post

Windows Update Disables Firefox as Default Browser

After the OneCare fiasco (the “protection” program removed the users Outlook data file) Microsoft quickly issued a patch, along with some other fixes.  The most recent Windows update no longer attacks Microsoft’s own products. Only the competitor’s. 

After this week’s Windows Update, Firefox is no longer the default browser.  Now, this is so stupid, and most users will obviously reset it in minutes, that I don’t really believe it’s an intentional attack on Firefox. It’s just careless, ignorant.  Classic Microsoft.

Update: Oh, now I’ve got it: “We’re in it to win

smile_tongue

Update (3/18):  Microsoft contacted me. That’s nice, I guess they are not 100% careless after all.  But the story continues.

Update (3/26): Read the solution here

Comments

  1. Interesting article.

    Thought for future:

    There is a cottage industry that attacks Microsoft products and their security holes. Eventually, those efforts will be aimed at Firefox. I’m just sayin!

  2. Any time you accidentally download Outlook junk email updates, Thunderbird is no longer your default email client either. And the Quick Launch icon re-appears as well.

  3. Anonymous says

    No problems here. Firefox is still the default browser and I got all the updates.

    But considering Firefox has had far more security holes to patch over the past year than IE, I would be inclined to use IE except for the Adblock plus add-on.

  4. Anonymous says

    It didn’t change the default browser on mine. It’s still Firefox. Are you sure it’s not just you?

  5. Anonymous says

    stop your whining

  6. Anonymous says

    I think you’re stoned.

  7. It’s certainly not just me, check out comments here.  Microsoft is already looking at it.

  8. No problems here. Firefox is still the default browser.

    Oh! I’m running Linux. Get rid of the rest of that MS crap you’re running, and everything will be fine!

  9. Anonymous says

    Unruly Computer

  10. Hmm, yes… I didn’t notice FF getting ousted as the default browser either.

    I did have an issue on my dual-booting system whereby I could no longer access the F8 options for XP – Vista was OK – that the recent updates and restarting appears to have inexplicably sorted out however:

    http://www.geekzone.co.nz/juha/2463

  11. Anonymous says

    i just happened to come across your article about firefox being disabled as the default browser… the same thing happened to me, but in my case the problem is even worse. when i attempted to switch the default browser and mail programs back to firefox and thunderbird, respectively, both had disappeared from the Set Program Access & Defaults applet. that’s right, firefox and thunderbird were not even on the list of available programs, but IE was still there. so, i attempted to restore the default browser from within firefox (Tools, Options, Main), which caused another problem, opening any local .htm documents or links (on my machine) would launch in firefox, but an error would be generated complaining about ‘file not found’… and i thought it was something I had done wrong!

    you’re right man, i’m fed-up with this windows garbage, and all these f**king security updates, i spend more time ‘maintaining’ my computer than i do simply enjoying the use of it. and i’m always wary about sites i’m visiting, in case of a drive-by downloads and sh*t… XP is horrible patched-up mess, and i’ve had enough of the endless reinstalls. and where’s service pack 3 that we were promised so long ago??? oh i know, microsoft expects us to go out and buy vista instead… well, to hell with that.

    i’m ready to switch to a new operating system, some flavour of linux… any suggestions? i’ll never go back to windows ever, i’ve been putting this off long enough, and i think we’ve all been suffering through microsoft’s bullsh*t for way too many years. enough is enough.

    cheers / francis

  12. Anonymous says

    =)) linux! i’m laughing so hard! why do you even bother posting on maxihard (microsoft) related ?

    —-

    thanks to weight loss i am not a fatty anymore.

  13. Anonymous says

    It’s true. I have automated Windows+Office+… updates enabled. Every 4 weeks (probably Outlook junkmail update) it changes the default email software to Outlook (mailto-Links open in Outlook). The default browser isn’t changed that often (not on every update) but the update yesterday did it.

    This is ignorant or a braindead try to increase market share. I guess it is the first one (“hey, everyone having IE / Outlook installed will have this as default browser… so we just repair this if something did go wrong.”)

  14. i’m a mac user and i’m also stuck using windows at work… and you know what? at home i actually “use” my computer, at work, half the f**kin time i’m fixing sh*t on winbloz
    and this new update, my quicklaunch dissapeared, firefox got reset to default and all my extensions are gone. all my passwords have been erased. stupid f*kin p.o.s micr*p soft junk.

%d bloggers like this: