348791 - Won't save either ID or password -- same for Yahoo! Mail

Status: VERIFIED INCOMPLETE

(Toolkit :: Password Manager, defect)

Description

[S.Green]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.6) Gecko/20060728 Firefox/1.5.0.6
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.0.6) Gecko/20060728 Firefox/1.5.0.6

The page(s) prompts to save password, but it never happens

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.  Bring up page
2.  enter ID & password
3.  click on save password

Actual Results:  
password not saved -- ever!

Expected Results:  
password(s) and ID(s) should be saved

I think that the Paaword Mgr should have the ability to manually enter the required data when these kinds of problems occur

Comment 1

[Michael Wu [:mwu]]

Yahoo won't work because yahoo explicitly turns off the password manager.

fastmail.fm works for me on branch. Please try branch, trunk, or Firefox 2.0 beta and see if it is still an issue.

Comment 2

[S.Green]

I downloaded 'firefox-3.0a1.en-US.win32.installer.exe' but I would infer from its name that it is Firefox 3.0.

Is this what you are referring to?

If not, please direct me to Firefox 2.0. 

Comment 3

[S.Green]

Also, please explain what you mean by "branch" and "trunk"

Comment 4

[Michael Wu [:mwu]]

(In reply to comment #3)
> Also, please explain what you mean by "branch" and "trunk"
> 
Branch = FF2.0, Trunk = FF3.0. The password handling is (currently) sufficiently similar on trunk and branch that it is acceptable to test on either, but I prefer testing on branch myself.

http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/firefox/nightly/latest-mozilla1.8/

firefox-2.0b1.en-US.win32.installer.exe or firefox-2.0b1.en-US.win32.zip will do the trick, depending on if you want to actually want to install it or just test. Thanks!

Comment 5

[S.Green]

I installed FF 3.0 (3.0a1) in a new folder.

1. The properties of the .EXE for the original code shows v1.8.20060.7278, while the version of the new build shows v1.9.20060.16068

  But !

2. The "About" screen for both the original version and this test build show the same (rv:1.8.0.6 Gecko/20060728 Firefox/1.5.0.6).

3. Both version act and look the same.  

4. Extensions that I had running prior to the installation of FF3.0 -- most won't work.

5. Most significantly, no matter which .EXE I execute, I think that the same code runs (which doesn't seem to make much sense to me unless ultimately execution is controlled in the registry or by a profile parameter (I'm using the same profile for both versions).

Where do I go from here?

Comment 6

[Michael Wu [:mwu]]

Two versions of firefox cannot run at the same time with the same profile. Make you have closed all instances of firefox before trying another version. Open the task manager and try killing all instances of firefox.exe.

Comment 7

[S.Green]

Altho I tried to run FF3.0, I kept getting an error immediately following the display of the 1st page -- it referred to MSVCR80.DLL.  I installed it a numbver of times -- rebooted, created a new profile, uninstalled v1.5.0.6 (which incidently also uninstalled TB somehow).  Every attempt was followed with this error.  So, I can't really tell you if it would have handle the password saves any differently.

Also, I gave you the wrong info about Yahoo! -- it wasn't the Yahoo! mail that was not being saved, but "My Yahoo", the home page that failed to have its password saved.  

I still think that an option for users to manually add/edit this file would be very useful.  Is there any way I could edit it?  The data is probably saved to a binary file rather than a text file, and probably also encrypted.

Comment 9

[u279076]

I just tested fastmail.fm on 2.0.0.4 and 3.0a6 and it works as expected.  The username and password is saved in password manager and the login control is automatcally filled in for me when I navigate to the login page.

As far as Yahoo, they use a unique security policy on their page that stops password manager from coming up.  This is both the expected and the actual result.

As far as letting the user manually edit their passwords, this opens up a whole can of security issues.  IMO, storing passwords in a plain text file so that users can manually edit it nullifies the purpose and usefulness of a password policy.

Please respond to this comment if you are still having issues.  Otherwise, this bug will be resolved as WORKSFORME in one week.

Comment 10

[S.Green]

re Anthony Hughes of 2007-06-19:  Obviously if Yahoo purposely choose to specifically beat the TB design, then so be it.  Although there must be hundreds of thousands of TB users that have this issue with Yahoo.  This issue then becomes a design decision. 

As far as manually allowing entry into the password file, the designers can do anything they want with a front-end program -- it doesn't have to be text, it can be the same basic logic already in place via the GUI system which converts the password entered for various systems to TB's PW file.  Again a design decision.

Comment 11

[u279076]

S Green: this is not a TB bug, it is a firefox bug.  Therefore your comment is mute.

Comment 13

[u279076]

S Green: Do you still have problems with fastmail.fm after upgrading firefox to 2.0.0.4?  If you are having problems with fastmail.fm on thunderbird, please submit a new bug for that.  If you would like to suggest your "manual edit" idea, please submit an "enhancement" bug for review.

Otherwise, this bug will be closed June 26th.

Comment 14

[S.Green]

re Anthony Hughes 2007-06-21:  You're right - it was a Firefox problem, not Thunderbird.  But since I first documented the problems 10 months ago, please be a little charitable with my memory.  Incidentally, the word should be "moot".

Comment 15

[S.Green]

re Anthony Hughes  2007-06-21 17:10:03 PDT:  The problem still exists with fastmail.  During the past 10-month period, I've had to re-install FF.  At that point the password system would not save either my userid or pw.  At some point in the interim (weeks or months of use), it started to show my userid (only!)  It has never shown my pw.  This same pattern occurred before I reinstalled FF.  However, IE did not have any problem saving and showing both my userid and pw immediately

Comment 16

[u279076]

When you reinstalled Firefox, did you remove your profile as well?  If not I recommend starting with a completely fresh install of Firefox.  If you want help with how you can do this then please comment here.  It is possible that there is a problem with your profile.

Alternatively, you can try running firefox forcing it to use a new profile.

Note: when you uninstall firefox from add/remove programs, your profile and application settings are retained.

Comment 17

[u279076]

S.Green> Have you tried my suggestions RE: comment #16?  If so, what were the results?  Thanks.

Comment 18

[David Stacy]

(In reply to comment #17)
> S.Green> Have you tried my suggestions RE: comment #16?  If so, what were the
> results?  Thanks.

> Tried new profile, didn't work.  Uninstall, didn't work.  Need help in trying to completely remove firefox from system so nothing is retained.

Comment 19

[S.Green]

(In reply to comment #16)
re: comment 16-18, I haven't yet done this.  I am hesitant to have to rebuild my config re booksmarks, extensions, et al.  I hope to get to it shortly.

> When you reinstalled Firefox, did you remove your profile as well?  If not I
> recommend starting with a completely fresh install of Firefox.  If you want
> help with how you can do this then please comment here.  It is possible that
> there is a problem with your profile.
> 
> Alternatively, you can try running firefox forcing it to use a new profile.
> 
> Note: when you uninstall firefox from add/remove programs, your profile and
> application settings are retained.
> 

Comment 20

[u279076]

you can always back up or rename the two Mozilla folders that contain your profile.  This will keep your old settings intact.  These two folders are located accordingly:

C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Mozilla
C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Local Settings\Application Data\Mozilla

I hope that helps.

Let us know how it goes.

Comment 21

[S.Green]

I apologize for taking so long but I finally did it -- I reinstalled cleanly (all new profile et al).

As you predicted, it frixed the problems with the password manager.

Thanks