Talk:Support/Firefox Features/Clean up user profile

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Other Documentation

I was going to add the following to the Other Documentation section but figured I should post it here instead:

The installer is not a good option

There are several ways that Firefox itself could do this across all platforms. As long as you try to tie this into the installer itself this won't be available for platforms other than Windows and on Windows the account performing the installation can be a different account than the one used with Firefox which makes it impossible for the installer to work with the profile. : Robert Strong 07:05, 27 April 2011 (PDT)

Specifically:

  • There is no guarantee that the Windows installer is running as the user that is trying to do the repair. We've had bugs where the user expects the installer to be able to find their Firefox profile when the user has manually launched the installer as a different user.
  • Teaching a non-Mozilla application how to manage Firefox profile files is to say the least a PITA and a lot of duplicate code.
  • Firefox can accomplish this whether it be via the safe mode dialog or some other method thereby removing the two previously noted issues. It is magnitudes simpler for Firefox to understand profiles than it is to teach our Windows NSIS installer AND in the future the Windows MSI installer how to work with Firefox profiles.
  • If you really want this available from the Windows installer then a command line option can be added to Firefox to initiate the process in Firefox or a utility application if you prefer. This wouldn't solve the first issue noted above but it wouldn't make it any worse and then this capability would be available on all platforms instead of just Windows. : Robert Strong 16:24, 27 April 2011 (PDT)

Scary string: "Reset Firefox to it's default state"

At several points in the UX mockups the phrase "Reset Firefox to it's default state" is used, without at the same time stating that history/bookmarks/passwords will be saved. The user first has to assess what "default state" could mean, choose to press "Reset Firefox" (without knowing that there is a confirmation page afterwards) - and only then is told that "default state" isn't as scary as it might otherwise be - since it does actually keep history/bookmarks/passwords/form data.

I'm just slightly concerned that many people will be put off by the data-loss sounding nature of the "Reset Firefox to it's default state" string - and so be unnecessarily reluctant to choose that option. Use of the word "repair" as opposed to "reset" on the first page (before the changes are elaborated) might be one way to deal with this - or else a string along the lines of "Reset Firefox to it's default state (preserves X/Y/X)" --Ed Morley 01:12, 30 June 2011 (PDT)

Offer to NOT migrate extensions

Might it help if instead of one profile two are created one without extensions. Some of the problems may be caused by extensions; if that is the case the problem is not solved by the factory reset. (It is also not a "factory reset", the original install is without extensions) That may however become a problem if users are unable to handle two separate profiles (after withdrawal of profile manager).

Alternatively do a two stage procedure, the first allows the user to have a profile without extensions and test that, as a second separate stage migrate extensions. John99 03:51, 14 July 2011 (PDT)

User's Preferences

Will be there any possibility of user to choose if he wants to migrate preferences (or some of them) to the new profile. I think that the process of setting up from scratch many of the preferences, like user interface options (e.g. a changed position of a button) or advanced settings (e.g. network connection settings), will be non-pleasant experience. Fredy 04:24, 11 August 2011 (PDT)

Deletion of the Old Profile

I think that it will be nice to give the user the option to delete the old profile during that process. However, this option should be not recommended. If this is not possible, then we should inform the user that the old profile will remain saved. I think that this is important for security and privacy reasons. Just think the scenario of a user that has a saved password at the old profile, but at the new one he decides to delete it for security/privacy reasons. The password will remain available at the old profile and it is very possible that the user will not know that. Fredy 04:24, 11 August 2011 (PDT)

Restart with Add-ons Disabled...

Perhaps this current menu item should more clearly communicate the other options that it provides. Right now it seems to just restart in safe mode which gives you many more options that disabling add-ons. Perhaps this should be one of the main entry points to repair the profile. --MattN 15:11, 10 October 2011 (PDT)

Preserve open tabs

I would suggest that Firefox also migrate open tabs/groups to the new user profile generated. This is the one thing that prevents me from creating a new profile manually.

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