Solved Problem with Firefox Beta updates: dead taskbar shortcut

Wisewiz · Apr 19, 2024

On my System 2, I'm on the beta channel, and every time there is an update (which is fairly frequently), my taskbar shortcut (icon) goes dead. Clicking it brings up (after about three/four seconds) a panel that says something like "Windows can't open this program. It may have been moved or ...." A check of the Users ... Taskbar folder reveals that the icon is still there, but it's dead there as well, ofc. If I unpin the taskbar shortcut, make a new shortcut, and pin it to the taskbar, it shows the label "Firefox (2)" and the original shortcut (dead) is still in the Taskbar folder, along with Firefox (2). The only solution that seems to work (and to give me a unique taskbar Firefox icon-shortcut is to unpin Firefox (2), delete Firefox and Firefox (2) from the Taskbar folder, and create a new shortcut to the new executable and pin it to the taskbar.

Firefox beta users: Are you seeing this behavior too?

P.S.: If I haven't replaced the taskbar icon before I shut down for the night (after an update of the beta during the day), the next time I boot, the icon has disappeared. But it's still in the Taskbar folder. Whaaaaa?

Wisewiz · Apr 19, 2024

Also found this:

Every Firefox update breaks FF pinned taskbar icon (Win10)

Everytime Firefox gets a new update the pinned taskbar icon somehow become an invalid link and Windows 10 ask me to delete the pinned icon. Anyone know how to solve this strange problem?

connect.mozilla.org

Berton · Apr 19, 2024

Most likely the icon on the Taskbar doesn't point to the same as the one in the Start or All apps menus. I'd delete it and Pin a new one. But anything is possible with a BETA version of software. This is where my Released 64-bit version is installed:
"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"

antspants · Apr 19, 2024

Wisewiz said:
Firefox (2)

I sometimes get that (numeral) after shortcuts on my desktop, regardless that the original shortcut isn’t still on the desktop, I’ve never tried looking into why.

Like Berton said, it’s possible a Beta issue for you? Did anything in that link work? (out of interest)

abactuon · Apr 19, 2024

There is now an option for TaskBar in the Firefox installer. It goes something like this
Start-Process -FilePath $f.FullName -Args "/MaintenanceService=false /DesktopShortcut=false /PrivateBrowsingShortcut=false /StartMenuShortcut=false /OptionalExtensions=false /RegisterDefaultAgent=false /TaskbarShortcut=true" -Wait

if nothing has changed.

NormanF · Apr 19, 2024

That's why I stay on Firefox ESR. The fewer the updates, the better. I favour stability over new features.

Wisewiz · Apr 19, 2024

antspants said:
Did anything in that link work? (out of interest)

I wish, but no. I have decided on a workaround that will save me from the shortcut hassle, though. While I'm on the Beta channel, from now on, when a check for updates shows a new version (and that's very frequent), instead of letting the program update itself, I'm going to go to the bank of FF releases and get the version that the internal updater wants to move me to. I have a quick shortcut, and am knowledgeable about navigating through that bank. In a jiffy, I can have the target version downloaded, and I know how to open the installer and extract the program files and discard the installer executable. Only takes a moment. Then I'll just overwrite the main set of FF files in my own (not-installed) folder for the program. Since nothing in that simple process can do any resetting of registry keys or shortcut references, and nothing in that process expects the firefox.exe file to be in ProgramFiles (x86), I'm pretty sure it'll preserve my taskbar shortcut in its operating state.

Thank you all for your help.

antspants · Apr 19, 2024

Wisewiz said:
I'm going to go to the bank of FF releases and get the version that the internal updater wants to move me to

Good Plan-Dan

Wisewiz said:
and discard the installer executable

It might pay to compare the sizes of the executables though?

Wisewiz · Apr 19, 2024

No, I mean the install.exe file that does the installation, and probably is the culprit in my case. Once I get rid of that, what's left are all the good program files, including the new firefox.exe (for the new version), and overwriting the old files with the new ones only takes a couple of seconds. Most of them are unchanged, but it's fast and easy to overwrite the lot, instead of checking the 52+ files to see which ones are the same and which ones different. The profile folder is over on C: in the Users folder, and it's untouched by the installer program .. and by my proposed method as well. The installer can reach out and fiddle things on C:. My proposed method can't.

antspants · Apr 19, 2024

Wisewiz said:
No, I mean the install.exe

Ahh right, gotcha. Good idea

Wisewiz · Apr 19, 2024

I’ll take the liberty of posting a follow-up in this thread after the next beta update. That will give me the opportunity to test my plan and see whether it works.

Berton · Apr 20, 2024

An update to the released version installed just now, Version 125.0.1 64-bit. It also updated Mozilla Maintenance Service folder in C:\Program Files (x86).

Wisewiz · Apr 20, 2024

Berton said:
An update to the released version installed just now, Version 125.0.1 64-bit. It also updated Mozilla Maintenance Service folder in C:\Program Files (x86).

That one was released on the 16th, Berton.

Berton · Apr 20, 2024

Wisewiz said:
That one was released on the 16th, Berton.

Just got 125.0.1 now on a different Notebook that I was on several hours last evening so appears Firefox isn't being delivered to everyone at the same time.

Wisewiz · Apr 20, 2024

Berton said:
Just got 125.0.1 now on a different Notebook that I was on several hours last evening so appears Firefox isn't being delivered to everyone at the same time.

I think the trick, in order to have the latest all the time, is to check for updates daily. I open Chrome, Firefox, and Thunderbird every morning and check for updates. That gets 'em ASAP.

Berton · Apr 20, 2024

Tricks can be good as long as productivity isn't affected.

Wisewiz · Apr 20, 2024

Sorry. "Trick" wasn't the right word. It's a tried and true method for getting the updates as soon as they're available. The check for all three of the named apps takes less than a minute in total if there are no updates available. If there are updates, ofc, I wait for them to install themselves and then I restart the app (not the PC).

My morning routine includes those and checking Malwarebytes, CCleaner, and Windows Update. The whole routine usually takes about two-three minutes.

Wisewiz · Apr 22, 2024

Wisewiz said:
I’ll take the liberty of posting a follow-up in this thread after the next beta update. That will give me the opportunity to test my plan and see whether it works.

And the above method (see post #7 above) works. No problem with the taskbar-pinned shortcut; no pop-up from Windows; no messing around in Users ... Taskbar.

Solved Problem with Firefox Beta updates: dead taskbar shortcut

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