832977 - Firefox doesn't update automatically nor suggests updates

Status: RESOLVED INCOMPLETE

(Toolkit :: Application Update, defect)

Description

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

I'm trying to (remotely, I don't have access to the box) investigate a case where Firefox was stuck on old versions (9.0.1) and not suggesting updates. This happened on 2 computers in the same office, thus there is likely a relation with the environment.

The active-update.xml file was properly suggesting newer versions.
The prefs are properly set to automatic download and upgrade.
The user is part of Administrators local group.
UAC is disabled.

Opening About window downloaded and applied the upgrade properly (to 17.0.1 since this check was done before 18 release).

Disabling the Mozilla Maintenance service doesn't make any difference, version 18 is still not suggested to the user, even waiting some days, though active-update.xml contains it.

I now asked to set app.update.log to true and restart, and tell me about eventual logging to the console.

The only common things these computers have that I may see a relation with updates:
- mcAfee antivirus (I read on the Web that it doesn't allow to launch executables from temp folders, is this the case?)
- UAC disabled (I suppose we support this case, though)
- same Active Directory domain (not sure if related)

Comment 1

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

Attachment: update log

not sure if this contains anything useful

Comment 2

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

Attachment: update log

more

Comment 3

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

Do you have write access to
C:\Users\user.DOMAIN\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Mozilla Firefox\updates\0\

Comment 4

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

Unfortunately I have no contacts into that office until Friday, though I suppose yes, since I asked for test to remove the Mozilla Firefox folder contents so they could be regenerated, and there were no problems doing that. Btw, on Friday will ask to verify that.

Comment 5

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

So I was lucky and could get answer today, the user can correctly create and remove files both in updates/ and updates/0/

Comment 6

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

That log does seem to point to anti-virus software getting in the way though I have not seen this specific case before. Can you check if people in forums for this anti-virus software have similar issues and / or try updating with the anti-virus software disabled?

Comment 7

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

Before filing the bug I searched various forums included mcAffee forum for similar cases but couldn't find much. I could just find someone complaining it was disallowing launch executables from temp folders, but here looks like we can't download the update at all.
Plus the fact the about window can instead update properly, do they go through different code paths?
What I can do, is ask to temporarily remove the antivirus and see if that solves the problem.

Comment 8

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

Attachment: log after disabling mcAfee

disabling the AV doesn't seem to help, this is another log

Comment 9

[Marco Bonardo [:mak]]

fwiw, the computers with the issue have been replaced in that office and new ones don't suffer any issue.
Since this didn't figure anything useful I'm going to resolve incomplete.