Remove duplicate Firefox installation cleanly  

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  1. Posts : 13
    Windows 10 Pro 64
       #1

    Remove duplicate Firefox installation cleanly


    Version 1909

    Somehow I ended up with two Firefoxes installed. (It pretty much has to be my fault).
    They are both 64 bit and the same version. One is in Program Files/Mozilla Firefox and the other is in Users/xxxx/AppData/Local/Mozilla Firefox.
    If I go into Settings/Apps & Features it only shows one Firefox and if I go to uninstall from there it does not show any clues as to which one would be uninstalled or maybe both, who knows - it is not very informative or friendly there.
    I would like to keep the one in Program Files. Is there a way to uninstall the one in Users in a clean way that will clean up the registry too? (There are over 100 instances of that path in the registry) Could it be as simple as running the uninstall helper.exe in that folder?
    Or should I uninstall both and reinstall one? And will that clean up the registry? This is a fairly new Windows install, I hate to see it all polluted already.

    This should be easy but I am new to Windows 10 so of course it isn't.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 21,139
    Win 10 Home ♦♦♦19045.3448 (x64) [22H2]
       #2

    Hi nonobaddog

    What makes you think there are two Firefoxes installed. A normal Firefox installation has these files...


    Remove duplicate Firefox installation cleanly-image1.png
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 21,421
    19044.1586 - 21H2 Pro x64
       #3

    @nonobaddog hello and welcome to TF,
    Uninstall Firefox from your computer | Firefox Help

    but don't uninstall your personal profile/data. Don' t do: "Remove user data and settings" part
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 2,487
    Windows 10 Home, 64-bit
       #4

    Your entire profile is kept in the appdata subfolder.

    The stuff in Program Files is the application per se.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 21,139
    Win 10 Home ♦♦♦19045.3448 (x64) [22H2]
       #5

    ignatzatsonic said:
    Your entire profile is kept in the appdata subfolder.

    The stuff in Program Files is the application per se.


    Yeah, the profile is here...

    C:\Users\*****\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 21,421
    19044.1586 - 21H2 Pro x64
       #6

    ignatzatsonic said:
    Your entire profile is kept in the appdata subfolder.

    The stuff in Program Files is the application per se.
    yep, that's why I said Don't do "Remove user data and settings" part
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 21,139
    Win 10 Home ♦♦♦19045.3448 (x64) [22H2]
       #7

    steve108 said:
    yep, that's why I said Don't do "Remove user data and settings" part


    I don't think the OP has two Firefoxes installed.
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 21,421
    19044.1586 - 21H2 Pro x64
       #8

    Ghot said:
    I don't think the OP has two Firefoxes installed.
    Dunno. I once installed 32-bit and 64-bit and it got confusing in a hurry. Wasn't too long ago. Or you could install twice and specify two different install locations. My main point/concern was/is to not uninstall user data/bookmarks/etc. OP certainly thinks they have two installs and I did 4 sure.
    Last edited by steve108; 21 Oct 2020 at 23:48.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 13
    Windows 10 Pro 64
    Thread Starter
       #9

    I think I have two Firefoxes installed like I said.
    Reasons.
    1 - There are all the program files including firefox.exe and all of the many .dll files in both locations.
    2 - There are two profiles in installs.ini
    3 - I can run each Firefox and they have their own preferences and bookmarks.
    4 - I can rename "Program Files/Mozilla Firefox" to "Program Files/Mozilla Fhony" and the other Firefox runs fine.
    5 - I can rename "Users/xxxx/Appdata/Local/Mozilla Firefox" to "Users/xxxx/Appdata/Local/Mozilla Fhony" and the other Firefox runs fine.
    6 - I can set one of them as a default browser and still get the messages that Firefox is not my default browser when opening Firefox because the other install is not my default browser.

    I did find an old bug report that Firefox has a tendency to install itself in Users/xxxx/Appdata/Local/Mozilla Firefox when the installer happens to be in as an administrator without giving the user any notice, warning or choices. However the bug was supposedly fixed in 2015. I'm not so sure.

    Anyhow, I do have two installs. Lets continue please.
    The original question about the uninstall still remains.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 21,139
    Win 10 Home ♦♦♦19045.3448 (x64) [22H2]
       #10

    nonobaddog said:
    I think I have two Firefoxes installed like I said.
    Reasons.
    1 - There are all the program files including firefox.exe and all of the many .dll files in both locations.
    2 - There are two profiles in installs.ini
    3 - I can run each Firefox and they have their own preferences and bookmarks.
    4 - I can rename "Program Files/Mozilla Firefox" to "Program Files/Mozilla Fhony" and the other Firefox runs fine.
    5 - I can rename "Users/xxxx/Appdata/Local/Mozilla Firefox" to "Users/xxxx/Appdata/Local/Mozilla Fhony" and the other Firefox runs fine.
    6 - I can set one of them as a default browser and still get the messages that Firefox is not my default browser when opening Firefox because the other install is not my default browser.

    I did find an old bug report that Firefox has a tendency to install itself in Users/xxxx/Appdata/Local/Mozilla Firefox when the installer happens to be in as an administrator without giving the user any notice, warning or choices. However the bug was supposedly fixed in 2015. I'm not so sure.

    Anyhow, I do have two installs. Lets continue please.
    The original question about the uninstall still remains.


    Before we start getting radical, I would do a search on the entire C:\ drive for firefox.exe


    The results "should" look like this...

    Remove duplicate Firefox installation cleanly-image1.png




    /edit

    How to post a screen shot on Ten Forums... Option One is the easiest.
    How to Upload and Post Screenshots and Files at Ten Forums


    I don't want to have to tell you to start uninstalling things, until I am sure that you have two Firefoxes installed.

    It's fairly hard to install two Firefoxes on the same computer.
      My Computer


 

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