Mozilla’s support for Windows 7 and 8.1 will end in 2023

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https://www.ghacks.net/2022/11/01/mozilla-may-extend-firefox-on-windows-7-and-8-1-support/

…Mozilla considers two main options right now:

End support in January 2023.
Extend support until at least June 2023.

Ending support in January 2023 would alienate about 15% of the browser’s user base. These users could continue to run the then-unsupported browser, similarly to how Chrome users can do so starting in February 2023. Some might move to a different browser, depending on whether it continues to be supported on their platform.

This option would remove a lot of headaches regarding testing, development tools and other tasks related to engineering. The downside would be that Firefox would lose a percentage of its user base over night.

The second option that Mozilla considers extends support until the release of the next Firefox ESR version. Firefox users on Windows 7 and 8.1 would be moved to Firefox 102 ESR, the current Extended Support Release branch, and would receive updates until Firefox 102 ESR is moved to Firefox 114 ESR; this happens in August 2023.

What appears to be clear is that Mozilla’s support for Windows 7 and 8.1 will end in 2023…

2 users thanked author for this post.

Cybertooth, lmacri

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Option 2 may not be feasible. It’s no longer possible to downgrade Firefox without creating a new profile, so going back from 106 to 102 would be destructive. If I recall correctly, they did move XP users to 52 ESR but I don’t think they downgraded from a newer non-ESR version.

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stevieebops wrote:

It’s no longer possible to downgrade Firefox without creating a new profile, so going back from 106 to 102 would be destructive

Sure you can. I do that kind of thing all the time when I am switching and trying out various versions of Firefox. You simply need to delete compatibility.ini from the profile folder… that’s how it knows it has been downgraded.

As a test, I just rolled my Firefox from the current 106 back to 102, and of course, when I started Firefox, it gave me the message about the older version and offered the option to create a new profile or exit. I hit Exit, deleted compatibility.ini, then ran Firefox 102 again, and it works fine.

Mozilla may occasionally make changes to the way one or more of the file formats in the profile, but it’s not something they do every release cycle. It’s always wise to have a backup just in case this is one of those rare times when rolling back can cause problems, but that’s as easy as right-clicking your profile folder in the File Manager, selecting “Send to” and then “Compressed (zipped) folder.”

If you’d rather, you can also have Firefox create the new profile folder, then exit Firefox, go into the old profile folder in the file manager, select all, and copy the contents of the old folder into the new profile folder that was just created (again, be sure to delete compatibility.ini!). That leaves your untouched old folder as a backup. Then you can start Firefox as you usually would.

Dell XPS 13/9310, i5-1135G7/16GB, KDE Neon
XPG Xenia 15, i7-9750H/16GB & GTX1660ti, KDE Neon

6 users thanked author for this post.

Charlie, Cybertooth, SueW, zat_so, lmacri, steeviebops

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Thanks for that, I didn’t know that it was that easy! Every day’s a school day. 🙂

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steeviebops wrote:

… As a test, I just rolled my Firefox from the current 106 back to 102, and of course, when I started Firefox, it gave me the message about the older version and offered the option to create a new profile or exit. I hit Exit, deleted compatibility.ini, then ran Firefox 102 again, and it works fine.

Hi Ascaris:

Thanks for that tip.  I hadn’t heard of that compatibility.ini file before.

In the past when I downgraded Firefox I believe I simply started the Profile Manager by typing firefox.exe -P in a Run dialog box and then used Profile Manager to select my old profile as my default (see the Mozilla support article Profile Manager – Create, Remove or Switch Firefox Profiles for instructions). Do you know if this is still possible, or do newer versions of Firefox now prevent you from switching back to an older profile after a downgrade because of the compatibility.ini file?

If you downgrade Firefox and create a new profile I assume you can still copy and paste select files containing your bookmarks, passwords, imported security certificates, etc. from your old Firefox profile as instructed in the Mozilla support article Recovering Important Data from an Old Profile. This way you would avoid pasting the compatibility.ini file into your new profile, but I suspect you would still have to reset some of your customized settings and reinstall your browser add-ons after the downgrade, just as you do when you refresh Firefox (Help | More Troubleshooting Information | Refresh Firefox).  It looks like Mozilla’s instructions are a variation of your second suggestion to copy and paste everything from your old Firefox profile into your new profile except the compatibility.ini file.

EDIT:

Sorry, I’m not sure why my quote from your post thinks that steeviebops is the author.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.2130 * Firefox v106.0.4 *  Microsoft Defender v4.18.2209.7-1.1.19700.3 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.17-221-1.0.1806 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7090

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I very recently upgraded my older Dell desktop computer from 8.0 Pro to 8.1 Pro. What a hassle! This ten year old computer will run Windows 10 but, oh my, if moving from 8.0 to 8.1 on it was a hassle….then what will moving to 10 be like? I’m actually surprised that in this very hostile environment (on the ocean and no air conditioning for the building so open to salt air windows most of the time) that this XPS 8500 has lasted so long….earlier Dells beginning in 1999 rusted fast here).

I have always run ESR versions of Fx on both this older computer and my newer Windows 10 Pro one. i started out in 1999 with Mozilla Suite and to this day dislike all other browsers that I have used such as Vivaldi, Brave, etc. Edge is not too bad but I want NOTHING to do with anything smacking of Google which has been disabled on my computers from as far back as I can recall. I haven’t used Google search since I wised up back around 2004. Plus, I used the Proxomitron for many years and it blocked Google and Google knew but allowed it.

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According to the Firefox release calendar at https://wiki.mozilla.org/Release_Management/Calendar, Firefox 52 and Firefox ESR v52 both began rolling out on 07-Mar-2017, just before Vista SP2 reached end of extended support on 11-Apr-2012. The Firefox browser on my old Vista laptop was automatically switched from Firefox v51.0.1 to Firefox ESR v52.0.0 on 08-Mar-2017, and that Firefox ESR v52.0 browser continued to receive security updates until 26-Jun-2018 when Firefox ESR v52.9.0 (the final Firefox release compatible with Win XP and Vista) was released.

I don’t know if it’s technically feasible, but if Mozilla is planning on ending support for Win 7 and Win 8.1 in 2023 it would make more sense to me if they did this around 04-Jul-2023 when Firefox 115 and Firefox ESR 115 are both scheduled to start rolling out, even though that is a few months past the end of extended support date of 10-Jan-2023 for Win 8.1. On or around 04-Jul-2023 users would be automatically switched from Firefox v114.x to Firefox ESR v115.0, and that Firefox ESR v115.0 browser would then continue to receive security updates until ~ 19-Dec-2023 when Firefox ESR v115.6.0 is scheduled for release.  That is similar to Scenario 2 of Martin Brinkmann’s ghack.net article mentioned <above> but it would not require a version downgrade.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.2130 * Firefox v106.0.3 * Microsoft Edge v107.0.1418.26 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2209.7-1.1.19700.3 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.16.217-1.0.1792 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7090

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As profiles from newer 102> series of ‘bloatfox’ are incompatible with older series of ESR..there are solutions to migrate to ESR which I have used for years:
prefs.js is your friend along with saved bookmarks and exported extension settings to files for reintroduction later once extensions are reinstalled.
The hard work is backing up first and well worth the time saved later.

And I’m still using the ‘Compact View’ in ESR 102.4 which is no longer available by default using this method.

Keeping IT Lean, Clean and Mean!

1 user thanked author for this post.

Alex5723

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I was hoping Mozilla will continue to support Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 at least through the next ESR (expected to be 115) but the indications so far seem to suggest that Firefox 102 ESR (and perhaps whatever the normal version of Firefox is at the same time) might be the last supported version on them.

If Mozilla plans to drop support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 in 2023 I believe it will do so once the next version of ESR appears. At that time it can drop support for ESR and the normal version at the same time on the old operating systems.

Or, if it plans to extend support for one more year at least, then it may switch users of normal Firefox to Firefox ESR when the next version of ESR appears, similar to the process when Firefox ESR 52 was released, as mentioned by Imacri above.

Even if Mozilla does decide to drop support in 2023, I hope it will continue to support Firefox ESR 102 at least until its projected EOS in August 2023.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

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James Bond 007 wrote:

Even if Mozilla does decide to drop support in 2023, I hope it will continue to support Firefox ESR 102 at least until its projected EOS in August 2023.

What will an added couple of months of support give you ?

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You can always do what I’m doing and go into your registry and block Firefox from updating until you know the newest version they release supports Windows 7 beyond.  I block update till I check the new Firefox releases compatibility in the releases then once I know it supports Windows 7 and beyond I open up the updates again and do the update and then block it again till next release and same thing over and over.  I don’t want a ESR version is why I’m trying my best to avoid it.  Anyway to block Firefox updates in the registry you gotta go to regedit.exe first.  Then in the registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hit the plus sign to expand it.  Then SOFTWARE hit the plus sign to expand it.  Then POLICIES.  Right Click POLICIES and say NEW then KEY.  Next name the new key MOZILLA.  Right Click on MOZILLA and say NEW then KEY again.  Next name the new key FIREFOX.  Right click on FIREFOX making sure it resides in MOZILLA and say NEW then DWORD (32-Bit) Value.  Name the value DISABLEAPPUPDATE in the right screen.  Right click on DISABLEAPPUPDATE and say MODIFY and put a 1 and say okay your done.  Updates will be disabled for Firefox unless you go back to the same place and put a 0 instead of 1 which would reenable updates.  I’d also recommend backing up your PC around May or so if you don’t want ESR like I dont.

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Cybertooth

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There was a comment posted in February 2023 here:
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1594270

Just commenting here to confirm that there is a decision coming regarding the Win 7 EOL plan which will be communicated but it’s fair to assume that we won’t end Win7 support prior to ESR 115 (https://wiki.mozilla.org/Release_Management/Calendar).

4 users thanked author for this post.

SueW, Charlie, Cybertooth, lmacri

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Just saw that Firefox will continue to support Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 into 2024 :
https://www.ghacks.net/2023/03/28/firefox-to-support-windows-7-and-8-systems-well-into-2024-at-least/
https://www.techspot.com/news/98122-firefox-support-windows-78-until-least-2024.html

The decision was revealed by that bugzilla post :
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1594270

We will not be ending support for Windows 7/Windows 8 before the release of the Firefox 115 ESR, so the Firefox 115 ESR will support Windows 7/Windows 8 at least until 3Q 2024.

I can’t speak to when we will remove support for Windows 7/Windows 8.

So as a Firefox user I can continue to run Firefox ESR 115 on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 for at least another year. Great news to me.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

2 users thanked author for this post.

lmacri, Cybertooth

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So what does that all even mean?  I’m trying to avoid ESR does that mean standard Firefox updates will go until July and then switch to ESR or what does this all mean it’s all very confusing for me.  I just want to know when I need to shut off updates entirely to avoid ESR because I don’t want to have to figure out how to save my passwords, bookmarks, and other stuff not to mention I was not able to get the Windows update installed on my PC that you must have to install Firefox 100 and up.  Luckily I already had Firefox installed prior to Firefox 100 release so Firefox updates itself without needing that update just fine, but if I was to uninstall Firefox and reinstall the installation would not go through because of that require Windows update being missing.  For some reason when I would do Windows updates they would totally crash my computer forcing me to have to bring back images I made through Macrium Reflect to a point I just gave up on them.  These issues started before March of 2019 and I haven’t been able to get Windows updates on my PC since so I’m missing alot of them, but surviving by having lots of Adware protection, malware protections, spyware protections and running Norton Power Eraser once in a while it works.   Please help me anyway possible and tell me when I need to cut off updates to Firefox to avoid ESR and maybe back up my PC it’s greatly appreciated.

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Kevin F. Lewallen wrote:

So what does that all even mean?  I’m trying to avoid ESR does that mean standard Firefox updates will go until July and then switch to ESR or what does this all mean it’s all very confusing for me.  I just want to know when I need to shut off updates entirely to avoid ESR because I don’t want to have to figure out how to save my passwords, bookmarks, and other stuff not to mention I was not able to get the Windows update installed on my PC that you must have to install Firefox 100 and up.  Luckily I already had Firefox installed prior to Firefox 100 release so Firefox updates itself without needing that update just fine, but if I was to uninstall Firefox and reinstall the installation would not go through because of that require Windows update being missing.  For some reason when I would do Windows updates they would totally crash my computer forcing me to have to bring back images I made through Macrium Reflect to a point I just gave up on them.  These issues started before March of 2019 and I haven’t been able to get Windows updates on my PC since so I’m missing alot of them, but surviving by having lots of Adware protection, malware protections, spyware protections and running Norton Power Eraser once in a while it works.   Please help me anyway possible and tell me when I need to cut off updates to Firefox to avoid ESR and maybe back up my PC it’s greatly appreciated.

I suppose you are running Windows 7. 64 bit or 32 bit?

You said you have not been able to install any Windows updates since March 2019. Have you tried to manually download the required SHA-2 updates from the Microsoft Update Catalog and install from that?

KB4490628 :
https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2019/03/windows6.1-kb4490628-x86_3cdb3df55b9cd7ef7fcb24fc4e237ea287ad0992.msu (32 bit)
https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2019/03/windows6.1-kb4490628-x64_d3de52d6987f7c8bdc2c015dca69eac96047c76e.msu (64 bit)

KB4474419 :
https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2019/09/windows6.1-kb4474419-v3-x86_0f687d50402790f340087c576886501b3223bec6.msu (32 bit)
https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2019/09/windows6.1-kb4474419-v3-x64_b5614c6cea5cb4e198717789633dca16308ef79c.msu (64 bit)

You have to install these 2 updates before you will be able to install further Windows updates (up to January 2020 without ESU).

The way this is going, my guess is that when Firefox ESR 115 is released (which according to the release calendar is supposed to be on July 4), then Firefox users running Windows 7 and 8.1 (and presumably their server counterparts 2008 R2 and 2012 R2 also) will be switched to the ESR channel when they perform an update, like when Windows XP Firefox users were switched to the ESR channel back in 2017.

If Mozilla does that, then I think it is an indicator that Firefox support for Windows 7 and 8.1 will last for one more year only and the next ESR version after 115 will no longer support Windows 7 and 8.1.

I don’t know why you are actively trying to avoid the ESR version. I have used Firefox ESR since 45 and am quite satisfied with it.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

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James Bond 007 wrote:

Kevin F. Lewallen wrote:

So what does that all even mean?  I’m trying to avoid ESR does that mean standard Firefox updates will go until July and then switch to ESR or what does this all mean it’s all very confusing for me.  I just want to know when I need to shut off updates entirely to avoid ESR because I don’t want to have to figure out how to save my passwords, bookmarks, and other stuff not to mention I was not able to get the Windows update installed on my PC that you must have to install Firefox 100 and up.  Luckily I already had Firefox installed prior to Firefox 100 release so Firefox updates itself without needing that update just fine, but if I was to uninstall Firefox and reinstall the installation would not go through because of that require Windows update being missing.  For some reason when I would do Windows updates they would totally crash my computer forcing me to have to bring back images I made through Macrium Reflect to a point I just gave up on them.  These issues started before March of 2019 and I haven’t been able to get Windows updates on my PC since so I’m missing alot of them, but surviving by having lots of Adware protection, malware protections, spyware protections and running Norton Power Eraser once in a while it works.   Please help me anyway possible and tell me when I need to cut off updates to Firefox to avoid ESR and maybe back up my PC it’s greatly appreciated.

I suppose you are running Windows 7. 64 bit or 32 bit?

You said you have not been able to install any Windows updates since March 2019. Have you tried to manually download the required SHA-2 updates from the Microsoft Update Catalog and install from that?

KB4490628 :
https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2019/03/windows6.1-kb4490628-x86_3cdb3df55b9cd7ef7fcb24fc4e237ea287ad0992.msu (32 bit)
https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2019/03/windows6.1-kb4490628-x64_d3de52d6987f7c8bdc2c015dca69eac96047c76e.msu (64 bit)

KB4474419 :
https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2019/09/windows6.1-kb4474419-v3-x86_0f687d50402790f340087c576886501b3223bec6.msu (32 bit)
https://catalog.s.download.windowsupdate.com/c/msdownload/update/software/secu/2019/09/windows6.1-kb4474419-v3-x64_b5614c6cea5cb4e198717789633dca16308ef79c.msu (64 bit)

You have to install these 2 updates before you will be able to install further Windows updates (up to January 2020 without ESU).

The way this is going, my guess is that when Firefox ESR 115 is released (which according to the release calendar is supposed to be on July 4), then Firefox users running Windows 7 and 8.1 (and presumably their server counterparts 2008 R2 and 2012 R2 also) will be switched to the ESR channel when they perform an update, like when Windows XP Firefox users were switched to the ESR channel back in 2017.

If Mozilla does that, then I think it is an indicator that Firefox support for Windows 7 and 8.1 will last for one more year only and the next ESR version after 115 will no longer support Windows 7 and 8.1.

I don’t know why you are actively trying to avoid the ESR version. I have used Firefox ESR since 45 and am quite satisfied with it.

My computer won’t even do updates downloaded from the Microsoft Update website.  I think I started having issues with Windows Updates when I switched to SSD’s.  I have two Samsung EVO SSD’s which I get random controller errors on when installing big files for some reason, or so it seems, but what’s weird is everything’s working fine.

All I know is when I install updates, it’ll get halfway and then freeze and never complete.  If I reboot my computer, Windows quits working and I have to restore a image I made with Macrium Reflect.  So I gave up on Windows updates.

According to my hidden update list I don’t have any updates from March 2019 going forward and can’t get them to install.  Maybe Microsoft was having fluky updates back then or maybe it was my computer?  I really don’t know but I don’t want to risk Windows Update messing my computer up again because restoring images puts wear and tear on the SSD’s (you can only write to them a certain limit then they’re dead.)

I think mine’s like 300TB and then they’re dead so I’m trying to keep them going as long as I can.  I’m also not a hundred percent sure our bank’s website will support ESR?  They say you must have the latest Firefox update to use their site and I’m not sure if that covers ESR or if it’s referring to standard Firefox updates.  I’m thinking about buying a cheap Windows 11 laptop just for our bank once ESR kicks in.

Reason I don’t want ESR is because:

1. If it doesn’t install directly through the Firefox updates, then it probably won’t work if I install it separately due to the missing Windows Updates.

2. I don’t want to have to figure out how to get all my bookmarks, passwords, and credit cards switched over to the ESR version.

3. I don’t know if the bank’s website will work with ESR.

So, I have my reasons and I’ve been very happy with the standard edition.  My mom is still on Windows XP with a ESR version, I think it’s something like 48.0.2, and it gives her all kinds of problems.  So yea, I don’t want ESR if I can help it.

Now I might consider it if, and only if, Firefox updates switch over to it without losing my bookmarks, passwords, and credit cards. If not, I don’t want it.  I mean when I do the rapid releases, everything comes back up as if I didn’t do a update even though I did and that’s the way ESR should work.  It installs and everything is still there bookmarks, passwords, and credit cards without having to redo anything.

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Firefox uses separate “user profiles” to store a user’s specific settings (like your bookmarks, passwords, credit cards, extensions, etc., etc.)

So, to have them all appear in Firefox ESR exactly as they do in your standard Firefox, you simply:

Install Firefox ESR and run it.

Open the Profile Manager by entering about:profiles in the address bar.

Select Create a New Profile

Click Choose Folder and browse to the location of your current Firefox profile.

Click Finish.

Close Firefox ESR and reopen it and everything from your “standard” Firefox install should be there.

BTW, to display the location of your standard Firefox install, open it and enter the same about:profiles in the address bar.

The location of your active profile will be displayed in the lower section where it says:

This is the profile in use and it cannot be deleted.

Note: the “Root Directory” location is the actual user profile. The “Local Directory” location only stores the disk cache and other temporary data.

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My computer won’t even do updates downloaded from the Microsoft Update website. I think I started having issues with Windows Updates when I switched to SSD’s. I have two Samsung EVO SSD’s which I get random controller errors on when installing big files for some reason, or so it seems, but what’s weird is everything’s working fine.

All I know is when I install updates, it’ll get halfway and then freeze and never complete. If I reboot my computer, Windows quits working and I have to restore a image I made with Macrium Reflect. So I gave up on Windows updates.

I see. So there are some serious problems with your Windows 7 installation to cause failure of Windows Updates. Short of a clean reinstallation of Windows 7 I don’t see how this can be resolved. Is it possible there are hardware problems such as with your SSDs?

Reason I don’t want ESR is because:

1. If it doesn’t install directly through the Firefox updates, then it probably won’t work if I install it separately due to the missing Windows Updates.

2. I don’t want to have to figure out how to get all my bookmarks, passwords, and credit cards switched over to the ESR version.

3. I don’t know if the bank’s website will work with ESR.

If a transition to Firefox ESR does happen in July, then it should be seamless as mentioned by Imacri, just like another Firefox minor update. All your current Firefox settings will be transitioned smoothly to the new ESR version. You can then continue to use Firefox ESR 115 on Windows 7 as if nothing significant happened. I have no idea if the lack of those SHA-2 updates will affect the update process in any way, though. But it does not seem likely as you seem to be able to update the regular version of Firefox so far.

As to your bank website, I can’t say for sure. But I have been using Firefox ESR to do online banking with my own bank, and it works perfectly fine.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

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Kevin F. Lewallen wrote:

Now I might consider it if, and only if, Firefox updates switch over to it without losing my bookmarks, passwords, and credit cards.

That’s exactly how ESR works!

See post #2551561 in the Why use Firefox ESR? topic.

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alejr wrote:

Firefox uses separate “user profiles” to store a user’s specific settings (like your bookmarks, passwords, credit cards, extensions, etc., etc.)

So, to have them all appear in Firefox ESR exactly as they do in your standard Firefox, you simply:

Install Firefox ESR and run it.

Open the Profile Manager by entering about:profiles in the address bar.

Select Create a New Profile

Click Choose Folder and browse to the location of your current Firefox profile.

Click Finish.

Close Firefox ESR and reopen it and everything from your “standard” Firefox install should be there.

BTW, to display the location of your standard Firefox install, open it and enter the same about:profiles in the address bar.

The location of your active profile will be displayed in the lower section where it says:

This is the profile in use and it cannot be deleted.

Note: the “Root Directory” location is the actual user profile. The “Local Directory” location only stores the disk cache and other temporary data.

alejr wrote:

Kevin F. Lewallen wrote:

Now I might consider it if, and only if, Firefox updates switch over to it without losing my bookmarks, passwords, and credit cards.

That’s exactly how ESR works!

See post #2551561 in the Why use Firefox ESR? topic.

What I might do is just keep doing standard Firefox the way I am now which is having updates off on Firefox through the registry and when new releases are released checking the compatibility for Windows 7 and then turning them back on and do the update and turn them back off  (see post #2542015).  I will do this up until the end of May or June and at either the end of May or June do a backup with Macrium Reflect right before July’s release.  I’m assuming the switch over to ESR would be July instead of June so I may do it the end of June instead of end of May.  Then when ESR rolls out if there’s any problems me going to it I can revert back to my Macrium Reflect image and it’d be like I never went to ESR, but if everything goes smoothly with the switch over then I won’t have to worry about turning updates off anymore and plus would still have a good backup of my PC for emergency cases.  As long as Firefox doesn’t make you download the ESR version separate and does the update through the update channel it should work fine, but if they make me download it separate and install it separate I can’t do that because of missing Windows Updates which I can’t do cause of crashes with them.  See right now I can update through the About Page just fine, but if I was to uninstall Firefox and reinstall it wouldn’t go because of the required missing Windows Updates that I can’t do nothing about.  My computers weird and hate me LOL.  So here’s where I stand on ESR I’ll keep doing what I’m doing for now do a backup again end of May or June see what the ESR version does if it installs through the About Page or makes you download it separate if it does it through the About Page successfully and all bookmarks, passwords, and credit cards are there I may go ahead and use it.  I just hope there isn’t to many differences between standard Firefox and ESR!?  And again I’d have a backup in the event things go horribly wrong.

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James Bond 007 wrote:

I suppose you are running Windows 7. 64 bit or 32 bit?

Please answer James Bond 007’s question about which Windows OS you use. As they noted, if you have a Win 7 SP1 OS and haven’t installed KB4474419 released on 23-Sep-2019 to add SHA-2 support (as well it’s pre-requisite KB4490628 if this Servicing Stack Update isn’t already installed) this will not only prevent Windows Update from delivering newer updates signed with a SHA -2 digital certificate, but many other programs will stop updating as well. You mentioned Norton in your post # 2551287, so if you use Norton 360 or some other Norton security program see my Dec 2021 posts in the Norton forum thread Windows 7 Install Failure about how Norton products will also not update past v22.21.3 on Win 7 SP1 computers until KB4474419 is installed.

Kevin F. Lewallen wrote:

So yea, I don’t want ESR if I can help it. Now I might consider it if, and only if, Firefox updates switch over to it without losing my bookmarks, passwords, and credit cards.

If Mozilla automatically switched you from Firefox v115 to Firefox ESR v115 in July 2023 (which will not happen now due to their decision to delay the automatic switch to at least 2024 Q3) then the transition would be seamless and would not affect your bookmarks or other important data like passwords, site-specific preferences and custom search engines, and your browser extensions would not be removed.  See the comments I posted today in post # 2551561 of WCHS’s Why use Firefox ESR? about my automatic transition to Firefox ESR v52.x on my old Vista SP2 computer back in 2017.

However, the Mozilla support article Switch to Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR) for Personal Use notes that you have to create a new Firefox profile for Firefox ESR if you switch from a higher version of the “regular” Firefox (e.g., if you switched today from the current Firefox v112 to Firefox ESR v102.10 which were both released 11-Apr-2023). The good news is that restoring your bookmarks and any other important data you wanted to keep should be relatively simple. For example, if you switched today you could simply backup your bookmarks as a .json file at Bookmarks | Manage Bookmarks | Import and Backup | Backup and then restore them into your new user profile (see Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer).  You could also copy and paste other important data files you didn’t want to re-create for passwords, site-specific preferences, custom search engines, etc. from your old profile (see Recovering important data from an old profile). Unfortunately, if you switched today to a lower version of Firefox ESR and needed to create a new Firefox user profile I believe you would have to reinstall your browser extensions from the Mozilla AMO store at https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/.

Kevin F. Lewallen wrote:

My mom is still on Windows XP with a ESR version, I think it’s something like 48.0.2, and it gives her all kinds of problems.

That might be because Firefox ESR v52.9.0 (rel. 26-Jun-2016) is the final legacy version for Win XP and Vista. If required, the English-US installer (Firefox Setup 52.9.0esr.exe) is available at https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/52.9.0esr/win32/en-US/. Full offline installers for all regions and languages of Firefox v52.9.0 are available at https://archive.mozilla.org/pub/firefox/releases/52.9.0esr/win32/.

Kevin F. Lewallen wrote:

These issues started before March of 2019 and I haven’t been able to get Windows updates on my PC since so I’m missing alot of them, but surviving by having lots of Adware protection, malware protections, spyware protections and running Norton Power Eraser once in a while it works.

I would strongly advise against running Norton Power Eraser (NPE). NPE is a very aggressive scanner that is designed to be used as a rescue tool in emergency situations when your operating system becomes unstable or you believe you have deeply embedded malware that cannot be detected by a standard antivirus / anti-malware scan. The warning on the NPE home page at https://us.norton.com/support/tools/npe.html states “… Norton Power Eraser uses our most aggressive scanning technology to eliminate threats that traditional virus scanning doesn’t always detect, so you can get your PC back. Because Norton Power Eraser is an aggressive virus removal tool, it may mark a legitimate program for removal…” and I know of a few users in the Norton forum who reported that NPE removed or corrupted important Windows system files and registry entries that left their system unbootable.

If you need to run a second-opinion on-demand scanner to look for malware or PUPs (potentially unwanted programs like adware, scareware, unwanted browser toolbars, etc.) missed by your real-time antivirus protection I’d suggest running the occasional Threat Scan with Malwarebytes Free for Windows.  See the instructions I posted in the Jan 2023 Norton thread Constant pop-ups since trojan quarantined, which notes that Win 7 SP1 users must have KB4474419 installed if they want to run the latest Malwarebytes v4.5.x products since newer Malwarebytes products also require SHA-2 support.

Sadly, it appears that Malwarebytes will be discontinuing support for the legacy Malwarebytes v3.5.1 for Win XP, Vista and Win 7 SP0 (i.e., Win 7 without Service Pack 1 and/or KB4474419) soon per employee AdvancedSetup’s 29-Mar-2023 post in the Malwarebytes thread Legacy 3.5.1.2522 – sudden “Red Triangle” “Your updates are not current”.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v112.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2302.7-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.26.259-1.0.1976 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279

1 user thanked author for this post.

Cybertooth

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If Mozilla automatically switched you from Firefox v115 to Firefox ESR v115 in July 2023 (which will not happen now due to their decision to delay the automatic switch to at least 2024 Q3) then the transition would be seamless and would not affect your bookmarks or other important data like passwords, site-specific preferences and custom search engines, and your browser extensions would not be removed.

Hello, Imacri. Are you certain about the transition “won’t happen now”?

According to the bugzilla post, it said :

We will not be ending support for Windows 7/Windows 8 before the release of the Firefox 115 ESR, so the Firefox 115 ESR will support Windows 7/Windows 8 at least until 3Q 2024.”

It only mentioned that Firefox ESR 115 will support Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, but it does not say anything about the regular version of Firefox.

It seems to me that Mozilla has not made a final decision about whether Firefox 116 and beyond will support Windows 7 and 8.1. As of now it only promises Windows 7 and 8.1 support in Firefox ESR 115, and nothing else. If it decides that Firefox 116 and above will still be supported on Windows 7 and 8.1, then I would agree with you about the ESR transition “not happening now”. In my opinion it is entirely possible that Firefox versions beyond 115 will no longer support Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, and Mozilla will then transition Windows 7 and 8.1 Firefox users to the ESR channel when Firefox 115 is released in July. If that is the case then Windows 7 and 8.1 users will be switched to ESR to remain supported, while Windows 10 and 11 users will still be able to choose between regular and ESR Firefox as they like.

Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.

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James Bond 007 wrote:

Are you certain about the transition “won’t happen now”? …It only mentioned that Firefox ESR 115 will support Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, but it does not say anything about the regular version of Firefox.

Hi James Bond 007:

No, I’m not absolutely certain (back in Nov 2022 I actually suggested in post # 2494375 that July 2023 would be the best time for Mozilla to transition Win 7 / Win 8 users to Firefox ESR), but if Mozilla hasn’t made a decision yet about the fate of the “regular” edition of Firefox on Win 7 / Win 8 then they’re leaving it pretty late.  The release of FF ESR v115 is just a few months away, and when the Firefox browser on my Vista SP2 machine was automatically transitioned from FF v51 to FF ESR v52 back in Mar 2017 I was given at least six months notice (for example, see the Sept 2016 ghacks.net article Firefox 53: No Support for Windows XP or Vista).

If the automatic switch to Firefox ESR v115 does happen in July 2023, then I believe that it should be a seamless transition for most user Win 7 / Win 8 users. If Kevin F. Lewallen’s “regular” Firefox v112 is currently working on their Win 7 machine then I don’t know why a switch to Firefox ESR v115 in July 2023 would cause any problems, but given all the other issues Kevin has with their system I can understand why they’re concerned.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v112.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2302.7-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.26.259-1.0.1976 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279

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lmacri wrote:

Sadly, it appears that Malwarebytes will be discontinuing support for the legacy Malwarebytes v3.5.1 for Win XP, Vista and Win 7 SP0 (i.e., Win 7 without Service Pack 1 and/or KB4474419) soon per employee AdvancedSetup’s 29-Mar-2023 post in the Malwarebytes thread Legacy 3.5.1.2522 – sudden “Red Triangle” “Your updates are not current”.

If and when this fine program stops working on Windows 7, Kevin F. Lewallen (and of course anybody else on that OS) can still use the ESET Online Scanner, which I highly recommend. It’s unknown to me, however, for how long ESET will keep supporting this tool on Win7. Also, be aware that current versions of EOS do require the two Win7 patches that @lmacri recommends, according to this post on the ESET forum.

I can also endorse the F-Secure Online Scanner, which is very fast.

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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Cybertooth wrote:

If and when this fine program stops working on Windows 7, Kevin F. Lewallen (and of course anybody else on that OS) can still use the ESET Online Scanner, which I highly recommend.

Hi Cybertooth:

Just to clarify, Malwarebytes has no foreseeable plans to discontinue support for the current Malwarebytes v4.5.x (available at https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download) on Win 7 SP1 machines as long as the user has installed KB4474419 and has SHA-2 support. I was only noting that support for the legacy Malwarebytes v3.5.1 (intended for Win XP / Vista machines that do not have SHA-2 support) is likely ending soon.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v112.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2302.7-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.26.259-1.0.1976 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279

1 user thanked author for this post.

Cybertooth

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(Moderator edit to reduce space)

Okay okay I’m using Windows 7 SP1 Ultimate 64bit.  And here’s what I really want to know and nobody seems to be answering my question correctly when are they stopping Windows 7 support for the standard Firefox releases I’m currently receiving now is in in July!?!?!?  Is it 2024!?!?!?!  When will we be forced to go to ESR as I was hearing July!?!?!?!?!?  All I want to do is get a backup on my PC before ESR is issued out in case when it installs something goes horribly wrong with my PC.  I want to catch it before ESR is installed basically.  I cannot, repeat, cannot install KB4474419 or KB4490628 without it crashing my PC and me having to restore a Macrium Reflect image so don’t even ask it won’t happen as I’ve tried and tried and updates now crash my PC I don’t know if it’s a fluke with my SSD’s or the controller or what, but I do get controller issues from time to time in the events log, but what’s weird everything seems to run fine and acting fine, but it happens when transferring big files or install programs hence why I think it crashes Windows Updates it didn’t do it with my regular HDD’s, but then again it might of I can’t remember as it’s been like 3 to 4 years ago.  Anyway I just want to know when their stopping Windows 7 support for standard Firefox if it’s July or later and when ESR will be issued that’s all I need to know and then I can handle the rest on my own after knowing these answers.

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I’ve not seen any details as to end of support – and specifically one as so exact as your needs.

You’ll know when it stops working – is the best answer right now.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady

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Kevin F. Lewallen wrote:

I’m using Windows 7 SP1 Ultimate 64bit. And here’s what I really want to know and nobody seems to be answering my question correctly when are they stopping Windows 7 support for the standard Firefox releases I’m currently receiving now is in in July!?!?!? Is it 2024!?!?!?! When will we be forced to go to ESR…

Hi Kevin F. Lewallen:

The short answer is that we don’t know yet.

Please follow the links in James Bond 007’s 10-Apr-2023 post # 2551173. If you read Martin Brinkmann’s 28-Mar-2023 ghacks.net article Firefox to Support Windows 7 and 8 Systems Well Into 2024 at Least that was mentioned in that post then you know as much as we do – that Mozilla “will not be ending support for Windows 7 / Windows 8 before the release of the Firefox 115 ESR” (which occurs on 04-Jul-2023).

According to that ghacks.net article Firefox ESR v115 will be supported for about 15 releases / 60 weeks, so for now all we know is that Win 7 / Win 8 users will be able to use a Firefox ESR browser “until the third quarter of 2024 at the minimum” and that “Mozilla did not commit to ending support then, keeping its options open. Factors, such as the number of users and organizations who use Firefox on Windows 7 or 8.1 devices, will play a role in determining the fate of the browser then for these systems“.

What happens to your “standard” version of Firefox between 04-Jul-2023 and the third quarter of 2024 is still anyone’s guess right now. I’d suggest you occasionally check Mozilla’s Bugzilla ID # 1594270 (win7-eol) for status updates, since that seems to be the most likely place where decisions about Firefox support for Win 7 / Win 8 will be posted.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v112.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2302.7-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.26.259-1.0.1976 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279

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Go here:   https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/firefox-and-firefox-esr-updates/#post-2551183

 

Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake as soon as you make it again.

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lmacri wrote:

Kevin F. Lewallen wrote:

I’m using Windows 7 SP1 Ultimate 64bit. And here’s what I really want to know and nobody seems to be answering my question correctly when are they stopping Windows 7 support for the standard Firefox releases I’m currently receiving now is in in July!?!?!? Is it 2024!?!?!?! When will we be forced to go to ESR…

Hi Kevin F. Lewallen:

The short answer is that we don’t know yet.

Please follow the links in James Bond 007’s 10-Apr-2023 post # 2551173. If you read Martin Brinkmann’s 28-Mar-2023 ghacks.net article Firefox to Support Windows 7 and 8 Systems Well Into 2024 at Least that was mentioned in that post then you know as much as we do – that Mozilla “will not be ending support for Windows 7 / Windows 8 before the release of the Firefox 115 ESR” (which occurs on 04-Jul-2023).

According to that ghacks.net article Firefox ESR v115 will be supported for about 15 releases / 60 weeks, so for now all we know is that Win 7 / Win 8 users will be able to use a Firefox ESR browser “until the third quarter of 2024 at the minimum” and that “Mozilla did not commit to ending support then, keeping its options open. Factors, such as the number of users and organizations who use Firefox on Windows 7 or 8.1 devices, will play a role in determining the fate of the browser then for these systems“.

What happens to your “standard” version of Firefox between 04-Jul-2023 and the third quarter of 2024 is still anyone’s guess right now. I’d suggest you occasionally check Mozilla’s Bugzilla ID # 1594270 (win7-eol) for status updates, since that seems to be the most likely place where decisions about Firefox support for Win 7 / Win 8 will be posted.
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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v112.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2302.7-1.1.20200.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.26.259-1.0.1976 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279

Thank you so based on what I’m seeing I need to make a backup before July 4th just in case or as least that’s my take at this point.  This backup would be a emergency recovery backup in case something went wrong with the update on July 4th rather it be switching to ESR or not it’s a just in case backup.  I can even prolong me getting a backup if I like beyond July 4th by turning Firefox update off if I want to until I truly know what’s going on, but from everything I’m understanding July 4th is the main date to wonder what truly will happen.  Also from what I read earlier it mentioned not ending support for Windows 7/8 before ESR 115 so that also makes me presume July 4th is the date the date we all know what happens.

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Kevin F. Lewallen wrote:

…I cannot, repeat, cannot install KB4474419 or KB4490628 without it crashing my PC and me having to restore a Macrium Reflect image[…]

Kevin, if the issue stems from a hardware problem with your SSD, then an alternative approach might be to put a Macrium Reflect image of your system on a fresh new SSD, or on a new HDD, then boot it up to see if the crashes disappear when you try to update Windows 7.

Keep Running Windows 7 Safely for Years to Come  
Make Windows 10 look and work like Windows 7

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lmacri wrote:

… it would make more sense to me if they did this around 04-Jul-2023 when Firefox 115 and Firefox ESR 115 are both scheduled to start rolling out …

From Martin Brinkmann’s 30-May-2023 ghacks.net Mozilla Confirms Firefox’s End of Support for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 Systems, which states in part:

“Mozilla plans to migrate Firefox Stable users on these three Windows versions to the Firefox ESR channel when Firefox 115 is released. This happens automatically and this special version of Firefox ESR will receive security updates until September 2024, its end of support date…This means that Firefox users on these operating systems won’t receive any new features implemented in Firefox after the release of Firefox 115, which Mozilla plans to release on July 4, 2023.

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Dell Inspiron 5584 * 64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2965 * Firefox v113.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2304.8-1.1.20300.3 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.29.268-1.0.2022 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279

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