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Mac: Firefox software update process will not authorize in parental controlled account-Bug?

  • 5 replies
  • 3 have this problem
  • 10 views
  • Last reply by Senso

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OS: 10.7.5 Firefox 20 Parental Controlled user account: Firefox and Firefox Plugin processes are checked in parental controls. No other Firefox processes are visible.

When logged into parental controlled account, user launches Firefox from the Dock. Message appears: You do not have permission to run Firefox Software Update. Admin required authorization. Admin clicked Always Allow, entered admin name & password. Firefox would not launch. Logged out of Parental Controlled account.

Logged in to Admin account. Launched Firefox. "About Firefox" shows Firefox up to date. Logged out. Logged back into parental controlled account. Firefox opens.

Is this a bug or is there some other reason the admin authorization failed?

OS: 10.7.5 Firefox 20 Parental Controlled user account: Firefox and Firefox Plugin processes are checked in parental controls. No other Firefox processes are visible. When logged into parental controlled account, user launches Firefox from the Dock. Message appears: You do not have permission to run Firefox Software Update. Admin required authorization. Admin clicked Always Allow, entered admin name & password. Firefox would not launch. Logged out of Parental Controlled account. Logged in to Admin account. Launched Firefox. "About Firefox" shows Firefox up to date. Logged out. Logged back into parental controlled account. Firefox opens. Is this a bug or is there some other reason the admin authorization failed?

All Replies (5)

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Firefox 20 is up to date on Mac, so it seems to be working.

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If Firefox was already up to date, why did Firefox ask for Admin authorization to run it's software update?

Also, Firefox would not accept Admin authorization in the parental controlled account and would not launch until admin logged in to admin account and launched Firefox, which was already up to date.

Should Firefox require admin permission to update in a parental control account? None of our other laptops have displayed this error, they just don't update until admin logs in and activates the update process.

Modified by sfemet

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Yes, Firefox asks for Admin permission to update, and every time you open the About Firefox box, it checks to see if it's up to date, prompting the dialog.

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The issue occurred when the user launched Firefox. On an identically configured laptop, when Firefox was launched, no error message appeared.

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I have a student that is having the same issue. Whenever she attempts to open Firefox, either from the dock or applications folder, she gets the permission error. I tried this under an admin account and get the same error, and it will not go past it, even with the admin user/pass. A strange icon appears in the dock for a second and the disappears, but Firefox never opens.

We have around 1600 student laptops in the school and I am seeing this on one of them. I have confirmed that she is running the latest version of Firefox and have tried to clear out the preferences, but there don't appear to be any.

Does anyone have anything useful to add to the conversation? Tyler just doesn't seem to be grasping the issue.