483568 - Application update always fails on Windows 7 Beta 1 (build 7000)

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Toolkit :: Application Update, defect)

Description

[Chris Martinez]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2a1pre) Gecko/20090312 Minefield/3.2a1pre
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2a1pre) Gecko/20090312 Minefield/3.2a1pre

After trying to use the "Check for updates" feature to install a new nightly build, the update always fails. After the update fails, the current firefox.exe no longer works - trying to access it results in permissions errors. Windows will not allow me to take ownership or even display the access rights.

After rebooting, firefox.exe is missing from the install directory. I'm able to rename firefox.exe.moz-backup and recover the pre-update version.

Additionally, if I try to download a nightly build complete install, and then install outside of Firefox, the install will succeed but then require a rebooot before I can access Firefox.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Use Help>"Check for updates" and select "Update Minefield"
2. Restart Firefox and accept UAC elevation prompt for updater.exe
3. Try to start Firefox.
Actual Results:  
Firefox fails to update to latest build. After update failure, the previous build will no longer launch.

Expected Results:  
Firefox should update to latest build. If the update fails, it should allow me to continue to use the previous build.

Affects both x86 and x64 installs of Windows 7.

Comment 1

[Chris Martinez]

Attachment: last-update.log

Comment 2

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

Could you try updating by downloading the update, exit firefox instead of restarting to apply the update, verify that firefox.exe is not in the task manager, and then start Firefox to see if the update is applied successfully. It appears that the firefox.exe process is not exiting on your system which is causing the update failure and app update does not support updating files that are in use which is bug 466778. Also, if the process is not exiting properly what ever component is causing that to happen would need to be fixed for app update to succeed as things are currently.

Comment 3

[Chris Martinez]

(In reply to comment #2)
> Could you try updating by downloading the update, exit firefox instead of
> restarting to apply the update, verify that firefox.exe is not in the task
> manager, and then start Firefox to see if the update is applied successfully.
> It appears that the firefox.exe process is not exiting on your system which is
> causing the update failure and app update does not support updating files that
> are in use which is bug 466778. Also, if the process is not exiting properly
> what ever component is causing that to happen would need to be fixed for app
> update to succeed as things are currently.

I get the same result whether I restart immediately or restart later. In both cases, I've confirmed that firefox.exe does close correctly and is not running when I try to update.

Comment 4

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

Something appears to have firefox.exe open. Are you able to delete firefox.exe when this happens? Anything you can think of that would have keep that file in use?

Comment 5

[Chris Martinez]

I'm unable to delete firefox.exe when this happens. I can't even rename it or change the properties on it. I can't think of anything that would keep the file in use. I'll attact a couple screenshots to better show the message I'm getting.

Comment 6

[Chris Martinez]

Attachment: After the update fails, trying to launch firefox.exe

Comment 7

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

Can you check if you can delete it before this happens? Basically, restart your system and try to delete it. If it is successful, reinstall, run Firefox, exit, and then try to delete it. That would tell us if it is something on your system keeping it open or if it is something with the update process holding it open which is doubtful unless you still see updater.exe in the task manager.

Comment 8

[Chris Martinez]

Attachment: File permissions windows for firefox.exe

Comment 9

[Chris Martinez]

Attachment: Can't take ownership of firefox.exe

Comment 10

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

Also, what are the file permissions and owner of the installation directory?

Comment 11

[Chris Martinez]

The installation directory's permissions are set to:
Admininistrators: Full Control
Users: Read & execute, List folder contents, Read
I've tried a fresh install and confirmed that these are also the permissions for firefox.exe and updater.exe

After downloading the update in Firefox, but before restarting the program to apply it, I was able to delete firefox.exe, so it's not becoming inaccessible until Firefox launches the update process.

On a fresh install, the main Firefox install forces a reboot at the end of the install process in order to use the program.

Comment 12

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

I'll try this on my Windows 7 system at the office tomorrow.

Comment 13

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

I wasn't able to reproduce with a clean install of Windows 7 and the 3/14 Minefield nightly. Can you attach the install.log from your application directory? Are you running an anti-virus program and if so which one?

Comment 14

[Chris Martinez]

Attachment: install.log from Firefox directory

Comment 15

[Chris Martinez]

I've attached the install.log file. I'm not running any anti-virus programs, nor am I running any other background programs while trying to install.

Comment 16

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

That's rather strange. The only file in use is firefox.exe and both the updater and the installer see it as in use and no other files as in use which would tend to point to something else on the system holding it open. Did you verify that firefox.exe wasn't listed in task manager prior to installing? If it isn't listed could you check what is holding the file open using process explorer.

Here is a tutorial on how to use process explorer
http://ask-leo.com/how_can_i_find_out_who_is_using_a_file_in_use.html

Comment 17

[Chris Martinez]

Thanks for that link. I'd forgotten you could do that with Process Explorer.

Before I saw that, I tried installing Thunderbird (Shredder) nightly builds from 03-14-2009 and seeing if they would let me update. I'm getting the same results with Thunderbird: the update fails and the file is inaccessible. I tried it on a second computer I have running Windows 7 (x86 version) and I got the same results.

I'll do some more digging on this and let you know what I find.

Comment 18

[Chris Martinez]

Well, I'm on a fresh install of the the latest Windows 7 build (7057). Application update works as expected and I'm able to update in Firefox and Thunderbird.

I'm still seeing the issue on all installs of Windows 7 build 7000 (beta 1 from Microsoft), though.

I never was able to figure out why it wouldn't work.

To Robert Strong: Thank you for all your help with this issue.

Comment 19

[Chris Martinez]

This might relate to Bug 375619.

On Windows 7 beta 1, I would always end up with the application's exe deleted, but a moz-backup file left over. Even though the updater finished and gave an error message, it wouldn't re-write the old firefox.exe back. I'd have to restart and then the "phantom" firefox.exe would be gone, and then I could rename firefox.exe.moz-backup