Can't update to 55.0, and Extensions disappeared
Hello,
I have two issues and think they might be related somehow, based on date coincidence.
Earlier today I successfully updated Firefox on my Windows 10 computer (54.0.1 to 55.0)
When I went to update Firefox on my Windows 7 computer, it tells me my "Firefox 54.0.1 32-bit" is up to date.
Why is the 55.0 update not appearing? I worry about security vulnerabilities, am I at risk here?
The second issue is that all my Extensions no longer appear under "about:addons", while I am logged into my standard user account. Adblock Plus and Fireshot should appear here, but it tells me "You don't have any add-ons of this type installed". However, the ABP icon appears on the upper right of the browser window, and is working properly. I keep Fireshot disabled most of the time, only enabling it when I need it.
This has never happened before, and things were like they should be just a day or two ago.
I noticed this on the same day I installed Firefox 55.0 on my Windows 10 computer. Oddly enough, on Windows 10, Firefox marks ABP as Legacy, saying that a big change is coming up regarding add-ons in November, and marks Fireshot as not compatible with this version of Firefox.
However, Firefox 55.0 hasn't been installed on my Windows 7 computer. I have automatic updating turned off, I check for and install Firefox updates manually.
I'm not sure what to do. I'm tempted to see if this sorts itself out if I wait, or when I can install the 55.0 update.
Any assistance you can give me is appreciated...
Chosen solution
For your Windows 7 system, where did you see this?
When I went to update Firefox on my Windows 7 computer, it tells me my "Firefox 54.0.1 32-bit" is up to date.
You mentioned that you do NOT use automatic updates, but even if you did, you might not get the update: The update server has a rate limiter the first several days after a major release so that only a percentage of the user population is initially updated. This is a safety to assess whether there are any showstopper bugs that require stopping automatic updates.
You can get an installer for Firefox 55 if you like from the following page: https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/ (before installing 64-bit Firefox, see: How to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit Firefox)
Regarding extensions not appearing in about:addons, do you use Sync between your Firefox 54 and Firefox 55? There was a change to the file format of the extensions registry between those versions so naturally I wonder whether that could be a factor. But really I have no idea. The usual reason for problems with the Add-ons page is a "full theme" that isn't compatible with the latest iteration of the page design.
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Chosen Solution
For your Windows 7 system, where did you see this?
When I went to update Firefox on my Windows 7 computer, it tells me my "Firefox 54.0.1 32-bit" is up to date.
You mentioned that you do NOT use automatic updates, but even if you did, you might not get the update: The update server has a rate limiter the first several days after a major release so that only a percentage of the user population is initially updated. This is a safety to assess whether there are any showstopper bugs that require stopping automatic updates.
You can get an installer for Firefox 55 if you like from the following page: https://www.mozilla.org/firefox/all/ (before installing 64-bit Firefox, see: How to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit Firefox)
Regarding extensions not appearing in about:addons, do you use Sync between your Firefox 54 and Firefox 55? There was a change to the file format of the extensions registry between those versions so naturally I wonder whether that could be a factor. But really I have no idea. The usual reason for problems with the Add-ons page is a "full theme" that isn't compatible with the latest iteration of the page design.
firefoxninja said
I noticed this on the same day I installed Firefox 55.0 on my Windows 10 computer. Oddly enough, on Windows 10, Firefox marks ABP as Legacy, saying that a big change is coming up regarding add-ons in November, and marks Fireshot as not compatible with this version of Firefox.
A big change is coming, yes. I think either Adblock Plus will get updated to work with the new, more limited interfaces that extensions are allowed in Firefox 57+, or you can switch to an attractive alternative.
Thank you for your help!
For my Windows 7 system, I saw it here:
Under Help > About Firefox
About Mozilla Firefox 54.0.1 (32-bit) Firefox is up to date
This is where I go to install updates. Right now it says this, even if I'm signed into the Windows admin user account on this computer.
From what you said, I'm guessing that rate limiter is the likely culprit.
Thanks for that download link, I can just install the update manually. If I decide to stick with 32-bit Firefox, when I run that installer to update, should I first uninstall my current version of Firefox? And if so, should I reboot the computer before running the installer?
I do not use Firefox Sync. The theme hasn't been changed from whatever default Firefox starts with.
Still not sure why my two extensions disappeared from the list, even though ABP is clearly running anyway. See the screenshot I attached. This seemed to happen overnight, just as Firefox 55.0 was released (even though I haven't installed it for this Windows 7 computer).
I'm thinking of manually running the installer for Firefox 32-bit 55.0, to see if that refreshes/resets things and gets the extensions to reappear again. What are your thoughts?
It's a good idea to reboot to clear the deferred update queue that may be left after system or other program updates.
You don't need to uninstall the current version of Firefox before running the updater. However, if you're nervous about losing data, you may want to back up your profile folder. There are suggestions in this article: Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles.
It might probably be best to postpone updating to Firefox 55, either via "Help -> About" or by installing the fullversion until a 55.0.1 version is released. It is quite likely that updates have been disabled because of issues with losing bookmarks and history (places.sqlite) and possible other files.
Thanks for all the advice.
I had already gone ahead and installed the full version, but I'll hold onto copies of the backups in "bookmarkbackups" for now just in case.
I signed into the admin user account and ran the 55.0 installer from there. Then I signed back into my standard user account. My extensions ABP and Fireshot have reappeared under about:addons (see attached screenshot). Oddly enough, I found ABP disabled in this user account after the update, but was able to reenable it. It seems to be working okay.
I'm a little nervous since I don't know what caused my extensions to stop appearing under about:addons, even though ABP was clearly running.
If I have trouble with my Extensions in this user account again, is there an easy way to clear them all out, reset things or something, without having to do something more drastic like a clean reinstall of Firefox?
firefoxninja said
If I have trouble with my Extensions in this user account again, is there an easy way to clear them all out, reset things or something, without having to do something more drastic like a clean reinstall of Firefox?
Perhaps a Refresh? Refresh Firefox - reset add-ons and settings
Thanks for all the help, things are working good now