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How to get Windows 7 to recognize the MAFF extension?

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  • 1 has this problem
  • 28 views
  • Last reply by Dandelion

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Ever since the MAFF extension was introduced, I've downloaded literally hundreds of web pages archived in that format (I fell in love with it because the format used up so much less space than the mht format). Only problem is, I cannot open them in Windows 7 because it will not let me add Firefox to the list of available programs even after I browse to the firefox.exe after right-clicking the file and selecting "Open With" in the context menu. Is there a reg fix for this?

P.S.: I'm planning to install the Extended Support Release version of Firefox which should give me another six months of support for this extension while I come up with an alternative for archiving web pages. But for now, I desperately need to open these files because prior to switching to the Windows 7 machine I'd downloaded a boatload of maff archived pages containing instructions and tutorials I needed to ease my transition to Win 7.

Thanks,

Dandelion

Ever since the MAFF extension was introduced, I've downloaded literally hundreds of web pages archived in that format (I fell in love with it because the format used up so much less space than the mht format). Only problem is, I cannot open them in Windows 7 because it will not let me add Firefox to the list of available programs even after I browse to the firefox.exe after right-clicking the file and selecting "Open With" in the context menu. Is there a reg fix for this? P.S.: I'm planning to install the Extended Support Release version of Firefox which should give me another six months of support for this extension while I come up with an alternative for archiving web pages. But for now, I desperately need to open these files because prior to switching to the Windows 7 machine I'd downloaded a boatload of maff archived pages containing instructions and tutorials I needed to ease my transition to Win 7. Thanks, Dandelion

Chosen solution

Hi Dandelion, Firefox standard release for Windows is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. I don't know about Firefox Portable.

With respect to error messages from the Portable Apps installer, you should check their support options, such as their forum:

https://portableapps.com/forums/support/firefox_portable

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All Replies (20)

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How about using File > Open File from within Firefox? Plus { Ctrl + O } works too, to "Open File".

That's how I handle it with Win7 or any older version of Windows. And I am still using Firefox 38.7.1 ESR which doesn't kill as many extensions as Firefox 48 and later did.

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Ed-meister,

Counting the number of times I've been admonished in the past to upgrade my version of Firefox, I'm amazed that a power user like yourself is using a version that is even older than the one I was still on!

In my previous post regarding how to migrate my profile contents to Windows 7 I listed the add-ons I cannot live without:

Adblock Plus Lazarus Form Recovery Print Edit MAFF UnMHT

I also want a toolbar that contains icons for Copy and Paste.

So my question is, am I likely to lose these add-ons if I upgrade to that Extended Support Release version of Firefox (v 52) I was hoping to upgrade to?

As for how to get Windows 7 to recognize the MAFF extension, I know there is a reg fix for this that will make the firefox.exe appear in the " Choose the program you want to open this file" window. It's just been such a long time since I had to perform this operation that I was hoping someone here might refresh my memory as to exactly how it is done.

Thanx,

Dandelion

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HI, You have till June month end for ESR and plugins. Firefox 52.9.0esr out on June 26 (same time as 60.1.0esr) will be the last major update for Firefox 52 ESR apart from any 52.9.x esr updates for security or allowed stability fixes. Quantum Based : Firefox 60.2.0esr will be out Aug 21 and Firefox 52 ESR will be EOL then. So people will have to upgrade to 60.2.0esr to keep getting security updates if they have not manually upgraded to 60.x.o ESR already. Firefox 60 ESR will require Windows 7, 8, 10.

You maybe interested in this Extension for saving pages. As well it can convert your MAFF so this would mean you do not need to worry so quickly or install the ESR and can update to version 59 if so inclined : https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/save-page-we/

Please let us know if this solved your issue or if need further assistance.

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As far as using those particular add-ons with Firefox 52 ESR, go to AMO and look them up; find the version of each which is compatible with Firefox 52 and install that version; then disable Automatic Updates for each of those extensions so that they won't get updated. View the versions page where all the past releases for each extension is listed and shows works with ....


My plan for the future is to keep the Firefox 52 ESR Portable around "forever" to be able to read the MAFF and UnHMT files that I have saved over the last 15 or so years. The Portable app won't write to the Windows Registry and uses a completely isolated Profile from any "regular" Firefox installation so there's no issue with the "Portable Profile" getting launched accidentally with a later version and breaking that Profile.


With regards to Copy&Paste buttons, I don't have an answer for you; I use the keyboard commands almost exclusively with all Windows applications. One suggestion is to use the Contextual Menu items for Copy and then Paste; Menu items that I routinely hide from the Context Menu as I don't use those items and with the number of extensions I have installed that Contextual Menu gets to be quite long.


Can't help you with getting MAFF recognized with Win7. I haven't done much with the Windows Registry since Win98 or W2000, and the version of I have of Win7 has a lot of the standard features removed. I spent a good part of the 00's trying to get used to Linux, with little success, and didn't do much tweaking with WinXP and subsequently the same with Win7. Best I can suggest is a Win7 fora like: https://www.sevenforums.com/


https://hellopoetry.com/poem/14365/a-thousand-little-stabs/ That is how I feel with regards to how Mozilla handled "things" thru the late Firefox 30+ releases into the mid 40's when "signing" became mandatory. I lost so many extensions, one or two at a time version by version, some due to new API's to replace an API that Mozilla wanted to update, and others due to "signing" and subsequently extension developers deciding to not continue working on extensions for Firefox.

Then there's the situation with the development of what became known as Quantum. IMO, that should have been done parallel to the release version. As things progressed beyond Firefox 48 and that mandatory "signing" for add-ons almost every new version was changed a bit and broke too many features. It was a period of great uncertainty for those of us who have been using Firefox for many years and took great advantage of Firefox extensibility; Firefox without extensions just isn't the Firefox that we grew to love over the years.

Using a catch phrase from one of Firefox competitor's "don't be evil", I settled on Firefox 38 ESR as the "least evil" version that Mozilla had turned out before "things went completely to hell" IMO and have stuck with that version thru all the craziness of the last 3 or so years.

I do have Firefox 59 installed, along with Firefox 47 and 38 ESR (my most used version / Profile), but I am taking my time with Quantum while I wait for the API's for "necessary extensions" to become available. But as things sometimes turn out, I seem to be spending more time working with Basilisk as an alternative to Firefox than I am spending with trying to work with customizing Quantum to suit my tastes. I have been using userChrome and userContent files for minor tweaks since like 2003-04, but to do major tweaks to overcome Mozilla lack of respect for their users is getting old real fast. The limits that are imposed on extensibility is making switching browsers more favorable than spending more time customizing Firefox piece by piece than I actually spend using Firefox.

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Dandelion said

I also want a toolbar that contains icons for Copy and Paste.

You can drag the Cut/Copy/Paste icon group from the application menu to the toolbar. I think this is the same for all versions from Firefox 29 through 56 (screenshot from ESR attached). In Firefox 57+, there's an icon in the Customize panel you can move to the toolbar (not pictured).

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Gentlemen,

Thank you so much for your various helpful suggestions.

Edmeister's suggestion to hang onto the Firefox 52 ESR Portable version sounds like it is the perfect solution to the "thousand little stabs" issue which I myself am in full agreement with. I positively hated that everyone jumped onto this minimalist craze that took over the top tier browsers several years ago, thereby robbing those of us on home computers of all the customizations we'd grown accustomed to.

One question 'tho. I've always used portable versions of programs just on flash drives so I could take them with me when traveling to use when needed. Where do you actually park a portable version of Firefox so that the non-portable versions do not compete/conflict with them? Do you put them on a different drive? (I do have a 1T slave drive.)

And I definitely will look into the Basilisk web browser you mentioned. I installed Slimjet the other day as a substitute for Chrome but didn't much like it.

Pkshadow, thank you for providing me with the deadlines I have to keep in mind as I sort out how to install multiple versions of Firefox, portable and non.

And Jscher2000, I'm glad that the newer versions still have that box of customizations to select from that my current version has.

Again, to all of you, many thanks for your helpful responses.

But I will still need an answer as to where exactly I should install the portable version of Firefox. This is unknown territory for me.

Thanx,

Dandelion

P.S.: It also occurred to me that if I have more than one version of Firefox installed (and the latest versions of Chrome and IE) I will need more than one version of Flash. Is this possible or will chaos ensue?

Modified by Dandelion

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Dandelion said

P.S.: It also occurred to me that if I have more than one version of Firefox installed (and the latest versions of Chrome and IE) I will need more than one version of Flash. Is this possible or will chaos ensue?

I would recommend having only one of the latest FF installed ESR or Public release only. And if you have Addons make sure they work on the latest release before installing them. Multiple FF don't help make Browser faster it might have hamper and conflict with each Browser settings when running. It's just like A/V having two A/V doesn't make it faster or better they would conflict each other when running.

Modified by WestEnd

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See also:

The portable version comes with its own profile folder and doesn't interfere with currently installed Firefox versions, so it really doesn't matter where you install this version. For easy access you can install this version in a folder on the C drive as well as on a external drive to take the application and the profile with you.

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I'm delighted to report that I solved the problem of being unable to get Windows 7 to recognize the MAFF extension.

I'd read that this sometimes happens when Windows is confused as to where the executable is.

I checked, and because the new computer came pre-installed with version 59, it had installed itself into the Program Files (86) directory. I had uninstalled that version, but when I then installed version 47, it put itself back into that same directory.

I've just backtracked and installed it instead into the regular 32-bit Program Files directory. Et voilà, I can now open all those maff files!

Cor-el, thank you for those helpful links. I've bookmarked the links and saved two of the instruction pages as maff files. And WestEnd, I plan to install only the 52 ESR Portable version and see if my add-ons all still work with it.

Merci milles fois to all of you!

Dandelion

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WestEnd said

I would recommend having only one of the latest FF installed ESR or Public release only. And if you have Addons make sure they work on the latest release before installing them. Multiple FF don't help make Browser faster it might have hamper and conflict with each Browser settings when running.

You can have multiple separate Firefox installs and have them each use separate Profiles. Testers and devs have been doing this for ages.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Shortcut_to_a_specific_profile

Modified by James

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Pkshadow said

HI, You have till June month end for ESR and plugins. Firefox 52.9.0esr out on June 26 (same time as 60.1.0esr) will be the last major update for Firefox 52 ESR apart from any 52.9.x esr updates for security or allowed stability fixes. Quantum Based : Firefox 60.2.0esr will be out Aug 21 and Firefox 52 ESR will be EOL then. So people will have to upgrade to 60.2.0esr to keep getting security updates if they have not manually upgraded to 60.x.o ESR already. Firefox 60 ESR will require Windows 7, 8, 10. You maybe interested in this Extension for saving pages. As well it can convert your MAFF so this would mean you do not need to worry so quickly or install the ESR and can update to version 59 if so inclined : https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/save-page-we/ Please let us know if this solved your issue or if need further assistance.
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Hi Pkshadow,

I'm forced to revisit this thread because after a disastrous remote session with the fellow who custom-built my new machine, I lost all my bookmarks, extensions and customizations on all three of the browsers I had installed.

The upshot is that something happened which made it impossible for me to reinstall that older version of Firefox I was running (Firefox 47) which I needed to be able to access those hundreds of web pages I had saved in the MAFF format.

Had to go out of town so couldn't do a thing about the problem at the time, and now I'm about to depart again. But I'm in a panic because of this deadline you mentioned in above post. I did download the setup file for the extended release version of Firefox (52.7.4 ESR) but what went wrong during that remote session is going to necessitiate a clean install of Windows, which cannot happen until I get back in December.

Am I in trouble here? What exactly did you mean when you said I have only till end of June for ESR and plugins??? Since I understand that one can have more than one version of Firefox installed on the same machine as long as one installs them under different profiles, please clarify your warning.

Are you simply saying that those older versions of Firefox will no longer be supported?

As I said, I'm in a panic here. Please set my mind at ease and let me know as long as I have the setup files I can still install those older versions under different profiles as I previously understood I could do. As far as plugins/extensions are concerned, is there a way I can download them so that after the reinstall of Windows, I will be able to reinstall them as well?

Thanks,

Dandelion

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Dandelion said

Please set my mind at ease and let me know as long as I have the setup files I can still install those older versions under different profiles as I previously understood I could do. As far as plugins/extensions are concerned, is there a way I can download them so that after the reinstall of Windows, I will be able to reinstall them as well?

Old releases of Firefox seem to linger forever, but the selection of extensions available on the Add-ons site may change soon, so you definitely should back up not only your profile folders and other data folders, but also your preferred legacy extensions in all applicable versions.

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Hi Jscher2000,

I cannot install any older version on the new computer as a result of the calamatous remote session that occurred. (After some Googling I realized that in order to successfully install an older version I have to do a custom install and create a separate profile for it). But I do have version 47 installed on my old computer, and all the extensions I had working in it are stored in that "dbsjc2i1.default" profile file which the-edmeister provided me with instructions how to swap into the new profle folder

What you need to do is to copy all the files that are in that "dbsjc2i1.default" folder into the new Profile folder, replacing the files that were created when that "new Profile" was created.

So I'm assuming that after that fresh install of Windows that cannot happen before December, I can still retrieve all those extensions from that profile file stored on the old computer (and saved in multiple other places just to be on the safe side).

Anything else I need to be aware of that I may have overlooked? I'm leaving in a week's time and I want to make sure I've covered all my bases so I don't have any nasty surprises waiting for me when I get back.

Dandelion

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You seem to have ignored my recommendation to install the Firefox Portable Edition to your hard drive, to get around issues related to the MAFF extension going away. As long as you use File > Open File ... there would be no need to fiddle with any file associations inside the operating system. All older versions are available here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/portableapps/files/Mozilla%20Firefox%2C%20Portable%20Ed./ Firefox Portable 47.0.1 is available here: https://sourceforge.net/projects/portableapps/files/Mozilla%20Firefox%2C%20Portable%20Ed./Mozilla%20Firefox%2C%20Portable%20Edition%2047.0.1/

Bu using the Portable version it won't affect any other versions of Firefox that you may have installed - PLUS the Portable Profile will be all by itself; no possibility of "cross contamination" with any other Profile. And doesn't write to the Windows Registry.


If you want to continue having the older Legacy extensions available, please heed jscher 2000 message about downloading the XPI to your hard drive (or a USB "key") for the future. Those older extensions will disappear from the Addons website in the near future; and it's a lot easier installing an extension "locally" than possibly lose it if a Profile gets bOrked. Right-click the "+ Add to Firefox" button and use "Save Link As ..." to save it to local disk. And to "install" an extension thus saved, simply drag it into the Firefox browser window and Firefox will install it automatically.

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Hello edmeister,

I didn't exactly ignore your suggestion. It's only that at the time, I'd just finished doing battle with a Windows Explorer replacement program that came in a zip file; no installation required. The beastly thing had hijacked my system and I had a devil of a time getting rid of it, so I was understandably leary of playing around with another program that does not properly install itself.

I spent the last couple of nights googling how to set up a portable version of Firefox and everything I found dealt exclusively with running the portable from a thumb drive.

This I obviously do not wish to do, since I use Firefox daily and do not want to permanently have a thumb drive using up one of my USB ports.

So can I park the executable somewhere in the Programs Folder on my C drive with a unique name and a unique shortcut associated with it? Or do I have to put it on my slave drive?

Some elucidation would be greatly appreciated, since, as I said, everything I was able to find on the 'Net referred to running portable Firefox versions from a thumb drive.

Also, could you please explain what you mean when you say, "downloading the XPI to your hard drive"? This is chinese to me. Until I'm actually able to get one of those portable versions up and running, your further explanations (... "Save Link As ...") won't mean very much to me. I freely admit to being the dummy here.

Thanks in advance,

Dandelion

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Hi Dandelion, in response to one of your earlier questions, it's possible your MAFF files are stored else where on your computer, so please keep a backup of those from wherever you may find them.

An XPI file is an extension file. Instead of using the "Install" button, right-click it and Save Link As to download the extension file, which will have a .xpi file extension.

Portable Firefox runs out of a single folder. The folder can be on your internal drive or on a removable drive.

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Hi Jscher2000,

Thank you for the clarification.

Now, I'm having another problem. I have all my Firefox setup files stored in a subdirectory called "Firefox setups," which resides in a larger directory called "C:\Program Setup Files."

Since I believe that Firefox still uses a 32-bit construction, I created a folder in the "C:\Program Files (x86)" simply named "Mozilla." But when I try to "install" the portable into that subdirectory, it continually says, "The destination folder you selected is invalid. Please choose a valid folder. [C:\Program Files (86) or sub-directories]." When I tried to "install" it into "C:\Program Files (86)" -- which turns into "C:\Program Files (x86)\FirefoxPortable" -- I get the same message. Even if I copy the setup file into the folder I created and double-click on it there, it repeatedly tells me destination folder is invalid.

What am I doing wrong?

P.S.: The program is more than happy to install itself into the original folder where I stored it (C:\Program Setup Files\Browsers\Firefox setups), but it doesn't make sense to me to "install" it there.

Thanks in advance,

Dandelion

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Chosen Solution

Hi Dandelion, Firefox standard release for Windows is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions. I don't know about Firefox Portable.

With respect to error messages from the Portable Apps installer, you should check their support options, such as their forum:

https://portableapps.com/forums/support/firefox_portable

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From: https://portableapps.com/forums/support/firefox_portable:

"To install Firefox Portable, just download the portable package at the top of the Firefox Portable page and then double-click it. Select the location you wish to install to and click OK. A Firefox Portable directory will be created there and all the necessary files installed."

I've tried every which way to 'install' the portable version of Firefox in either the "Program Files" directory or the "Program Files (x86) directory. Keep getting the same error message: "The destination folder you selected is invalid. Please choose a valid folder. [C:\Program Files (86) or sub-directories]".

The executable is only too happy to install itself anywhere else I park it. If I park it on my desktop, it will install itself there. If I park it in the folder where I store all the setup files for the various Firefox versions I've downloaded, it will install itself there as well. The only work-around I have found thus far is to associate it with a User Profile. If I park the executable in one of my User Profile directories, it will install itself there.

But I've encountered some problems which I don't know whether they are connected with where it has installed itself.

For example, even though under "View" I have checkmarked "Bookmarks Toolbar," that bar sits there empty. If I go to the site and bookmark it and tell it to put itself into the Bookmarks Toolbar, nothing happens. I can still access the bookmarks I have stored in the Bookmarks toolbar, but only by clicking on Bookmarks (I've used Classic Theme Restorer to get back the classic File Menu) and selecting Bookmarks Toolbar from the drop-down menu.

I've googled the problem and it appears other people have had their Bookmark Toolbar disappear on them as well. I've followed all the directions provided by How-to-Geek on how to start portable Firefox in Safe Mode so that I might find out if one of the few extensions I've added is causing the problem, but the new shortcut does not work. I've tried disabling all my extensions, still cannot move anything to that empty space where Bookmarks Toolbar should be. (If I right-click on the space and remove checkmark next to Bookmark Toolbar, the empty space disappears.)

My next objective will be to install the non-portable version of Firefox's version 52 ESR and see how I fare with that.


Addendum: I'm happy to report that I have Firefox 46 portable up and running. I learned that it wouldn't install into either of the Program Files directories because it is blocked from doing so. So I created a folder in C: named "Portable Apps" and installed it into that. With help from the experts at PortableApps.com I've also installed all my desired extensions saved from the old "dbsjc2i1.default" profile folder.

And my Bookmarks Toolbar appears to be alive and working.

Thank you to everyone for your much appreciated assistance!

Dandelion

Modified by Dandelion