this post was submitted on 17 May 2024
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Is there a way to disable the "Restart to Keep Using Firefox" page? (lemmy.ml)
submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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I find it incredibly disruptive every time this page comes up and it's never completely capable of restoring my tabs. Is there any way to disable it so that it will instead update when I choose to restart Firefox?

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[–] Pyrarrows 117 points 5 months ago (3 children)

When this happens, Firefox has been updated in the background & the non-updated parts that're loaded into memory attempted to load one of the updated parts & found that they were no longer compatible, causing this message to appear.

At this point you HAVE to restart Firefox in order to be able to use it, no way around it. Soooo very fun on Mac & Linux since both can update in the background. It's also possible to have this happen on Windows, but it's far more rare as it seems to require having multiple different instances running at once.

[–] [email protected] 40 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

On Linux at least, if you install through the package manager, it'll only update when you update the rest of your packages. And you can be completely in control of when that happens.

On my work Mac, I just update manually. The menu icon tells me when a new version is available, so I update within a day or two of that popping up.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 5 months ago (1 children)

On Linux at least, if you install through the package manager, it'll only update when you update the rest of your packages. And you can be completely in control of when that happens.

Except on Ubuntu. Also, fuck snaps

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Ew, those get installed via the regular package manager?

Don't use Ubuntu then...

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Ubuntu installs the snap version by default whether you're using the GUI software manager or apt.

I use Mint instead nowadays

[–] Carighan 2 points 5 months ago

Damn, computers have gotten really far if nowadays we're happily throwing away the performance of dockerizing ˜everything on entirely normal application installs. Sigh.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Sucks when the company I work in uses Kubuntu.

I could disable this feature easily. But idk...

Additionally something to keep in mind: Better than Windows in every aspect. I would still use Kubuntu. Its fine.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Probably doesn't happen as much on Windows because Windows has issues replacing files that are open.

[–] scarilog 6 points 5 months ago

Common windows W 😎

^/s

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Happens to me on Windows about once a week FWIW.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 5 months ago (3 children)

Hamburger menu -> Settings -> General -> "Firefox Updates" -> "check for updates but let you choose to install them"

As for losing open tabs, there're a few different extensions that'll allow you to bookmark all open tabs and throw 'em in a folder. Easy enough to do that before updating, then just delete the folder that's created via the bookmarks manager once you've updated/reopened tabs.

[–] eighty 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

be warned, it'll give you unearned optimism about how responsible you are to revisit the tabs you saved but will never see the light of day again.

Source: someone who's disappointed in themselves

[–] [email protected] 9 points 5 months ago

I got bookmarks going back a decade, sometimes I try to visit a random one and find that it no longer exists and I don't remember what it was or why I saved it

[–] prembil 0 points 5 months ago

Never seen anyone using the phrase Hamburger menu. I'll be using it now onwards. Thank you random lemmy user!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago (1 children)

When you mentioned it I remembered that of course there is a setting for this.. but when I went to check it just says "Updates disabled by your organisation" In this case it's a work laptop that has a bunch of "security" things installed on it which prevent me from doing things like ...installing applications I need to do my job. Not sure how Firefox is able to update when it's been explicitly disabled, but I will at least change this setting on my personal computer.

[–] MrOtherGuy 7 points 5 months ago

In that case the issue is likely that files on disk are being modified by whatever mechanism your IT uses to push updates to devices. If the program files are modified while Firefox is running then you will unavoidably get this prompt.

I suppose the best you can do is to ask your IT folks to not update programs that are currently running.

[–] Nacktmull 16 points 5 months ago (3 children)

I have been using Firefox as my only browser for many, many years now and I have never seen that message before.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

it only appears on linux if you update your browser while it's running.
iirc existing tabs usually just keep working but you cannot reload or open new ones until a full browser restart.

[–] funkyfarmington 2 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Updating anything with stuff running is a bad idea. Yeah, yeah, I know all about the cases where this works, but I've spent too much time fixing it when it doesn't.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Good luck trying to update systemd

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

atomic updates 🧠

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Same, but I've only recently started seeing it

[–] Rustmilian 1 points 5 months ago (1 children)

You never update Firefox while using it?

[–] MrOtherGuy 2 points 5 months ago

If Firefox is using its own updater then it will notify that update is available and can even download it while it's running. But the updater doesn't normally apply the update (i.e. replace the program files on disk) until you restart Firefox so you can dismiss the update notification (not the one pictured in op) no worries.

But if some other updater mechanism such as package manager is handling the updates then you can run into issues if it's stupid enough to replace the files while Firefox is running.

[–] oddsys 13 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Are you on Ubuntu/using a snap installed Firefox?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I'm on macOS.

[–] oddsys 61 points 5 months ago

Oh, I am sorry

[–] crozilla 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Weird. I’ve never seen that on my Macs. I always have to click on “About Firefox” to check for and download any updates so it only updates when I do that.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

There's also the menu icon, which let's you know there's a new version and you should update.

I've never had Firefox update without my consent on macOS or Linux.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

A different angle of attack might be ... why isn't it capable of restoring your tabs and is that fixable?

Particularly relevant since this seems to be IT enforced updates.

[–] Carighan 4 points 5 months ago (1 children)

But it restores tabs? In fact I think nowadays that's the default behavior unless you turn it off.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Did you read what OP wrote?

I don't know why two of you are replying to me saying "but it restores my tabs?"

I'm asking OP "what's going on that it doesn't restore your tabs?'

[–] Rustmilian 1 points 5 months ago

It restores my tabs?

[–] mvirts 4 points 5 months ago

Maybe this? https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/managing-firefox-updates

[–] angrymouse 2 points 5 months ago

Well, for me it usually only appear after my tabs already crashed

[–] Anticorp 2 points 5 months ago

The only way to prevent this is to turn off automatic updates for Firefox. Another user gave an in-depth explanation of why that is, and what is happening.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

I'm looking for a soultion as well, since I use always private mode my tabs aren't even restored after the restart and I get to lose all my tabs lol.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago

Couldn't you just close Firefox overnight and then set updates to happen at 3am?

[–] [email protected] -2 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I have the same issue but I feel the main problem is not this page but the fact that the tabs are lost. I've been using FF for so long and I keep losing tabs on updates. It's really frustrating.

[–] MehBlah -5 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

When I finally got tired of them crashing my browser at random times I took the time to stop them.
You can change the addresses that it uses to check for updates in the about:config. To be sure though I put all of those addresses and IP's in the hosts file to make sure there could be no contact. Now my firefox updates when I update my machine. Some of them may not be mozilla specific but all of them are blocked by me.

I got this list by using a squid proxy on a VM to log all addresses firefox connected to and watching the logs as firefox ran with no sites loaded over a two week period.

You can use the list below to search for keys in the about:config to change. Or you can just put these in your hosts file.

This is my list

127.0.0.1 safebrowsing.googleapis.com

127.0.0.1 push.services.mozilla.com

127.0.0.1 incoming.telemetry.mozilla.org

127.0.0.1 detectportal.firefox.com

127.0.0.1 img-getpocket.cdn.mozilla.net

127.0.0.1 region1.google-analytics.com

127.0.0.1 contile.services.mozilla.com

127.0.0.1 mozilla.cloudflare-dns.com

127.0.0.1 contile.services.mozilla.com

127.0.0.1 versioncheck-bg.addons.mozilla.org

127.0.0.1 content-signature-2.cdn.mozilla.net

127.0.0.1 helper1.dap.cloudflareresearch.com

127.0.0.1 dap-02.api.divviup.org

127.0.0.1 shavar.services.mozilla.com

127.0.0.1 aus5.mozilla.org

127.0.0.1 versioncheck.addons.mozilla.org

127.0.0.1 firefox.settings.services.mozilla.com

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I think detectportal.firefox.com is used to detect if the current Wi-Fi connection requires the user to log in on a portal page, like the public Wi-Fi at airports or cafés. It redirects you to the log in page. Why would you block that?

[–] MehBlah -2 points 5 months ago

Yeah I think so but I didn't care. I blocked them all since I don't have a portal at my house. The point was to block their access to my machine. My trust is at all time low for most of these companies.