Left over folders

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billmcct
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Left over folders

Unread post by billmcct » 2012-09-04, 16:06

I have been using PM portable for a few months now and I am really happy with this port of Mozilla. Since I no longer own a computer, I have to use other friends computers as a host for my flash drive portable apps. (Let me clarify: house burned down lost everything.) Most of the systems I use have Win XP and 512 to 768 MB memory. PM tends to run well on these systems since it uses much less memory than FF. Usually under 220 MB with about 20/25 tabs open.
FF portable will use so much memory it tends to freeze these systems.

"I have one question though, Why does PM leave behind two folders on the host drive after closing?"

Specifically;
C:\Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Mozilla
C:\Documents and Settings\(username)\Application Data\Mozilla\Extensions

I mostly use programs from PortableApps.com and they do a good job of cleaning up behind themselves when closed. Although I do use quite a few so called portable programs that IMO aren't portable at all. Leave behind all sorts of files/folders and registry entries.

BTW still using PM 12.3 portable. Tried PM 15 and as Moonchild posted it does not like older profiles and I haven't had time to start rebuilding a new one.

I would appreciate it if someone could confirm this behavior for me.

Thanks, Bill :thumbup:
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Moonchild
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Re: Left over folders

Unread post by Moonchild » 2012-09-04, 19:44

Please check http://www.palemoon.org/knownissues.shtml - it's a known issue and it's by design; it's also completely harmless as nothing gets stored in those folders, they are merely created as an indicator of internal Mozilla extensions IDs; and shared between all Mozilla-based applications.
It means Pale Moon portable isn't running "stealth", but that has never been a requirement for running it as a portable application; it is also the only stuff that is "left behind" on the host system.

If desired, and given time, I can look at having the portable launcher delete these folders in the cleanup process, but it's low priority.
"Sometimes, the best way to get what you want is to be a good person." -- Louis Rossmann
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past; wisdom is of the future." -- Native American proverb
"Linux makes everything difficult." -- Lyceus Anubite

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Re: Left over folders

Unread post by billmcct » 2012-09-04, 23:13

Moonchild, Thank you for your reply.
I see now that it is by design in the mozilla code. I was only questioning this because the machine I'm using today has no mozilla apps of any flavor installed. I also had to copy the plugin "npjp2.dll" to "M:\PortableApps\Palemoon-Portable\Lib\Mozilla\Plugins" in order for PM to use the "jportable" java on my flash drive. For some reason there is NO java installed on this machine.
I emailed John Haller Portableapps.com and he confirmed that it is the launcher he built for Firefox portable that does the cleanup at shutdown. If at some point you could find the time to look into it that would be great. Maybe decompile Johns launcher to get some ideas. I don't think he would mind.

Again, thanks for the info. Bill
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Re: Left over folders

Unread post by Moonchild » 2012-09-05, 06:43

Decompiling/reverse engineering his launcher won't be necessary; I build my own launchers, and even then, this can be done with some coding in the .ini file so the launchers don't even have to be rebuilt from source. I just need some time - or, if someone else can look into this, the command structure in the .ini file is fairly straightforward, either go by example of the existing .ini file or look up WinPenPack's documentation that my launchers are based on.
"Sometimes, the best way to get what you want is to be a good person." -- Louis Rossmann
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past; wisdom is of the future." -- Native American proverb
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Re: Left over folders

Unread post by billmcct » 2012-09-05, 16:06

I have downloaded the documentation, and though I have no concept of programing, I will see what I can learn. At my age though, I just don't know.
At this point I do know the ability is hard coded in the Firefox Portable "159 KB" launcher, doesn't use an *.ini file.
Well, lets go to school.

Thanks Bill
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moonlighting

Re: Left over folders

Unread post by moonlighting » 2013-01-18, 19:21

Hi,

Two other stray folders are created by Pale Moon.

They are located at:
%appdata%/Moonchild Productions/
%appdata%/Moonchild Productions/Pale Moon/

Any chance to remove these folders in an upcoming version?

Also:
Moonchild wrote:It means Pale Moon portable isn't running "stealth", but that has never been a requirement for running it as a portable application; it is also the only stuff that is "left behind" on the host system.

If desired, and given time, I can look at having the portable launcher delete these folders in the cleanup process, but it's low priority.
I would very much appreciate if you will look at removing the %appdata%/Mozilla folders in a future version of Pale Moon portable.

Thanks so much for the excellent product!

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Re: Left over folders

Unread post by Moonchild » 2013-01-18, 21:33

Unfortunately it's not as simple. %AppData%\Mozilla is also used by Firefox.

%appdata%\moonchild productions\pale moon is used by the desktop version (and should not be created by the portable, mind you - unless the wrong executable is launched)

I would want to avoid the portable inadvertently removing profiles of Firefox and/or Pale Moon in the process of cleaning up!
"Sometimes, the best way to get what you want is to be a good person." -- Louis Rossmann
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past; wisdom is of the future." -- Native American proverb
"Linux makes everything difficult." -- Lyceus Anubite

moonlighting

Re: Left over folders

Unread post by moonlighting » 2013-01-19, 00:17

Hi Moonchild,
Moonchild wrote:%appdata%\moonchild productions\pale moon is used by the desktop version (and should not be created by the portable, mind you - unless the wrong executable is launched)
I'm using the x64 portable version on Windows 8 with UAC turned off.
Moonchild wrote:Unfortunately it's not as simple. %AppData%\Mozilla is also used by Firefox.
Moonchild wrote:I would want to avoid the portable inadvertently removing profiles of Firefox and/or Pale Moon in the process of cleaning up!
Totally understand! Perhaps if all these folders are empty, it would be possible to remove these folders?

Soldier1st

Re: Left over folders

Unread post by Soldier1st » 2013-01-19, 01:28

moonlighting wrote:Hi Moonchild,
Moonchild wrote:%appdata%\moonchild productions\pale moon is used by the desktop version (and should not be created by the portable, mind you - unless the wrong executable is launched)
I'm using the x64 portable version on Windows 8 with UAC turned off.
Moonchild wrote:Unfortunately it's not as simple. %AppData%\Mozilla is also used by Firefox.
Moonchild wrote:I would want to avoid the portable inadvertently removing profiles of Firefox and/or Pale Moon in the process of cleaning up!
Totally understand! Perhaps if all these folders are empty, it would be possible to remove these folders?
Why do you have UAC disabled? do you have something which doesn't like UAC?

moonlighting

Re: Left over folders

Unread post by moonlighting » 2013-01-19, 01:38

Soldier1st wrote:Why do you have UAC disabled? do you have something which doesn't like UAC?
A little off-topic, but I'll answer this :)

It's annoying to always have to answer some ridiculous prompt asking you if it's okay to do something. I can understand if you're using Windows 7 / 8 with some youngsters in the house, but when I'm the only one using it and I know what I'm doing then I don't need UAC.

dark_moon

Re: Left over folders

Unread post by dark_moon » 2013-01-19, 09:08

UAC improves the security. If you deactive this, any programm and also malware can run with full admin rights- without any prompt.

And the UAC only comes if you make admin thinks, like installing a programm or run programms with need admin rights.
So if you see this prompt realy often, you make somethink wrong

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Re: Left over folders

Unread post by Moonchild » 2013-01-19, 10:12

Actually, UAC tends to pop up much too often, also for things that don't necessarily require admin rights (just elevated rights). Disabling UAC does NOT automatically mean anything can run as admin, it's still limited to the rights on the user account - this is why it's recommended for normal use to use a normal user account, not admin user account.

Because it pops up so often, it defeats the purpose because people will just "click it away".
"Sometimes, the best way to get what you want is to be a good person." -- Louis Rossmann
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past; wisdom is of the future." -- Native American proverb
"Linux makes everything difficult." -- Lyceus Anubite

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