New Problem with McAfee and the Popup Blocker

[chrisni]

Like many others, I've been dealing with the issue of McAfee turning off Firefox's popup blocker.

The solution at http://kb.mozillazine.org/Popups_not_blocked worked great until this weekend. Now McAfee recognizes the fix and changes it back.

My hunch is that the final answer will be to uninstall McAfee and start using something else for security (I'm thinking about AVG).

But first I'm considering this: Launch FF with a script that changes the USER.JS file back to how we want it. Basically, the script would search for "user_pref("dom.disable_open_during_load", false);" and replace it with "user_pref("dom.disable_open_during_load", true);" and then save the file and launch FF. Attach the script to the FF shortcut, and you're done. I know this is feasible, but I don't know how to go about it.

Anyone want to tackle this, or have any other ideas?

Chris

[Alice]

I don't know how you would go about starting Firefox with a script or batch file to do what you want, since I'm not really talented in that direction.

What I was going to suggest was, after you edit the user.js file, to make it "read only"..... but then I found a newsgroup post that said it didn't work:

Newsgroups: mozilla.support.firefox
From: Eustace <emfrilin>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2007 15:17:27 -0500
Subject: Re: Popups

On 2007.02.13 15:07 Eustace wrote:
<snip>
> OK, the culprit was found: the file user.js in my profile that contains
> the following:

> user_pref("dom.disable_open_during_load", false); // Popupblocker
> control handled by McAfee Privacy Service

> I did not know that McAfee takes such initiatives, and I am not sure
> whether I want it to. At least it added the comment to explain the
> situation. I only hope it did not delete any file that I might have
> created in my profile (there is a user.js.bak but was created just hours
> before the other). I think I will delete the file, but I am not sure it
> will work because it seems that the file is created at startup or
> something...

I deleted the McAfee command and made user.js read-only, but McAfee
again just deleted it and replaced it with its own... And this although
I have left unchecked in its configuration "Block pop-up windows from
appearing when you browse the Internet" (with the result I would get
popups each time I start FF if I wouldn't uncheck in the Prefbar the
Popups ...). Before looking to McAfee for help to correct the problem
they created, did anybody here encountered and solved the problem?
<snip>

There was another thread here recently on this topic, in case you find anything useful there.

http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=523269
Popup blocker turned off by McAfee Privacy service

If you do end up uninstalling the McAfee Privacy Service, there are some suggestions in the above thread for alternatives.

[chrisni]

Alice,

Yep. I tried the read-only thing, too. I also tried the trick of following McAfee's line in the USER.JS file with the line re-setting the popup blocker. It used to work, but as of this weekend no longer does.

I did hear from a software engineer that launching FF via a script that would first check the USER.JS file is definitely feasible. Now just need to figure out how to do it.

If anyone has suggestions, or wants to take a crack at the script ...

[the-edmeister]

Just get rid of that McAfee garbage program! IMO, no program needs to be that pertinacious at changing files in another program or overwriting prefs that a user purposely sets.


Ed

[Alice]

You could also try having a version of the user.js (named MyUser.js or whatever) that contains the user_pref("dom.disable_open_during_load", true); line you want, located in the profile folder along side the user.js that McAfee creates. Then you could create a batch file ("Firefox.bat" or whatever) that deletes the user.js, copies the MyUser.js file and names it user.js (leaving the original MyUser.js behind, for the next time it's needed) and starts Firefox....but since I forgot most of the little I knew about batch files and dos, someone else will have to give you the details. Ed has a page on creating a batch file for starting Firefox for another purpose, by the way, here: http://the-edmeister.home.comcast.net/a ... -file.html

Or just get rid of McAfee! I recently helped my sister uninstall all McAfee components except for the antivirus part of the program, which she wanted to keep. The McAfee uninstaller in Add/Remove Programs looks like it might uninstall everything, but it doesn't. When you start the uninstaller it displays a list of installed components (Firewall, Spamkiller, Antivirus, etc) and you can checkmark which ones you want to remove. I don't know if the McAfee Privacy Service is part of a larger McAfee security suite or not, but you could take a look in Add/Remove Programs and see.

[dickvl]

You can look at this thread about a similar problem with proxies for some things to try:
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=490882

[chrisni]

dickvl--

That worked perfectly. Thank you.

This solution solves the problem while avoiding having to change the security setup.

[dickvl]

You're welcome.

[Alice]

chris,
I'm glad to hear that the batch file solution given in the thead dickvl posted worked for you.

For those having the same problem with McAfee Privacy Service, you need to create a .js file (myuser.js) containing the desired preference line and place it in the same profile folder as the user.js file.

myuser.js
user_pref("dom.disable_open_during_load", true);

You can then create a batch file (Firefox.bat) that copies myuser.js to user.js (overwriting the McAfee user.js) and starts Firefox. Using the solution in the thread that dickvl posted as a guide, I found that the following batch file worked for me. You'll have to substitute your own profile and program paths (make sure you include the quotes, as given). I placed the Firefox.bat file in C:\Batch for testing, but you can place it (or a shortcut to Firefox.bat) on the desktop.

Firefox.bat

CD "C:\Documents and Settings\Alice\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\default.cta"
Xcopy /Y "myuser.js" user.js
CD "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox"
START firefox.exe


Alice

[dickvl]

You can use START "" "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" instead of:
CD "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox"
START firefox.exe

You need all the quotes.

Don't forget to use the correct profile folder name instead of default.cta in Alice's post.

[Alice]

And it should go without saying..... use the actual path for your own profile folder

[Guest]

Like many others, I've been dealing with the issue of McAfee turning off Firefox's popup blocker.

The solution at http://kb.mozillazine.org/Popups_not_blocked worked great until this weekend. Now McAfee recognizes the fix and changes it back.

My hunch is that the final answer will be to uninstall McAfee and start using something else for security (I'm thinking about AVG).

But first I'm considering this: Launch FF with a script that changes the USER.JS file back to how we want it. Basically, the script would search for "user_pref("dom.disable_open_during_load", false);" and replace it with "user_pref("dom.disable_open_during_load", true);" and then save the file and launch FF. Attach the script to the FF shortcut, and you're done. I know this is feasible, but I don't know how to go about it.

Anyone want to tackle this, or have any other ideas?

Chris

Is this still a problem? I use McAfee and Firefox will not keep the "block pop-up windows" box checked. So McAfee's the culprit?

[old FatJohn]

Blame Canada!

[James]

Blame Canada!

Don't make me stick my pet beaver on you...

[old FatJohn]