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Windows installer does not detect existing install type (per-user/per-machine) #268

Description

@tfiers

Description

Windows shortcuts to PWAs are not stable across reboots.

Steps to Reproduce

  1. Have Windows
  2. Pin a PWAFF window to the taskbar, or make a desktop shortcut
  3. Reboot your PC
  4. The shortcuts will not work anymore

Additional Information

Environment

  • Operating system: Win 11
  • System architecture: 64-bit
  • Installation method: MSI
  • PWAsForFirefox extension version: 2.3.0 (just auto-updated to 2.4.0; haven't rebooted with new native v yet)
  • PWAsForFirefox native version: 2.3.0
  • Firefox version: 108.0.2

Activity

  1. filips123 commented on Jan 16, 2023

    @filips123
    Owner

    Please check if there is anything in C:\Program Files\FirefoxPWA and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FirefoxPWA. Also, please check if PWAsForFirefox is still listed as installed in the Windows program list.

    You can also try to (re)install the native program again.

  2. tfiers commented on Jan 16, 2023

    @tfiers
    Author

    Just installed the new version of the native program, 2.4.0.
    %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FirefoxPWA exists but is empty.1
    C:\Program Files\FirefoxPWA seems to contain the correct files (firefoxpwa.exe etc)
    PWAsForFirefox is correctly listed in Apps > Installed apps (the Win 11 name for "Add or remove programs")

    The new shortcut I created correctly points to "C:\Program Files\FirefoxPWA\firefoxpwa.exe" site launch 01GKJAKZD0C7G31S5NQ2G88MHM
    Will update when I reboot

    Footnotes

    1. Might have installed previous MSIs for one user only, and the last one for all users, hence the two locations.
      (EDIT: To be clear, my shortcuts broke even before I did this) ↩

  3. brammitch commented on Jan 17, 2023

    @brammitch

    Might have installed previous MSIs for one user only, and the last one for all users, hence the two locations

    This happened to me (also Windows 11). I updated to 2.4.0 with the msi and chose to install for all users, forgetting I had previously installed for just myself.

    After updating from 2.2.0 to 2.4.0, the extension kept saying it was still on 2.2.0. I checked under Windows Control Panel where it showed both versions installed. Uninstalling 2.2.0 caused my shortcuts to break.

    To resolve the issue, I uninstalled 2.4.0 and uninstalled the extension from Firefox. Then I reinstalled the extension and the 2.4.0 msi, but this time just for myself instead of all users.

    My previous shortcuts work again and I didn't lose any of my apps from the extension, so that was a nice touch.

  4. filips123 commented on Jan 17, 2023

    @filips123
    Owner

    I updated to 2.4.0 with the msi and chose to install for all users, forgetting I had previously installed for just myself.

    This is probably what caused this problem. I'll check if I can make the installer remember how the package was previously installed, but I'm not sure if it's possible.

  5. changed the title [-]Desktop shortcut to PWA broken after reboot[/-] [+]Windows installer does not detect existing install type (per-user/per-machine)[/+] on Jan 23, 2023
  6. tfiers commented on Jan 23, 2023

    @tfiers
    Author

    Will update when I reboot

    Yep, the shortcuts do work now after a reboot.
    The new issue title seems accurate

  7. moved this from To Do to On Hold in PWAsForFirefoxon Feb 9, 2023
  8. moved this from On Hold to To Do in PWAsForFirefoxon Apr 20, 2026
  9. xmha97 commented on Aug 19, 2026

    @xmha97
    Contributor

    @filips123 I hope this issue can be fixed, as it can cause problems when updating the application. If the previous installation was per-user, the installer should ideally remember or detect this and keep using the same installation type instead of defaulting to per-machine, which can result in having two separate installations.

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