Windows: Firefox doesnt start but doest after renaming exe file

[Osdoba, Sascha]

Dear all,

maybe anybody has seen this:

we have one Windows Server 2019 (latest patch installed, used in Citrix farm) and I can install Firefox on it but it doesn't start

tried to open it under another user -> fail

installed different versions of Firefox -> nightly, MSI, EXE, x86 & x64 -> installation is always fine, but execution fails

any other extra applications installed on this server are running fine (such as Notepad++ or Winscp)

helper.exe to uninstall Firefox also runs fine, firefox.exe always fail

sfc /scannow shows no errors, chkdsk also not, dism /scanhealth also not

on this server no other security tool is running, just default Windows Defender, no applocker, no nothing special

nothing to see in event logs

Really strange: I checked NTFS security settings, I have the right to execute it and if I rename firefox.exe it to firefoxee.exe
and then its starting and behaving normally




screenshot attached, its German and means file not found from firefox.exe and from private_browsing.exe



thanks

Sascha

[khfp.m...@gmx.de]

"Osdoba, Sascha"  wrote:

> Subject: [Mozilla Enterprise] Windows: Firefox doesnt start but doest after renaming exe file

If the executable file works after you renamed it, then the original name might be somehow blocked by
"Image File Execution Options".
Have a look at "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Image File Execution Options\firefox.exe"
With my working firefox.exe, there are no values defined under this registry key.
Are there any values on your system?

ciao
Klaus
 

[Osdoba, Sascha]

Hi Klaus,

thanks for this input and yes there was something:

"C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download\Install\patchmypc-preventstart.exe" /StopProcess /ApplicationName="firefox.exe"

We use Patch My PC as addon to SCCM. I removed it and firefox is starting fine again. Thanks a lot.
So I guessed their application deployment added this entry before installation but did not removed it after installation.


Sascha

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Betreff: Re: [Mozilla Enterprise] Windows: Firefox doesnt start but doest after renaming exe file

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[Bruno Marsal]

Recently a friend called about the same issue. Windows said something like (in german): File or folder not found.

With procmon I found the "Image File Execution Options" registry access referencing a ccleaner.exe which was not installed anymore. Deleting this entry fixed the issue.

First I thought this must have been a one-time issue never happening for anyone but now seeing this thread I am wondering if it would be desired to have the firefox installer remove such "Image File Execution Options" entries IF this executable does not exist anymore?

People are losing lots of time debugging this problem. In my case the user even complete removed his firefox profile AND did the Windows "Reset this PC" with "Keep my files" procedure before I had a look at the system.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/mozilla.org/d/msgid/enterprise/914dce40688c4e55bb68192d50c154f1%40gsi.de.