547772 - Can't disable Norton Toolbar.

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Toolkit :: Add-ons Manager, defect)

Description

[Joe]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.6) Gecko/20091201 Firefox/3.5.6
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.6) Gecko/20091201 Firefox/3.6

I have Norton 2009 Internet Security/Anti-virus.
A few days ago, the Norton Anti-Phising Toolbar appeared on my home version of Firefox.
You can't delete it from the add-ons. The Delete button is grayed out.
You can only disable it for that session. 
As soon as you reboot, it's back.
If you try the posted "fixes" you find with a Google search, none of them work.
They call for deleting a certain .dll file, but it's not there anymore.
All other types of fixes--same thing, Norton replaces them on reboot.
I'm using Vista/Norton 2009/ Firefox 3.6.
This should be fixed IMMEDIATELY!

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. (See old web fixes.)
2.
3.

Comment 1

[Jo Hermans]

It's installed by the Norton application directly (and it keep installing it again as you noticed) - you should be able that application not to do it anymore. Firefox can't really prevent it, but work is being done in bugs like bug 476430.

Have you followed the instructions at http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Cannot+uninstall+an+add-on

Comment 2

[Joe]

There should NEVER be an add-on that you can't delete.
I never manually added it on to Firefox.
I'm not the only person this has happened to.

Comment 3

[Jo Hermans]

I repeat : it was added by another application, and it can not really be prevented. Work is being done to warn the user what happened (bug 476430) or ask if it would be allowed. But there's nothing that you can do to applications that keep adding add-ons if they notice that it was removed (some malware does that for instance) - the user will always be annoyed until that application itself (not only the add-on) is removed. That's what your problem is.

Note that Firefox can only remove add-ons that are installed in its own directories. Some add-ons or plugins can be installed system-wide, in locations where a user can't remove them. That's why the disabled button can become unselectable.

Comment 4

[Kathy]

I have the same problem since the update to 3.6.  I have turned off all internet browser security in Norton and still the tool bar loads in Firefox each and every time I restart the PC.  I disable the add in, restart firefox and it is gone.  But, when I restart my laptop, there it is again.

THIS NEVER HAPPENED WITH PRIOR VERSIONS OF FIREFOX.  Once the toolbar was disabled it STAYED disabled.

This IS a firefox problem as you changed something, I've been running the same version of norton through several versions of firefox.

Comment 5

[Kathy]

I will add I am using Windows XP SP3.

Comment 6

[Joe]

And completely uninstalling Norton is NOT an acceptable answer to this.

Comment 7

[Kathy]

Attachment: Screen shots of norton tool bar problem

Please note this problem is also associated with another bug I filed about the oldbar add-on becoming disabled each time firefox starts after a system restart.

Comment 8

[Kathy]

Comment on attachment 429877 [details]
Screen shots of norton tool bar problem

see also bug 549631

Comment 9

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

Can you attach copies of extensions.log, extensions.cache, extensions.rdf and
extensions.ini from your profile folder immediately after starting your
computer (before starting Firefox) and then after starting and quitting
Firefox.

Comment 10

[Kathy]

Attachment: Extension files as requested

There are four sets of files.

1.  When pc is first started before opening firefox
2.  After firefox has been opened (toolbars are not disabled)
3.  after disabling toolbars and restarting firefox
4.  after exiting firefox

Comment 11

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

(In reply to comment #10)
> Created an attachment (id=429923) [details]
> Extension files as requested

Kathy, you already attached these in bug 549631, they don't need to be here too. It is more important that we track down what Joe is seeing here.

Comment 12

[Kathy]

ok sorry

Comment 13

[Dave Townsend [:mossop]]

Closing this bug as incomplete since we can't proceed without the information requested. It is very likely that this is just a duplicate of bug 547708 though.