not intend to install any updates after today, (10th Jan.), as I do not trust MS, along with a lot of other people.
[Ancient Amateur Astronomer.]
Win-10-H/64 bit/500G SSD/16 Gig Ram/450Watt PSU/350WattUPS/Firefox-115.0.2/T-bird-115.3.2./SnagIt-v10.0.1/MWP-7.12.125.

(Always choose the "Custom" Install.)
TDV
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Re: esr update made a big mess... and mess is too polite a w

Post by TDV »

kerft wrote:Reinstalling Windows should not be necessary. The entirety of Firefox changes to a computer when installed are:
The program files \ mozilla firefox directory which also contains the system extensions
The profile, in two places - roaming, and local (which is only the cache)
A few registry settings, usually related to icons and associations for htm and other file types
Sometimes, your default browser setting
If you were to remove or move only the first two - program files \ mozilla firefox, and your profile, that should take care of anything you would want and leave you at an equivalent starting point as a clean install.
Thank you, it may not be necessary, but I do every one or two years anyway. I am not doing it, because of the Ff mess. Too much garbage accumulates. The installation takes less than 30 minutes, and I usually go for a coffee while the updates are installed. I usually keep the Ff profile. But this time I will first see which Ff Version want to install, and talk to those who use old versions without having problems. Then I will see which parts of the profile I want to keep, like bookmarks...
If you do not knmow the feeling of using a computer with a clean installed Windows, you have missed something :)
In case you know... is there a particular file in the profile that contains ALL the changes I made in about:config?
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