Page 1 of 1

Program Folder is cleared during install and uninstall

Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 6:26 pm
by james928
I am attempting to deploy the standard Firefox 17 ESR package along with a 2nd MSI package that places configuration files within the program folder. However I have noticed that when the FIrefox MSI package is removed so are the files from the settings MSI. Same thing during installation, if the MSI with the settings is installed first then the files go missing once the Firefox MSI completes. None of these files are overwriting the Firefox MSI files -- they are unique for e.g. c:\program files x86\Mozilla FIrefox\firefox.cfg

How can I avoid this behaviour so that the Firefox MSI does not touch files that don't belong to it?

Re: Program Folder is cleared during install and uninstall

Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:31 pm
by DraconPern
Are you trying to put custom settings inside firefox.cfg? If so, that probably won't work. Firefox won't read that file by default.

Re: Program Folder is cleared during install and uninstall

Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 4:19 pm
by james928
That is not the issue!

I place all my custom files including those for lockPrefs(), system-wide extensions and default profile settings. All that has been tested and works fine.

The issue is that these must be placed AFTER Firefox MSI is installed. If they are placed first, then Firefox MSI DELETES these files. Also I just test with Firefox ESR 17.0.5 MSI installed with custom settings, etc, then upgrade to Firefox ESR 17.0.6 MSI with the same results -- custom files are deleted by the installer after (not during) the "deleting files phase"



The custom files I am using are exactly:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\extensions\ <- various extension files and directories inside here
C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\defaults\profile\chrome\userChrome.css
C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\defaults\profile\bookmarks.html
C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\defaults\pref\local-settings.js
C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\mozilla.cfg

All of these files go away after the Firefox ESR MSI is run. What I wish to do is arrange for Firefox MSI to NOT delete the files in Firefox program files directory.

Re: Program Folder is cleared during install and uninstall

Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 12:29 am
by jpa
Off the top of my head one of the steps in the MSI uninstall routine is a full directory delete. Remove that with an MST or edit the MSI and see what happens.

Re: Program Folder is cleared during install and uninstall

Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 9:44 pm
by james928
Do you know which property of the MSI it is? I can't seem to find the one that triggers it. Already tried to delete through an MST the InstallExecuteSequence:

RemoveFiles (it still spends 1 minute removing files)
RemoveFolders
TotalFireFoxRemoval

Re: Program Folder is cleared during install and uninstall

Posted: Wed Jul 03, 2013 11:13 pm
by DraconPern
Removing the TotalFirefoxRemoval entry should work. Are you deploying the MST with the MSI together?

Re: Program Folder is cleared during install and uninstall

Posted: Fri Jul 05, 2013 3:27 pm
by james928
I am installing it manually such as:

MSIEXEC /I FIREFOXESR-17.0.7.MSI TRANSFORMS=FIREFOXESR-17.0.7.MST

I had edited the MSI itself for 17.0.5 and I believe it was working at that time.