Fixed: Software Update Failed for Limited User

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hawkeey
Guest

Fixed: Software Update Failed for Limited User

Post by hawkeey »

I was receiving a "Software Update Failed" message when running as a Limited User on Windows XP SP2. This occurred after I accidentally tried to apply the 2.0.0.4 update to a 2.0.0.3 installation as a Limited User. I subsequently had an Administrator account install the 2.0.0.4 update, but the "Software Update Failed" message persisted.

The updates folder and updates.xml did not exist. The problem was also Profile independent - new profiles would not solve the problem. I renamed the Firefox folder under Application Data, but the problem persisted. Other users who were Administrators did not have the "Software Update Failed" message.

To fix this problem,
1)I logged in as an Administrator.
2) I gave the Limited User permissions on the Mozilla Firefox directory under Program Files.
3) Ran Mozilla Firefox as the Limited User and allowed it to apply the update.

Good luck.

-Hawkeey
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steviex
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Post by steviex »

Glad you got it fixed... I'll add this to my sticky about upgrading.... :)
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -Albert Einstein

Please DO NOT PM me for support... Lets keep it on the board, so we can all learn.
Guest232
Guest

Post by Guest232 »

developers should add this as sticky to their To-Do list. this is just driving users away from using limited users accounts, so they switch to administrator accounts and become more vulnerable, just because some apps cant handle limited user environment well.
jones172
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Post by jones172 »

Guest232 wrote:developers should add this as sticky to their To-Do list. this is just driving users away from using limited users accounts, so they switch to administrator accounts and become more vulnerable, just because some apps cant handle limited user environment well.


I agree completely.
Tom
Thomas L. Jones, PhD, Computer Science
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steviex
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Post by steviex »

^ Switch to Linux..... Everyone is a limited user there.... :)
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -Albert Einstein

Please DO NOT PM me for support... Lets keep it on the board, so we can all learn.
fprintf
Guest

Used CACLS in Windows Home to update file permissions

Post by fprintf »

Ok, so I am lazy not wanting to reboot into Safe Mode in Windows XP Home. And yet I spent more time figuring out how to do it from a regular administrator account via control line.

- Log in as administrator
- Bring up a command prompt via Start > Run > cmd
- Type in CACLS, read the help text to understand what the various switches do
- Type the following: c:\"Program Files"\"Mozilla Firefox" /t /e /g Everyone:f

This sets the permissions of every user on the computer to have full access to the Firefox folder. You can also use :r for read only and :c for change.
fprintf
Guest

Re: Used CACLS in Windows Home to update file permissions

Post by fprintf »

fprintf wrote:- Type the following: c:"Program Files""Mozilla Firefox" /t /e /g Everyone:f


Sorry, that should read:

- Type the following: cacls c:"Program Files""Mozilla Firefox" /t /e /g Everyone:f


BTW, this has been the most annoying problem Firefox has introduced to my system. All of the articles I have read to date and applied their suggestions have not helped. I almost considered giving up Firefox after many years of usage and evangelism. I swore today was the last day and thankfully I figured out what to do for my system. Hopefully the :f switch I used does not expose the system too much.
jones172
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Post by jones172 »

Won't work for me.

In the limited user account, Firefox 2.0.0.4 continues to create an error message every time it is launched.
borhani
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Post by borhani »

I had the same problem (OK for admin; not OK for limited user) under Win2K Pro. Solution posted above worked for me, with slight modifications:

As limited user, close down Firefox, then Start>Run> runas /user:administrator cmd (give admin. passwd when prompted)

In cmd window, give this command: cacls "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox" /t /e /g Everyone:c

(slightly more restrictive than as advised above by fprintf)

Then restart FF as limited user; will see that update occurs.
Dave Borhani
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Post by Ramona »

I'm curious, as to whether or not this would also work with Thunderbird 2.0.0.6?
Guest
Guest

Post by Guest »

developers should add this as sticky to their To-Do list. this is just driving users away from using limited users accounts, so they switch to administrator accounts and become more vulnerable, just because some apps cant handle limited user environment well.


It's really driving office admins away from installing Firefox at all. Running around to X number of machines every time an update is not going to win friends. Why would anyone want to create more work for themselves?
VanillaMozilla
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Post by VanillaMozilla »

1. Install it in a directory that limited users have access to. (I installed it there myself on one computer.)

or
2. Give everyone read/write privilege for the Firefox directory. Instead of the command-line cacls you might consider using a Windows dialog. With the command-line version I suspect that users could make a mistake and not know it. So (I'm doing this from memory, but it should be pretty close):

a. Log on from an administrative account.
b. Find the Firefox program files directory. Right click on it and select Properties/security.
c. Find Users or All users or whatever it's call, and give them full control. The dialog will show you whether you have been successful.

It works. I just fixed this problem myself on another computer. ON THE OTHER HAND, users should realize that this compromises security a little if limited users have write access to this directory.
jones172
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Post by jones172 »

A new version, Firefox 2.0.0.9, is available on or about November 2, 2007. Will the radio button be fixed? Time will tell.

Tom
Thomas L. Jones, PhD, Computer Science
DrJones at alum dot 4xtMIT8w dot edu
Guest
Guest

Post by Guest »

It works. I just fixed this problem myself on another computer.


It does work, but you still have to go to each machine and do this manually...Firefox 1.5 handled permission problems while updating much more gracefully than 2.0.
VanillaMozilla
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Post by VanillaMozilla »

developers should add this as sticky to their To-Do list.


There's a logical problem here. Ideally, you don't want limited users to have WRITE privileges in the Firefox program files directory. This is for safety, but it also interferes with updates. <b>Also, Firefox doesn't set the rules. If a limited user does not have WRITE access to the program files directory, it is impossible to update Firefox. There is no way around it, and there's no way to change Firefox to avoid the problem.</b>

So, everyone, put your heads together. Just how DO you simultaneously solve all these problems? If you have any ideas, the developers would surely like to know how to handle this.

Tom Jones, I don't know what radio button you are referring to, but a broken user interface is usually one of the easiest bugs to get fixed. You know where Bugzilla is, right? bugzilla.mozilla.org .


Just so everyone realizes how to update on computers with an administrative account, the usual procedure on Windows has been that you should update from an administrative account and RUN IT once from that account. That may have changed after Vista was released.
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