400521 - Updater/installer fails to complete installation due to "file in use"

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 340535

(Firefox :: Installer, defect)

Description

[Shakeel Dalal]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.7) Gecko/20070914 Firefox/2.0.0.7
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.8.1.7) Gecko/20070914 Firefox/2.0.0.7

For the past several versions, 2.0.0.3 to current release version, 2.0.0.8, and the latest dev builds, attempting to use the Firefox installer fails. The program will prompt if you want the update and begin the installation. Approximately three "progress boxes" into the process, it will halt the installation and say (not an exact quote) that Firefox cannot be updated at this time because a file is in use (no specifics given on the file) and that the installation will be attempted again at next restart if using the auto updater, or it will simply give up if using a downloaded installer to update Firefox.

Note that this error is not computer specific -- I have reproduced it on multiple computers that I own running slightly different versions of XP (Laptop, standard home edition, professional, Legacy)

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Have a version of Firefox 2.0.0.2 or later installed.
2. Download an update either through the auto updater or downloading the full installer.
3. Attempt to install Firefox. If using auto updater, this can be done by allowing immediate update or saying to do it later, which will initiate the process on program restart. Error will be produced either way. 
Actual Results:  
Installer gives up, installation fails, Firefox runs as normal with non-updated version. Installer will attempt to update again every time Firefox is restarted.

Expected Results:  
Updated correctly.

All computers reproduced had different extensions and hardware setups. All were running the default theme. One computer had not altered about:config settings and was running vanilla, out of the box, Firefox.

Comment 1

[Gérard Talbot]

Chances are this is another DUPLICATE of bug 340535

Comment 2

[Shakeel Dalal]

It might be, it depends. I don't think that it is, in that 340535 says that they have to kill the task to end the updating process. In this case, the installer complains the update cannot be applied, Firefox starts (though it is the previous version) and the next time you try to start Firefox the complaint is repeated. 

I did forget to mention, that the issue can be (somewhat) resolved by opening Firefox in Safe Mode -- for some reason whatever files are in use are not in use in Safe Mode and the update is allowed.

Comment 3

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

This is a duplicate of Bug 340535 for the software update case and Bug 398036 for the installer case. Marking duplicate of Bug 340535.