FF update

User Help for Mozilla Firefox
MozillaMonkey
Posts: 510
Joined: April 21st, 2008, 7:52 pm

Re: FF update

Post by MozillaMonkey »

morat wrote:You can remove the "DisableAppUpdate" line with Notepad.

Before editing:

Code: Select all

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

Code: Select all

{
  "policies": {
    "ManualAppUpdateOnly": true
  }
}

Thanks the problem I was having is that no program, even Notepad wanted to open policies.json !
I don't understand why.

So I had an idea. I copied my working policies.json from my main computer onto a USB drive and then copied that
onto my second computer to replace the policies.json there.

It seems to be working. I'll report back in a few days with an update for both computers.
MozillaMonkey
Posts: 510
Joined: April 21st, 2008, 7:52 pm

Re: FF update

Post by MozillaMonkey »

OK time for the update.
My main computer (this one) is working perfectly. No update notices.

My second computer is still giving me problems though.
I just booted up and loaded FF.
I was welcomed with the Windows system message:

Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your computer?
Firefox?

After I said 'No' FF opened and I received its standard message that an update is available.
This is the message I am trying to stop.

I closed FF and re-started and the same thing occurred.

It said "Update available. FF couldn't update automatically etc."

Tips?
I have the policies.json set the same on the second computer as my main one.
User avatar
therube
Posts: 21703
Joined: March 10th, 2004, 9:59 pm
Location: Maryland USA

Re: FF update

Post by therube »

My second computer is still giving me problems though.
What version of FF?

Different FF versions may require different methods of blocking updates.

Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your computer?
Sounds like you did not install the "mozilla maintenance service" (or whatever its called).
That's a good thing, IMO.


What does about:policies say on the second computer?


Also, most likely, if an update had initiated, but not finished, somewhere along the line, all bets are off.
That un-updated update is apt to live in the %appdata% ... mozilla ... /updates/ realm (& can be nixed).

I use (for currrent FF versions):

Code: Select all

{
  "policies": {
    "DisableAppUpdate": true,
    "ManualAppUpdateOnly": true
  }
}
And even with that, there has been the odd time that I'll see something unexpected.
Like mozilla is testing me, kind of thing.


(There's another thread in these parts, that I'm not finding, where I ranted, er a bit, about updates.
Here. Disable updates - Updates & Windows Registry & policies.json...)
Fire 750, bring back 250.
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.19) Gecko/20110420 SeaMonkey/2.0.14 Pinball CopyURL+ FetchTextURL FlashGot NoScript
User avatar
dickvl
Posts: 54145
Joined: July 18th, 2005, 3:25 am

Re: FF update

Post by dickvl »

Make sure that you aren't running Firefox as administrator as that is a likely cause for Windows complaining about "allow this app to make changes".
MozillaMonkey
Posts: 510
Joined: April 21st, 2008, 7:52 pm

Re: FF update

Post by MozillaMonkey »

Thanks rube you have some good ideas!
therube wrote:
My second computer is still giving me problems though.
What version of FF?

Different FF versions may require different methods of blocking updates.

My main is V. 111.0.1
My second is V.103.0
What does about:policies say on the second computer?
It says the same thing it was saying on my main computer before I got it fixed:

"Active
The Enterprise Policies Services is Inactive"

Whatever that's supposed to mean (active followed by inactive)?
Also, most likely, if an update had initiated, but not finished, somewhere along the line, all bets are off.
That un-updated update is apt to live in the %appdata% ... mozilla ... /updates/ realm (& can be nixed).
This is very possible. Could you tell me how I would know if it was trying to update but didn't finish?
And how it can be nixed?
I use (for currrent FF versions):

Code: Select all

{
  "policies": {
    "DisableAppUpdate": true,
    "ManualAppUpdateOnly": true
  }
}
And even with that, there has been the odd time that I'll see something unexpected.
Like mozilla is testing me, kind of thing.
This is what my policies looked like on the second computer when it wasn't working.
I then copied my policies.json from my main computer over this file.
It seemed to work for a day but then reverted to not working again after that.
My main policies.json has only the "ManualAppUpdateOnly" line
MozillaMonkey
Posts: 510
Joined: April 21st, 2008, 7:52 pm

Re: FF update

Post by MozillaMonkey »

dickvl wrote:Make sure that you aren't running Firefox as administrator as that is a likely cause for Windows complaining about "allow this app to make changes".
Thanks dick.
I just click on the FF icon on the desktop to start FF.
How can I make sure I'm not running as admin?

This might help...
In the Properties Settings for FF:

Security:
Group or User Names:
SYSTEM
Me
Admin

Compatibility:
Settings:
Run Program as Admin (is not checked)
User avatar
therube
Posts: 21703
Joined: March 10th, 2004, 9:59 pm
Location: Maryland USA

Re: FF update

Post by therube »

"Active
The Enterprise Policies Services is Inactive"

Whatever that's supposed to mean (active followed by inactive)?
It appears that either your policy file is wrong, in the wrong place, or you have or have had a (Windows) Registry setting that is affecting things (or at least causing a message like you are seeing)?

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1560808


Oh, & it looks like the word, "Active" is always there, even if there are no active policies?
(That seems pretty ignorant, if that is the case.)

Yep, that's the case.

You're on the Active tab, & when on that tab it has a "column header" (if you will), & that says, "Active".

Oh. Maybe not so ignorant, but, confusing.

So "policies" can be from either a policies.json AND/OR from a Windows Registry entry.
And if a Windows Registry entry is set, but there is no policies.json [there does not need to be] (or maybe if the Windows Registry setting is wrong, or does not apply to the particular FF version ?), then FF reports:

Code: Select all

Active

The Enterprise Policies service is active but there are no policies enabled.
(What a mess.)
Last edited by therube on May 23rd, 2023, 11:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
Fire 750, bring back 250.
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.19) Gecko/20110420 SeaMonkey/2.0.14 Pinball CopyURL+ FetchTextURL FlashGot NoScript
User avatar
therube
Posts: 21703
Joined: March 10th, 2004, 9:59 pm
Location: Maryland USA

Re: FF update

Post by therube »

So it sounds like your policies.json file is not in the correct place or is invalid (for your 103.0 version).
(It certainly is not being used.)
Fire 750, bring back 250.
Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.19) Gecko/20110420 SeaMonkey/2.0.14 Pinball CopyURL+ FetchTextURL FlashGot NoScript
User avatar
dickvl
Posts: 54145
Joined: July 18th, 2005, 3:25 am

Re: FF update

Post by dickvl »

If you get the message that an update is available then Firefox may already have downloaded the update and prepared it, but isn't able to apply the update.

If files already have been downloaded and an update is pending then check the updates\0 folder in the Firefox program folder and possibly the hidden "AppData\Local\Mozilla\updates" and "AppData\Local\VirtualStore" folders.
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