932251 - Updates are not applied when using a limited user account on a Windows XP machine

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Toolkit :: Application Update, defect)

Description

[Ada [:adalucinet]]

Attachment: Browser Console Log

Prerequisites: Go to Options - Advanced - Update - Never check for updates and in about:config set app.update.log to true.

Steps to reproduce: 

1. Log in with a limited user account.
2. Download a x86 Aurora build.
3. Run the installer, choose Custom and install it in C:\New Folder\
4. Launch Firefox.
5. Go to Help->About Aurora and click Check for Updates button.
6. Click on Restart to Update.

Expected results: Firefox restarts with updates applied.

Actual results: Firefox doesn't restart with updates applied.

Notes:
1. After step 6, a prompt with 2 options is displayed: to Run as Current user (local account) or as Admin. Details and logs for both options are available in the attachment. 
2. The option to install the Maintenance Service is not shown in the Firefox installer: bug 716492
3. At step 3, no prompt is displayed.
4. Reproduced with Aurora from 2013-10-01, Nightly from 2013-09-01 and Nightly from 2013-10-21.

Comment 1

[Brian R. Bondy [:bbondy]]

Could you also confirm that it reproduces with an older build? For example the release channel. I suspect it is a problem that's always been around. I think this could use better handling, but I'd like to see if this is a new bug or existing always there bug.

Comment 2

[Brian R. Bondy [:bbondy]]

Also could you confirm if this happens with other OS, or only XP?

Comment 3

[Ada [:adalucinet]]

(In reply to Brian R. Bondy [:bbondy] from comment #1)
> Could you also confirm that it reproduces with an older build? For example
> the release channel. 

This issue is also reproducible with an older build, Firefox 20.0.1, on the release channel.

On Windows 7 and 8, if I follow this steps: 
1. Cancel the prompt from Notes 1, comment 0. (On Windows 7 & 8 only the option to run as admin is available in the prompt; by canceling, it runs as limited user account)
2. When FF restarts, go again to Help->About Aurora->Check for updates and hit Restart button.
Actual result: The prompt doesn't display and the Firefox updates are applied.

Based on the above result, I consider this issue XP only.

Comment 4

[Brian R. Bondy [:bbondy]]

Since this is not a new issue I don't think it should bock anything by the way. But it's a bug when installing to a non strandard location. It sounds like you have write access to that location from the limited user account, but maybe not full access to that location or something like that.

Comment 5

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

Based on comment #3 and that XP is no longer supported I'm resolving this as wontfix. If this can be reproduced using a supported Windows version please file a new bug along with the steps to reproduce.