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Firefox 3.6.13 Update will not update and install plugins or extensions. It will prompt for a restart every time, instally nothing. Is there a fix?

  • 4 replies
  • 186 have this problem
  • 14 views
  • Last reply by scoobidiver

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Plugins such as Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Silverlight will show as needing an update on Plugin Check (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/) but every time it downloads, installs, and restarts Firefox, the program is not updated.

This error also occurs when updating Addons. They'll be listed as updated awaiting a Firefox restart, but every Firefox restart does not fix the problem. If I go to uninstall an Addon, it'll say it's ready to uninstall pending restart, but after a restart it is still installed.

Plugins such as Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Silverlight will show as needing an update on Plugin Check (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/) but every time it downloads, installs, and restarts Firefox, the program is not updated. This error also occurs when updating Addons. They'll be listed as updated awaiting a Firefox restart, but every Firefox restart does not fix the problem. If I go to uninstall an Addon, it'll say it's ready to uninstall pending restart, but after a restart it is still installed.

All Replies (4)

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I had the same problem, until I did some research. I uninstalled firefox 3.6.13, and reinstalled firefox 3.6.12. When I did some research, I found that the quicktime plugin had been blocklisted. I disabled the quicktime plugin, updated to firefox 3.6.13, and the problem was gone. My add-on window doesn't freeze up anymore either.

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Here's the plugins I have installed.

Adobe acrobat 10.0.0.396 enabled Mozilla Default Plug-in 1.0.0.15 enabled nnFFApi 1.0.0.1 enabled QuickTime Plug-in 7.6.9.0 disabled Shockwave Flash 10.1.102.64 enabled

From what I see of your systems details, the common denominator is QuickTime. Try disabling it, and see if that works

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The only extensions I have installed are Adblock, Noscript and pdfforge toolbar plugin. I have a few plug-ins but Quicktime is not one of them. I cannot complete the update to my extensions - when I restart FF the extensions are no longer active, they still show as requiring a restart.

The same applies to my plugins. I used the page to check how up-to-date my plugins were and some were out of date. I tried to update those but to no avail.

All I can do to get the extensions active again is to cancel the updates and restart again to go back to my old versions.

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For the plugin issue, I think it is something about the way plugins used to be stored. Sometimes ago, every plugins were stored in C:\Program files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins. Now most of the plugins are installed in their own folder, except QuickTime and Windows Media Player plugins that still use the local plugins folder. So, you can have a plugin version installed in the local plugins folder (often out-of-date) and another one elsewhere. Firefox will use first plugins in the local folder.

  1. Rename C:\Program files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins in C:\Program files\Mozilla Firefox\plugins.old.
  2. Create a new empty "plugins" folder in C:\Program files\Mozilla Firefox\.
  3. Reinstall QuickTime and Windows Media Player. Other plugins don't need to be reinstalled.
  4. Check your plugins

Note: If it does not work, delete the plugins folder you created and rename plugins.old in plugins.