Disable updates

[MozillaMonkey]

Believe it or not I DID search for this here.

"The following updates have been installed on Aug 11, 2022:
Status: Install pending"

The rest below were completed.

My question.
How do you turn off auto-updates and NOT check for them?

I can't find a setting to say NO to updates, period.

No lectures please on the importance of updating.

[morat]

How to turn off update nagging?
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... &t=3084245

I like using the ManualAppUpdateOnly policy, instead of the DisableAppUpdate policy.

* <installation directory>\distribution\policies.json

Code: Select all

{
  "policies": {
    "DisableAppUpdate": false,
    "ManualAppUpdateOnly": true
  }
}

DisableAppUpdate policy
http://github.com/mozilla/policy-templa ... eappupdate

ManualAppUpdateOnly policy
http://github.com/mozilla/policy-templa ... updateonly

[LIMPET235]

Hi MM,
There's also this old suggestion by "our Frank."...

> http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... #p14802688

[therube]

There's also this old suggestion

I don't think that works anymore?

(At least, of late, in testing various older versions, & I have always used some er, rather derogatory "update channel", & I have been getting updates.

Now, I suppose it is possible that I may have neglected to "fix" a particular "channel-prefs.js" & been bit that way, or I may have some long [ago] pending update stuck .mar in /mozilla/updates/... but I'm thinking that old fix no longer works.

[I'll have to test more, & I will get around to it, at some point in time.])

[MozillaMonkey]

How to turn off update nagging?
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic ... &t=3084245

I like using the ManualAppUpdateOnly policy, instead of the DisableAppUpdate policy.

* <installation directory>\distribution\policies.json

Code: Select all

{
  "policies": {
    "DisableAppUpdate": false,
    "ManualAppUpdateOnly": true
  }
}

DisableAppUpdate policy
http://github.com/mozilla/policy-templa ... eappupdate

ManualAppUpdateOnly policy
http://github.com/mozilla/policy-templa ... updateonly

Thanks morat. I tried to follow your instructions above but couldn't find the file
policies.json.

I created the folder 'distribution' and am ready to place the .json file inside it.

Is the .json file located somewhere or do I have to create it somehow?

[morat]

Is the .json file located somewhere or do I have to create it somehow?

You can create the plain text file with Microsoft Notepad using ANSI encoding.

[LIMPET235]

"therube"...

It still works in v99.0.1...so ?
Dunno about the later versions.

Will wait for your test results.

[morat]

Personally, I only recommend the official method to turn off update nagging since users often forgot how to undo the unofficial methods. The official method has a "Updates disabled by the system administrator" message in the Firefox Updates settings and About Firefox window. The unofficial methods don't change the UI.

Help articles written by Mozilla:

Best practices for installing and updating Firefox
http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/bes ... ng-firefox

Managing Firefox Updates
http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/man ... ox-updates

[therube]

I don't think that works anymore?

Oh, I'm still not 100%.
(Isn't it great that one cannot easily, definitively expect what an outcome may be - for something as simple as to allow updates or not. Isn't it great that there is an all mighty being that can decide for us. I love being a minion.)

It is possible that I left updates enabled in FF - expecting that hacking channel-prefs.js would be sufficient?
(It always had been in the past. [Not sure just when that "past" stopped working.])

(I might ? have done that [left Updates as Automatic] with my last "install" - in trying to keep things as "stock" as possible, in trying to figure out a different problem [Firefox stops loading pages until NoScript disabled or Firefox restarted.]
Likewise, I used FF's "standard" Profile setup & locations, %appdata% [where ordinarily I roll my own].)


103.

From what I can tell the contents of channel-prefs.js (instalDir\defaults\channel-prefs.js) matters not.
FF will still go out & check for updates, & bring them down - automatically or manually - depending on your settings.

about:preferences#general -> Updates
if Automatic, FF will download & update
if Check, FF will still check & notify, but not update until you click the Update (or whatever it said) button

.mar
update downloaded to /programdata/Mozilla-{guid}/updates/{rand}/updates/0

in addition to the downloaded .mar file,
the actual (pending) update, is "installed" (fully) into FF_instalDir/updated/

/if/ before restarting your browser (for an update), you change about:preferences#general -> Updates to, "Check"
then FF prompts, "Do you want FF to continue with this update?" [Discard | Continue]
if Discard, then the .mar is removed, but FF_instalDir/updated/ remains

restarting at that point does NOT update FF, but still the /updated/ directory (& all its' contents) persists

at that point, Help | About, reports that a 104.0 update is available,
but does nothing - unless you click "Update to 104.0"

- if you then tell FF to update
the .mar is (once again) downloaded (into /programdata/)
(what it looks like is) the existing /updated/ directory is removed & then re-populates itself (pending a browser restart)


So best I can tell...

so far, if about:preferences#general -> Updates is set to Check
FF will only notify but not update

if about:preferences#general -> Updates is set to Automatic
FF will update - regardless of channel-prefs.js


(Knowing this, thinking that I know this, setting Updates to Check should be sufficient for me [till such time as I get around to messing with policies.json].)

[therube]

104.0

Updates: Check for updates but let you choose to install them

Help -> About ---> Update to 104.0.1


Again, so FF is seeing the update, & will download/install it if I click the "Update to" button.

This is regardless of any settings in \defaults\pref\channel-prefs.js, so seems to me, channel-prefs.js simply is no longer used. (And no, I do not have any "Mozilla Maintenance Service" installed or running.)


This may be related, Bug 1541601 Very very very carefully... remove channel-prefs.js and stop reading it from the main thread early on startup

[bob c]

Believe it or not I DID search for this here.

"The following updates have been installed on Aug 11, 2022:
Status: Install pending"

The rest below were completed.

My question.
How do you turn off auto-updates and NOT check for them?

I can't find a setting to say NO to updates, period.

No lectures please on the importance of updating.

Go to your windows registry

Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox.

If any of the following keys do not exist (under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox.) create them with a right-click on the previous key (Firefox) and then choose selection of New > Key.
Right-click on Firefox and select New > Dword (32-bit) Value.
Name it DisableAppUpdate.
Set its value to 1.

After this--if you look in the general settings of FF--it will state updates disabled by system administrator.

then when you want to update go here--https://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/--and download whatever numbered Firefox version you want-- and install yourself. You have the option of letting it just install or you can do a custom install. I always do custom, I put FF (where) in the file system I want, not where it always installs it. This is easy--all of it.

[therube]

I'll note that one side (& unexpected - unexpected in that it has to be a somewhat recent change) of having automatic updates disabled (via the GUI), is that if you open a new Profile (a new instance), that instance, instead of blindly downloading an update (before you have time to disable its' updating), (now) says "Firefox is being updated by another instance".

(Likewise, that new Profile [automatically] has updates set to "Check for updates but let you choose to install them".
That's actually something nice & unexpected. [First time in a long time I have had something good to say about FF.])

So... you are still (somewhat) in control of what happens on your own end.

[therube]

Go to your windows registry

Oh, so it's like an either / or (using policies.json).

Save as, disable_firefox.reg:

Code: Select all

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox]
"DisableAppUpdate"=dword:00000001

(then right-click, Merge [into the Windows registry])


policy-templates: DisableAppUpdate


And with that, FF says, "Updates disabled by your system administrator" .
(Easy enough for me to hang onto a 105-byte .reg file.)

[therube]

Oh, so it's like an either / or (using policies.json).

Actually, it is not.
Using (Windows) Group Policy (the Windows Registry) is a GLOBAL block.

It blocks all (FF) updates. Be they release versions or nightly version.
So if you want release blocked, but you do want to get nightly updates, you can't.


So I guess the best way to go about things, is policy.json, though it is more work.
Windows Registry is a one shot deal.
json, you need to (manually) add the /distribution/ directory & include the wanted code - in every FF install.


The alternative, to blocking, as Morat pointed out above, is to use:

"ManualAppUpdateOnly": true

And come to think of it, for me, that (most likely) will accomplish both goals.
about: (heh, FF no longer has about: - morons. Every Mozilla program has always had about:, but they had to nix it in FF!), Help | About, will notify, but not download - unless you specifically take action to do so. (I think I can handle that .)

The user will never be prompted to install updates
Firefox will not check for updates in the background, though it will check automatically when an update UI is displayed (such as the one in the About dialog). This check will be used to show "Update to version X" in the UI, but will not automatically download the update or prompt the user to update in any other way.
The update UI will work as expected, unlike when using DisableAppUpdate.

But... can ManualAppUpdateOnly be accomplished with a (Windows) Registry setting, or does it only work with policies.json? (From the looks of things, it is going to be policy.json only. That sucks.)


Actually, this entire deal is rather moronic, IMHO.
Even though I just made a .7z, that all I need to do is to copy into the instalDir & extract, as "simple" as that is, that is certainly not an easy, reliable method compared to what you had do in the past - which was Just Say No! You say No (automatic updates), & it it doesn't update. Simple. Now, you're "forced" to update, unless you use some bastardized method to block updates. And the options given are bastardized.

I may throw a version of FF - anywhere, at any time, for whatever reason, & now, I have to manually think... oh, I've got that damn blockupdates.7z that I've got to also deal with, lest I get an unwanted update. That really sucks.

As much as they try to differentiate Release from Nightly / Beta..., not being able to easily accomplish... oh it really sucks.


(I ought to make it a self-extracting .exe...)


And policies change. And any particular policy may apply - or not, to a particular FF version.
So while I put in my wanted policy in a FF 75 install, guess what? It does NOT apply to FF 75!

Compatibility: Firefox 87

(And with that, does anyone have any clue what Help | About did? Atrocious way to handle things!)


So really what I should do, is to set both policies to true, & only (manually) toggle the Update policy to false in my nightly installs.

Code: Select all

{
  "policies": {
    "DisableAppUpdate": true,
    "ManualAppUpdateOnly": true
  }
}

That will prove "safer".
And now I've also got to pay attention to when DisableAppUpdate took effect.

Code: Select all

Compatibility: Firefox 60, Firefox ESR 60

(Isn't it wonderful that one needs to be entrenched with such knowledge.)


sfx's, even an ARJ .sfx, generates a UAC prompt. Wonder why?
(I'll just stick with .7z & manually extract it. That's easy enough.)