489522 - 'The update could not be installed' infinitely triggers a re-update

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Toolkit :: Application Update, defect)

Description

[Sergey Sokoloff]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.8) Gecko/2009032609 Firefox/3.0.8
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.0.8) Gecko/2009032609 Firefox/3.0.8

Today I started a manual update from Firefox 3.0.8 to Firefox 3.0.9. However, I found that update fails and tries to reapply itself infinitely.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Help, Check for Updates, Download & Install Now.
2. Wait for (incremental) update to complete.
3. Firefox is installing your updates and will start in a few moments...
4. The update could not be installed. Please make sure there are no other copies of Firefox running on your computer, and then restart Firefox to try again.
5. Hit 'OK'.
6. Firefox is installing your updates and will start in a few moments...
7. The update could not be installed. Please make sure there are no other copies of Firefox running on your computer, and then restart Firefox to try again.
8. Hit 'OK'.
9. Firefox is installing your updates and will start in a few moments...
10. The update could not be installed. Please make sure there are no other copies of Firefox running on your computer, and then restart Firefox to try again.
11. Hit 'OK'.
12. Firefox is installing your updates and will start in a few moments...
13. The update could not be installed. Please make sure there are no other copies of Firefox running on your computer, and then restart Firefox to try again.
14. Kill 'firefox.exe' process (the dialog window disappears).
15. Click Firefox icon.
16. Firefox is installing your updates and will start in a few moments...
17. The update could not be installed. Please make sure there are no other copies of Firefox running on your computer, and then restart Firefox to try again.
18. Kill 'firefox.exe' process (the dialog window disappears).
19. Rename 'updater.exe' to '!updater.exe'.
20. Click Firefox icon.
21. Firefox offers a complete update instead of an incremental update.
22. Wait for (complete) update to complete, while renaming '!updater.exe' back to '!updater.exe'.
23. Firefox is installing your updates and will start in a few moments...
24. The update could not be installed. Please make sure there are no other copies of Firefox running on your computer, and then restart Firefox to try again.
25. Hit 'OK'.
26. Firefox is installing your updates and will start in a few moments...
24. The update could not be installed. Please make sure there are no other copies of Firefox running on your computer, and then restart Firefox to try again.
27. Hit 'OK'.
28. Firefox is installing your updates and will start in a few moments...
29. The update could not be installed. Please make sure there are no other copies of Firefox running on your computer, and then restart Firefox to try again.
30. Hit 'OK'.
31. Firefox is installing your updates and will start in a few moments...
32. The update could not be installed. Please make sure there are no other copies of Firefox running on your computer, and then restart Firefox to try again.
33. Kill 'firefox.exe' process (the dialog window disappears).
34. Rename 'updater.exe' to '!updater.exe'.
35. Click Firefox icon.
36. Stay on Firefox 3.0.8, deny Firefox 3.0.9, visit Bugzilla.
Actual Results:  
1) Firefox does not seem sentient enough to discover it is the only copy of Firefox running on the computer.

2) Firefox does not seem sentient enough to allow its user to actually open the browser window and browse the web for an .exe installer from getfirefox, for example. It just tries and fails to update. Infinitely.

Expected Results:  
1) The update should not fail.

2) If update fails, it should not try and fail for the second time, then for the third, then for the fourth, then for the fifth, then for the sixth, then for the seventh, ...

3) If update fails, it should not say 'Please make sure there are no other copies of Firefox running on your computer' if it's the only running copy. (And even it's not the only one, it should display smth like 'Finish other running copies of Firefox? (Yes/No)'.)

The computer is running under an administrative user account, the updater must have had all the rights necessary to access the files and update them.

Comment 1

[Joshua]

Same EXACT error for me. I had this because i HATE IE

Comment 2

[Robert Beaver]

I have had the same experience and have still not fixed it. the only way I can run firefox is to completely uninstall and install an earlier version and disable automatic updates. I am running "XP Pro and have no other problems. I am begining to think that Mozilla does not care about its users. I have seen this problem on the knowledge base many times and there has been no response from Mozilla. What is going on???????

Comment 3

[Robert Beaver]

I forgot to say that I am using Firefox 3.05 and it works well if I don't let it try to update.

Comment 4

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

reproducible with FF trunk?

Comment 5

[Sid Bursten]

I have been experiencing this issue for the past month (Oct=Nov/2010) and can definitely confirm the issue still exists.

Since there is no indication in the error message what update it is trying to install or any workaround suggestion, I am left denying access to my hard disk. I am running Win 7 Pro as Admin.

The message suggests checking that there are no other copies of Firefox running. I closed Thunderbird in case that created a conflict, but that was not the answer. I have the issue although there are no Mozilla products running at all.

Comment 6

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Sergey writes he no longer sees this problem

Comment 7

[Sid Bursten]

Sid Busten also notes this bug does not appear in version 8.0. Many thanks.