115.2.1esr is an important security update that fixes an active exploit in the wild and should be installed right away.

(background)

I spent almost 8 hours last Saturday figuring out how to back-out of the latest Thunderbird update (v 115.2.0). I finally managed to get the previous version (102.15.0) reinstalled & working - that included having to manually recreate all the configuration data as vers 115.2.0 modified the configuration files and the earlier version (102.15.0) refused to run with it.

I have had enough of people changing things in the software that I use all-the-time for no apparent reason.

To me an e-mail client and a web browser are tools - I want them to work exactly the same way every time I use them.

I believe that I have found a way to disable Thunderbird's 'update nagging' and I am hoping to accomplish the same thing for Firefox.

- Paul

You can install a policy.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/customizing-firefox-using-group-policy-windows

With Firefox ESR the updates are for security and stability fixes. Fx 115.2.1 ESR was for security fixes.

https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/115.2.1/releasenotes/ https://www.mozilla.org/security/advisories/mfsa2023-40/

Also note, since you have the old EOL Windows 7, the most current Firefox you can use is Fx 115 ESR as 116 and later requires Windows 10 or later. The last Fx 115 ESR update will be 115.15.0 esr in Sept 2024. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/firefox-users-windows-7-8-and-81-moving-extended-support

Chrome, Chromium, Edge, Opera already dropped support of Windows 7, 8, 8.1 back in January/February.

Concerning Firefox vers 115.2.0esr ...

Does it change anything that the user experiences compared to vers 115.2.0esr ?

- Paul

My previous message was incorrect.

- corrected version -

Concerning Firefox vers 115.2.1esr ...

Does it change anything that the user experiences compared to vers 115.2.0esr ?

- Paul

Within the past few minutes I ran a '.reg' file :

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox] "DisableAppUpdate"=dword:00000001

Now in Firefox's 'General Settings',

under 'Firefox Updates',

it says :

Updates disabled by your system administrator

Will now watch-and-see if this works.

- Paul

PS -

To remove the inhibition my understanding is that it is done by running a slightly modified version of the '.reg' file that reads :

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox] "DisableAppUpdate"=dword:00000000

As far as I am aware, the update from 115.2.0 to 115.2.1 was a security update and not change the user experience (aside from making it more secure).

Updates for ESR are not supposed to make changes to the user interface or add new features and this includes major and minor updates (115.2.x), they are merely for security and stability fixes like posted above and you won't see changes to the appearance (user interface).

I have updated Firefox to vers 115.2.1esr (64-bit).

Thanks to : zeroknight, Terry, James, Paul & cor-el.

- Paul

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” ..... He chortled in his joy.

(ref: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42916/jabberwocky)

I've managed to get Thunderbird to also cease its 'update nagging'.

I did a bit of searching and found this :

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1314978

Comparing the registry '.reg' file that disabled Firefox's 'update nagging' ( so that it now says "Updates disabled by your system administrator") to what is contained in that forum message about disabling Thunderbird's 'update nagging' ... I revised the '.reg' file so that it read's :

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Mozilla\Thunderbird] "DisableAppUpdate"=dword:00000001

(and named the revised file "disable_Thunderbird_update_notification")

and now Thunderbird says .... under :

    General
        Updates

. "Updates disabled by your system administrator"

Hooray !

- Paul