updates blocked by unknown administrator (systeembeheerder)
Since I updated to 77.0.1 firefox has for unknown reason has concluded that there is a system administrator which has disabled updates. It says so in setting (topleft) and in about firefox (instead of update button). I have been able to change all other settings that I know of. I have also refreshed the browser once, disabled all addons once, and deinstalled it to reinstall the latest version once.
Is there a solution for this bug?
Chosen solution
You can check the about:policies#active page to see whether policies are active.
You can inspect the Mozilla and Firefox keys with the Windows Registry Editor in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and possibly in HKEY_CURRENT_USER with the Windows Registry Editor to see whether GPO policy rules are active.
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox\
Note that the mere presence of the "Mozilla\Firefox\" key is sufficient to make Firefox display this notification, so if you have the Firefox key then remove it and only leave the Mozilla key or remove this key as well if it is empty.
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox\ =>
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\
All Replies (2)
Chosen Solution
You can check the about:policies#active page to see whether policies are active.
You can inspect the Mozilla and Firefox keys with the Windows Registry Editor in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and possibly in HKEY_CURRENT_USER with the Windows Registry Editor to see whether GPO policy rules are active.
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox\
Note that the mere presence of the "Mozilla\Firefox\" key is sufficient to make Firefox display this notification, so if you have the Firefox key then remove it and only leave the Mozilla key or remove this key as well if it is empty.
- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\Firefox\ =>
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Mozilla\
Go to the folder that Firefox is installed in on your computer and look for a distribution folder there. If you see one, you probably have updates disabled by a policies.json file.
Otherwise, you should check Windows Group Policy (if available) to see if you have a policy disabling your updates there.
NOTE: If this is a computer managed by an organization, you need to consult with the organization's IT department for more assistance. Removing or changing policies may be against your organization's computer use policy.
If you don't remember ever setting up a policy to disable updates, it might be a good idea to scan for malware as well. It's possible that some malware on your computer could have enabled this policy to keep you on an outdated version of Firefox. You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:
- Microsoft Safety Scanner
- MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware
- Anti-Rootkit Utility - TDSSKiller (for more info, see this alternate TDSSKiller download page)
- AdwCleaner (for more info, see this alternate AdwCleaner download page)
- Hitman Pro
- ESET Online Scanner
Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.
Hope this helps.