1975255 - Extensions almost always disabled with profile shared on dual-boot Linux / Windows machine

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 1429838

(Toolkit :: Add-ons Manager, defect)

Description

[[:ChBe][e-mail]]

Attachment: All.screenshots.png

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64; rv:140.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/140.0

Steps to reproduce:

One unique profile, on an NTFS partition, use by both FF Linux & Windows double boot.
Problem since v139, may be 138.

At the time of writing this issue specifically :

• using FF under Windows. Everything's OK, all extensions are running.
• reboot under Linux. No extensions willing to run.

Whichever the OS is, Windows or Linux, I use the FF mozilla.org version of FF (not the Debian 12 package, more precisely). See attached screenshot.

Actual results:

At this point, none of the installed and enabled extensions are running.
I tried to :

• go to "about:profiles"
• "Restart with add-ons disabled..."
• wait a bit
• "Restart normally..."
  This used to re-enable the extensions. Right now: no change, extensions stay disabled.

By the way, the list of enable extensions has a suspicious look (see attached screenshot).

Note that for many months before that, every-time I reboot on the other OS (Windows <--> Linux), I had to launch FF once (extensions were disabled), quit, re-launch FF again to get extensions enabled.
Then, this "trick" stopped working, so I began to use the "Restart with add-ons disabled..." / "Restart normally..." one. Now, extensions are always disabled.

At some point in the few last months (can't remember exactly when), after an OS switch, getting extensions disabled, I tried to go to "Extensions and themes", then disabling one of the not running extension : I got an immediate crash of FF.

I'll check the security box below because this includes the NoScript and uBlock Origin extensions : I feel naked when browsing without these ones.

Expected results:

I expect FF to make all extensions run, in any case, whenever I launch it, even when switching OS Windows <--> Linux, and without the need for additional and tricky actions.

Comment 1

[:Gijs (he/him)]

We don't support sharing a profile across 2 OSes like this - it is bound to break in numerous ways, even just from the path differences, not limited to extensions.

You're likely to have a much better experience if you use sync instead.

I don't know if the webextension team has any way of figuring out what exactly is going on here and/or if they'd be inclined to do any work to try to fix this unsupported usecase but I guess I'll move it over to the relevant bugzilla component to have them decide.

Comment 2

[[:ChBe][e-mail]]

Sad to read this, after 10 of 15 years using FF this way.

I encountered path related problems already, but only recently, perhaps last year, two years ago at most. If I were being sarcastic, I would say there is something called "relative path"...

Sync is not the same.
I'll easily admit I suffer from OCD when cumulating dozens (hundreds ?) of tabs, and many opened windows. But I like it when the same tabs & windows are opened as they were when switching OS.

I'm not used to sync this way : imagine I switch OS and each OS now has its specific and synced profile. Will I be able to recall a tab I opened in OS1 after rebooting under OS2 ?
If not, it will be very tedious :

• reboot to OS2
• oh, I forgot to send this tab from OS1
• reboot to OS1
• send the tab
• reboot to OS2
• get the tab after sync

Comment 3

[Rob Wu [:robwu]]

The screenshot shows that the add-ons are still enabled but the icons are gone. Together with the scenario of using different OS, that makes me believe that the issue is a duplicate of bug 1429838.

The scenario described here sounds fragile though. If you share the same profile directory between two independent operating systems, odds are that at some point the current OS has an older version than the other OS, and consequently fail to start with the profile on disk.

At some point in the few last months (can't remember exactly when), after an OS switch, getting extensions disabled, I tried to go to "Extensions and themes", then disabling one of the not running extension : I got an immediate crash of FF.

Can you visit about:crashes and share the crash IDs of the crashes?

Comment 4

[pg_78]

I wonder if running this at Linux startup...

sed -i '/extensions\.databaseSchema/d' /path/to/your/profile/prefs.js

...and the Powershell equivalent at Windows startup, might help here as a workaround.

It seems that deleting that "extensions.databaseSchema" preference triggers Firefox to realise that the paths to extensions have changed.

Comment 5

[[:ChBe][e-mail]]

(In reply to Rob Wu [:robwu] from comment #3)

The screenshot shows that the add-ons are still enabled but the icons are gone. Together with the scenario of using different OS, that makes me believe that the issue is a duplicate of bug 1429838.

True about the screenshot, but the extensions are actually disabled. For example, I get ads in Youtube videos ... Or some annoying scripts are not blocked by NoScript.
Even when the enabled button is On / Blue.

Comment 6

[[:ChBe][e-mail]]

(In reply to Rob Wu [:robwu] from comment #3)

At some point in the few last months (can't remember exactly when), after an OS switch, getting extensions disabled, I tried to go to "Extensions and themes", then disabling one of the not running extension : I got an immediate crash of FF.

Can you visit about:crashes and share the crash IDs of the crashes?

Here they are :

Unsubmitted Crash Reports
Report ID 	Date Crashed 	
8b0d2d6c-653d-4ba0-bf5a-9cf6af2a0e00 	2024-08-07, 12:08 	
afdb73cc-3abe-41a3-b599-2506ecef15d3 	2024-07-23, 18:38 	
7518be78-a52d-428c-942f-609000655ebc 	2023-07-14, 1:59 	
d9b8c5a1-be98-4f96-9737-ebc0b856134e 	2023-05-06, 14:22 	
Submitted Crash Reports
Report ID 	Date Submitted 	
bp-3abf727b-0791-437c-ad6a-1f15e0250610 	2025-06-10, 22:59 	
View
bp-280b8f19-1ce2-4261-8f54-507c70250501 	2025-05-01, 19:32 	
View
bp-1349f459-b646-4524-82d3-e2cff0250501 	2025-05-01, 8:58 	
View
bp-a22e2ac6-5bf4-4e90-a552-cebd00250501 	2025-05-01, 8:57 	
View

I think that those in May and June were send after such attempts to set an extension to off.

Comment 7

[[:ChBe][e-mail]]

(In reply to Rob Wu [:robwu] from comment #3)

The scenario described here sounds fragile though. If you share the same profile directory between two independent operating systems, odds are that at some point the current OS has an older version than the other OS, and consequently fail to start with the profile on disk.

True, it happens occasionally. Usually after a minor or, more likely, a major version update.
But it's easy to :

• close the message warning that FF cannot open the profile
• launch again using a default, "empty" profile
• apply the update
• re-launch using the usual profile

I've doing this for years.

Comment 8

[[:ChBe][e-mail]]

(In reply to pg_78 from comment #4)

I wonder if running this at Linux startup...

sed -i '/extensions\.databaseSchema/d' /path/to/your/profile/prefs.js

...and the Powershell equivalent at Windows startup, might help here as a workaround.

It seems that deleting that "extensions.databaseSchema" preference triggers Firefox to realise that the paths to extensions have changed.

Interesting. Annoying, but ...
And may be a bit fragile ?
I'll try upon next Linux reboot.

Comment 9

[Rob Wu [:robwu]]

(In reply to [:ChBe][e-mail] from comment #5)

(In reply to Rob Wu [:robwu] from comment #3)

The screenshot shows that the add-ons are still enabled but the icons are gone. Together with the scenario of using different OS, that makes me believe that the issue is a duplicate of bug 1429838.

True about the screenshot, but the extensions are actually disabled. For example, I get ads in Youtube videos ... Or some annoying scripts are not blocked by NoScript.
Even when the enabled button is On / Blue.

Your add-ons are listed under "Enabled" (and the toggles are blue), which means that from Firefox's perspective, the add-ons are enabled.
The fact that the extensions are not working is because Firefox is unable to load the extension because it cannot resolve the path to the extension package after you relocated the directory. These are the full consequences of bug 1429838.

(In reply to [:ChBe][e-mail] from comment #6)

(In reply to Rob Wu [:robwu] from comment #3)

At some point in the few last months (can't remember exactly when), after an OS switch, getting extensions disabled, I tried to go to "Extensions and themes", then disabling one of the not running extension : I got an immediate crash of FF.

Can you visit about:crashes and share the crash IDs of the crashes?

Here they are :

Thanks for sharing your crash IDs. I investigated those and filed a follow-up for that at bug 1975674.

Could you share the extensions.json file from your profile directory when you are on Linux, and when you are on Windows? For example, get a copy of the file as follows:

• extensions.json on Linux, before starting Firefox (initial state)
• extensions.json on Linux, after starting Firefox (fixup on Linux)
• extensions.json on Windows, after starting Firefox (fixup on Windows after migrating from Linux)
• extensions.json on Linux, after starting Firefox (fixup on Linux after migrating from Windows)

Comment 10

[vcarciu]

(In reply to Rob Wu [:robwu] from comment #3)

The screenshot shows that the add-ons are still enabled but the icons are gone. Together with the scenario of using different OS, that makes me believe that the issue is a duplicate of bug 1429838.

The scenario described here sounds fragile though. If you share the same profile directory between two independent operating systems, odds are that at some point the current OS has an older version than the other OS, and consequently fail to start with the profile on disk.

At some point in the few last months (can't remember exactly when), after an OS switch, getting extensions disabled, I tried to go to "Extensions and themes", then disabling one of the not running extension : I got an immediate crash of FF.

Can you visit about:crashes and share the crash IDs of the crashes?

Hello,

After reading all the comments here, I want to ask if we can move the status of the bug from Unconfirmed to NEW until the root cause is solved?

Thank you ,
Victor

Comment 11

[Rob Wu [:robwu]]

I'm closing this bug as duplicate of bug 1429838 because the other bug tracks the general issue; your scenario (profile reuse in dual-boot) was already mentioned at https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1429838#c9.

There are other issues not tracked by that bug, for which I have filed separate bugs (bug 1975674 & bug 1976115).

In comment 9 I requested additional information, and I'm still interested in them because they help with confirming the fix. Although this bug is closed, I will still monitor its comments.

Comment 12

[[:ChBe][e-mail]]

(In reply to Rob Wu [:robwu] from comment #9)

(In reply to [:ChBe][e-mail] from comment #5)

(In reply to Rob Wu [:robwu] from comment #3)

The screenshot shows that the add-ons are still enabled but the icons are gone. Together with the scenario of using different OS, that makes me believe that the issue is a duplicate of bug 1429838.

True about the screenshot, but the extensions are actually disabled. For example, I get ads in Youtube videos ... Or some annoying scripts are not blocked by NoScript.
Even when the enabled button is On / Blue.

Your add-ons are listed under "Enabled" (and the toggles are blue), which means that from Firefox's perspective, the add-ons are enabled.
The fact that the extensions are not working is because Firefox is unable to load the extension because it cannot resolve the path to the extension package after you relocated the directory. These are the full consequences of bug 1429838.

(In reply to [:ChBe][e-mail] from comment #6)

(In reply to Rob Wu [:robwu] from comment #3)

At some point in the few last months (can't remember exactly when), after an OS switch, getting extensions disabled, I tried to go to "Extensions and themes", then disabling one of the not running extension : I got an immediate crash of FF.

Can you visit about:crashes and share the crash IDs of the crashes?

Here they are :

Thanks for sharing your crash IDs. I investigated those and filed a follow-up for that at bug 1975674.

Could you share the extensions.json file from your profile directory when you are on Linux, and when you are on Windows? For example, get a copy of the file as follows:

• extensions.json on Linux, before starting Firefox (initial state)
• extensions.json on Linux, after starting Firefox (fixup on Linux)
• extensions.json on Windows, after starting Firefox (fixup on Windows after migrating from Linux)
• extensions.json on Linux, after starting Firefox (fixup on Linux after migrating from Windows)

Sorry for the delay, I did not forget, I've been busy with other things.
I'll try to find time to check these files this week.

Comment 13

[[:ChBe][e-mail]]

Attachment: Bug_1975255_comment_9_requested_files.tar.gz

Comment 14

[[:ChBe][e-mail]]

(In reply to Rob Wu [:robwu] from comment #11)

I'm closing this bug as duplicate of bug 1429838 because the other bug tracks the general issue; your scenario (profile reuse in dual-boot) was already mentioned at https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1429838#c9.

There are other issues not tracked by that bug, for which I have filed separate bugs (bug 1975674 & bug 1976115).

In comment 9 I requested additional information, and I'm still interested in them because they help with confirming the fix. Although this bug is closed, I will still monitor its comments.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 1429838 ***

I found some time today to prepare the requested files.
You'll find them in the new attachment Bug_1975255_comment_9_requested_files.tar.gz.
I got heavy-handed and multiplied the copies, adding steps to those you requested :

• 'extensions.json_1___on_Linux,before_starting_Firefox(initial_state)'
• 'extensions.json_2___on_Linux,after_starting_Firefox(ext_still_disabled)'
• 'extensions.json_3___on_Linux,after_starting_Firefox(after_Restart_with_Add_ons_Disabled)'
• 'extensions.json_4___on_Linux,after_starting_Firefox(after_Restart_normaly-Ext_are_OK_today...Icons_are_displayed-Disabling_enabling_don_t_crash)'
• 'extensions.json_5_a_on_Windows,after_starting_Firefox(before_fixup_on_Windows_after_migrating_from_Linux-Ext_are_disabled-Icons_are_missing)'
• extensions.json_5_b_on_Windows,_after_clicking_a_Enable-Disable_button_causing_a_crash-Ext_still_disabled_and_icons_missing
• extensions.json_6_a_on_Windows,_after_Restart_with_Add_ons_Disabled
• 'extensions.json_6_b_on_Windows,after_Restart_normally-Ext_are_still_disabled(can_t_enable_Ext_any_more)'
• 'extensions.json_7___on_Linux,after_starting_Firefox(ext_are_enabled-no_need_for_Restart_with_Add_ons_Disabled-Restart_normaly)'

I anticipated some diffs, so I used jq to make a formatted copy of each file (in Formatted_with_jq).
I hope this helps, and that file names are explicit enough.

Feel free to ask for more info from me.