OT Win 10 update to EDGE denies existance of Firefox

[Andrew]

The most recent Win 10 update was a new EDGE browser but it has assumed that it is THE browser without asking first.

I use Firefox and if I go into options, Firefox says it is not the default browser. If I click on 'make me the default' it fiees up a Microsoft app that only lists EDGE as an option or tries to make me visit the Microsoft shop.

IS there some other way of making EDGE subservient ?, like a Registry hack needed ??

Andrew

[polygonum_on_google]

Settings > Apps > default apps > Web browser

[Paul]

The value that this guy added, is he figured out how the protective hash works in the Registry, that prevents Firefox from setting itself as the Default. The OS checks for the protective hash - if the value is incorrect, it resets the entry to the system default (EDGE or EDGE or maybe EDGE).

Because Windows 10 is a rolling release, they can push out an update any time and defeat his handiwork.

Note that the gentleman does not go into details about the entire mechanism. As he would be charged under DMCA, a good chilling mechanism to keep people from being too creative. DMCA is also what stops people from delivering an analysis of the current Skype implementation. Even back when Skype owned Skype, the researchers involved kept a "legal status" web page, giving a description of what their lawyer thought of their odds of being charged under DMCA. Even if in a country without an extradition policy, it might mean being "nabbed" while at an airport some day, transferring to another flight.

Good luck, Paul

[Jethro_uk]

Is that an extraditable offence from Switzerland ?

[Jethro_uk]

I thought MS were deprecating the registry ?

Never was it's description as a public toilet better suited. You have no idea who has done what in it.

[Chris Hogg]

No doubt that works, but in my bumbling ignorance I just crashed out of EDGE and checked that FF was still my default browser: In FF go to Tools>Options>general>startup and confirm that the correct box is ticked for FF to be the default, which it was, so nothing had changed.

[Jim GM4 DHJ ...]

you just have to accept it is what the bastards do .....It just makes you hate them even more...I hate when you click on their daft picture text it takes you to stoopid edge....

[Torx]

I use Firefox and had that M$ update a few days ago, it didn't affect Firefox being my default browser. I did run the new version of Edge but didn't see anything to make me want to switch to it.

[John Rumm]

Its probably made itself the default handler for PDFs as well, and just to add insult to injury then sets about making a complete pigs breakfast of actually displaying them!

Settings ->Apps ->Default Apps

(to fix the PDF thing, and right click on a PDF and choose "Open With", then "Choose another app", and select whatever you used to use)

[Andy Burns]

But FF isn't allowed to make itself the default the way it used to, you need Start/Settings/Apps/defaultApps

if FF isn't on ze list under browsers then re-install FF (without removing it first).

[Andy Burns]

First I've heard of it ...

[alan_m]

But that doesn't stop Edge/Bing starting up automatically if you use the inbuilt windows search facility.

[Andrew]

I only have EDGE listed under "Browsers" though. I'll try re-installing Tbird.

[Andrew]

Correction to typo, I installed Firefox 82.0.3 and I still only see EDGE in settings->apps->default apps ??

[Jethro_uk]

Maybe not ?

Pretty certain it was briefly discussed with W7.

I reckon however they judged the competition for a system configuration database, they accidentally went with the option that came last, not first.

[Jonathan]

I haven't had that problem. However, since the recent W10 and FF updates, every site I browse has boxes everywhere and don't look like they used to. I am not sure who is the culprit but it would be nice if things looked like they used to. I for one do not value unnecessary change for the sake of it.

Is there any way to go back?

Jonathan

[John Rumm]

I suspect you have already spotted this but the top level screen it only shows the current default browser - you need to click it to get to the list.

Vis:

Sometimes you can fix problems like this by uninstalling and reinstalling FF. Sometimes by going into FF settings and enabling the "check I am default" option may fix it.

You can also take the brute force approach and have it list all the file types and associate those like http, https, html etc you want manually with FF.

However, which version of Win 10 are you running?

I have had some new machines turn up where they default to Win 10 S mode

- and that makes it hard to install anything that does not come from the MS store.

[Paul]

I'm always curious to hear what the alternative is, and how the alternative is better.

The Registry is a file system, capable of holding anonymous binary blobs. Why, it's like any other file system that holds blobs. Forcing the blobs to live in the C: partition space, won't solve a thing.

Paul

[Paul]

Take a screenshot and put it on a photo sharing site.

Paul

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

How old is your firefox? I do understand that only recent versions of browsers are allowed. I'm not using 10, precisely because of its attitude to older software generally requiring stuff to be force installed every time you get an update. Brian