How can I create desktop shortcuts in firefox?

[hmp3]

I want to put firefox in sandboxie but then the firefox browser won't allow me to click and drag anything outside of firefox.
I currently use firefox on an admin account and I don't want to restore UAC.
How do I simply create desktop shortcuts with right click and 'create shortcut' without any stupid problems.
Why does Quickcut or any other link creator addon create url files that cannot be opened without a stupid prompt asking to confirm I want to open it?
Why has firefox dumped all reliable compatible addons and made it impossible for users to do basic things like create desktop shortcuts easily instead of stupid backwards techniques like click and drag which doesn't even work any more?

[Brummelchen]

but then the firefox browser won't allow me to click and drag anything outside of firefox.

working as expected! for any other go sandboxie box settings and take your choices in ressource access
https://www.sandboxie.com/ResourceAccessSettings

I want to put firefox in sandboxie

firefox as default browser - sandboxie has option for default browser whichever it is.

you did not write about the shortcut - for firefox, for sandboxie, for firefox in sandboxie, for what else?

[hmp3]

Okay, to clarify, I know that sandboxie is designed to not allow any items to be clicked and drag to and fro. That's how I want it to be.
I don't want to click and drag to make shortcuts anyway.
I want to right click and create shortcut in both sandboxed ad un-sandboxed mode. In both modes, my old Firefox 52 ESR portable setup has deskcut which does everything well.
But Firefox 69 won't let me install the unsupported deskcut and I don't know how to workaround that).
Currently, there's only 2 add-ons designed to create shortcuts (lcwmcfpon and QuickCut). Both of these add-ons create .url shortcuts which when opened, launch a security warning which I have to click 'ok' in order to continue. The URL properties show that the file is blocked by default, because it came from another computer. This nuisance occurs when using firefox in both sandboxed and unsandboxed modes.
How can I resolve this, so that the url saves, functions seamlessly without additional prompts and being blocked by default?

[Brummelchen]

URL is for weblinks, LNK (Link) is for shortcuts

for program into sandbox

"C:\Program Files\Sandboxie\Start.exe" /box:<boxname>"full_path_to.exe"

[morat]

Why does Quickcut create url files that cannot be opened without a stupid prompt asking to confirm I want to open it?

Is there a prompt if you manually create a mozillaZine.URL file in the download folder using notepad, then open it as you normally do?

Code: Select all

[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.mozillazine.org/

If there is no prompt, then I guess the cause is ADS.

What is Zone Identifier?
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/4496697

There is no meta information if I create a mozillaZine.URL file using the legacy method.

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(function () {
  var file = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/file/local;1"].
    createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsIFile);
  file.initWithPath("C:\\mozillaZine.URL");
  var foStream = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/network/file-output-stream;1"].
    createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsIFileOutputStream);
  foStream.init(file, 0x02|0x08|0x20, -1, 0);
  var data = "[InternetShortcut]\r\nURL=http://www.mozillazine.org/";
  foStream.write(data, data.length);
  foStream.close();
})();

[hmp3]

I have no prompts/blocked files/issues when launching creating the url manually via the notepad method above.
I have no idea what that script or the overstack page means.
How do I set up firefox to use the legacy method and isn't the Mozilla completely disabling the legacy methods/addons later this year?

[morat]

There is no solution using the WebExtensions API.

QuickCut uses the downloads.download method to create the file.

WebExtensions API downloads.download
http://developer.mozilla.org/docs/Mozil ... s/download

The meta information says the file was downloaded from the internet and causes the prompt.

[Brummelchen]

Problem for all such extensions is that they are limited to the download folder without asking - any other has to to be asked. drag&drop from sandbox is not available (see above). saving to download folder (or any other) means folder in the box, not outside. except settings i have pointed out (write through) - it do not matter which firefox. matter of less folder restrictions is a matter of less security because malware is able to do same. malware is able to detect sandboxie (or any other virtual environement) and to test about usable folders. at least this is no firefox problem more sandboxie and its settings.

[hmp3]

So it seems that without legacy extensions, firefox cannot create shortcuts unless dragged and dropped.
The link creator apis are supposed to create the url shortcuts with same functionality, but firefox refuses to allow them, instead they are only allowed to create link files with .url extensions, which have a block attribute attached no matter where the file is saved. And no workaround is possible to ever create a right-click add on or functionality in firefox ever again.
And even worse, I can't sandbox it, because unlike with old firefoxes (v52), new firefoxes cannot create links without enabling special resource access, which would compromise security and render sandboxing useless.
And there is no simple way to workaround (other than manually unblocking every url every time) or resolve this simple, crucial functionality ever again.
Have I understood this correctly?

[kerft]

I believe there is a way to tell Windows to not warn about files from the internet, which would mean the shortcuts created with Quickcut would work without a warning.
There are several extensions that give a speed dial feature, putting links on the new tab page. Also, frequently used sites can be pinned. Either of those could give quick access to sites that would otherwise be put on a desktop.

[hmp3]

I'm guessing the warning is an important feature for other file extensions that might carry malware.
Is there a way to windows warning about url extensions only?
Or a 3rd party auto unblocker?

[morat]

Perhaps someone could create a script using the streams.exe utility to delete the meta information of all *.URL files in the download folder.

Streams
http://docs.microsoft.com/sysinternals/ ... ds/streams

[dickvl]

See also:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/wi ... -error-fix

[Brummelchen]

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I believe there is a way to tell Windows to not warn about files from the internet,

as morat pointed out, its called "alternate data streams" and is part of windows security. firefox obeys this feature.

windows smartscreen uses it, with windows 10 its part of the defender.

disabling the launcher process wont fix this. its solved the issue when user disables UAC and firefox wont let drag&drop - thats a complete other story. and in case of sandboxie it wont help out.
bzw dont try to put this pref into user.js, it wont work this way.

[hmp3]

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I believe there is a way to tell Windows to not warn about files from the internet,

as morat pointed out, its called "alternate data streams" and is part of windows security. firefox obeys this feature.

windows smartscreen uses it, with windows 10 its part of the defender.

disabling the launcher process wont fix this. its solved the issue when user disables UAC and firefox wont let drag&drop - thats a complete other story. and in case of sandboxie it wont help out.
bzw dont try to put this pref into user.js, it wont work this way.

Okay so, I already have UAC disabled, firefox allows me to drag and drop, but sandbox obviously does not. So I have to create a shortcut through a buttton/addon. I
And if I disable alternate data streams, would I be more at risk to ALL non-url based internet threats?
If a script would delete meta data, would the url still retain the web address?