Firefox not updating in Windows 7

[450125]

I run Firefox 3.6.13, which was released in December, and I installed straight from Mozilla on 12/28 when I put in a new Windows 7 installation (had been running XP previously).

Under XP, going back five years, my FF updates would just get installed automatically. I'd have to give Mozilla permission to do so, but then the installation would take care of itself.

Last week, Mozilla tried "pushing" 3.6.14 to me, I agreed, and the rest of the night, I had a popup just continually saying "downloading the update / connecting to the update server" - with no download ever happening.

I tried just picking "help | check for updates" from FF but got the same thing.

Since then, Mozilla is trying to "push" 3.6.15 to me, but the same thing is happening.

I read somewhere that I can always just uninstall FF while retaining my profile, then download the latest update. But what a pain in the neck relative to how it had worked and should work.

Is anyone else having this problem? How can I "force" Windows 7 to find the Firefox update, download it, and install it?

 

[reborn7778]

have you a tried uninstalled. then back to installed with new updated?

 

[450125]

have you a tried uninstalled. then back to installed with new updated?

That's what I have been trying to avoid. In XP the updates were just were offered, I accepted, and they were installed.

 

[Fayla]

Did you allow the Firefox updater process in your firewall? Firefox can check for updates, but the updater .exe deals with downloading and updating (mostly.)

 

[reborn7778]

HM, interesting, hope anyone help you out.

 

[450125]

Did you allow the Firefox updater process in your firewall? Firefox can check for updates, but the updater .exe deals with downloading and updating (mostly.)

I did try to tweak my Windows firewall, adding FF to the list of allowed programs, but that didn't help. How do I specifically browse to and add the FF updater program?

 

[Fayla]

In my install of FF it is C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\updater.exe

Did you allow the Firefox updater process in your firewall? Firefox can check for updates, but the updater .exe deals with downloading and updating (mostly.)

I did try to tweak my Windows firewall, adding FF to the list of allowed programs, but that didn't help. How do I specifically browse to and add the FF updater program?

 

[450125]

In my install of FF it is C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\updater.exe

Odd.

Many of my programs, including FF and its components, are just scattered, uncategorized and not in folders, in my c:\programs folder. There is an updater.exe there, and I added it to the Windows firewall exceptions.

But it's still not getting the update.

 

[reborn7778]

if not working, may you download Firefox Beta?

 

[Fayla]

Window's firewall by default is set to allow all outbound traffic, so you really shouldn't have to add an allow anyway. I just thought that you might be using a third party firewall installed

When you go into the Window's firewall, the center pane (over view) will tell you outbound settings there for each zone (marking them by green for allowed, red for not (without explicit permission.)

Right now it's late for me, so I have to sleep lol. I'll think about this more later if it hasn't been solved by then

In my install of FF it is C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\updater.exe

Odd.

Many of my programs, including FF and its components, are just scattered, uncategorized and not in folders, in my c:\programs folder. There is an updater.exe there, and I added it to the Windows firewall exceptions.

But it's still not getting the update.

 

[450125]

Window's firewall by default is set to allow all outbound traffic, so you really shouldn't have to add an allow anyway. I just thought that you might be using a third party firewall installed

When you go into the Window's firewall, the center pane (over view) will tell you outbound settings there for each zone (marking them by green for allowed, red for not (without explicit permission.)

Right now it's late for me, so I have to sleep lol. I'll think about this more later if it hasn't been solved by then

In my install of FF it is C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\updater.exe

Odd.

Many of my programs, including FF and its components, are just scattered, uncategorized and not in folders, in my c:\programs folder. There is an updater.exe there, and I added it to the Windows firewall exceptions.

But it's still not getting the update.

Really annoying. At least my adding updater, once I restarted FF, got me to the update server. But then I got this message:

Unable to Update: A recommended security and stability update is available, but you do not have the system permissions required to install it. Please contact your sys admin, or try again from an account that has permission to install software on this computer.

Googling the message brings up (all I saw anyway) were threads from a Mac forum.

Again, I realize that supposedly I can "clean install" a new download of FF. But why? Especially since there are times that FF is updating once a month or more, and I'd like the old method, which took maybe 30 seconds, to do what it should, rather than the longer process of going from scratch. And I know how to retain my profile data. But again, why risk losing or corrupting it.

So love to hear from someone how to have FF under Windows 7 just intelligently update the way it did under Windows XP.

 

[450125]

Okay, problem sort of solved.

I finally just downloaded the latest FF installer.

It upgraded me quickly, with no loss of profile information.

Oddly, my FF program stuff remains scattered around my c:\programs folder, not in its own folder.

But at least I'm on 3.6.15 and I will see what happens when FF next wants to push an update to me. Hopefully that installation just happens and works.

 

[belikexp]

Create a system restore first .
Export your bookmarks.
Backup the contents in C:\Users\(User Name)\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla then delete the contents.
Uninstall Firefox.
Then backup C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox then delete the contents.
Now reinstall Firefox. This will give you a fresh install.

 

[450125]

Create a system restore first .
Export your bookmarks.
Backup the contents in C:\Users\(User Name)\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla then delete the contents.
Uninstall Firefox.
Then backup C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox then delete the contents.
Now reinstall Firefox. This will give you a fresh install.

Okay, the newest FF, 3.6.16, gave me the same problems, so I followed your advice. I uninstalled 3.6.15, then clean installed it using the installer I'd downloaded for it a few weeks ago. From there, FF updated itself to 3.6.16, downloading the updates from the server as it should have.

Here's what I think the problem was. FF tries to install in C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox. However, it was the first install I did on the computer after booting it after installing W7, and I mistakenly thought that I should force it into the non-(x86) "Program Files" folder. Instead of then neatly installing everything into a dedicated Mozilla Firefox folder, the installer had strewn all the pieces into the C:\Program Files\ folder.

This time, I let FF install where it wanted to, and the update then worked as it should have.

Dumb of me to think I knew more that Mozilla or Windows about where to put the thing, huh?