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Old 07-23-2004, 10:45 AM   #1 (permalink)
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Changing default browser for one user, but not another..

How can this be done?

I prefer Firefox while my g/f prefers IE.

When I start up Firefox, it asks me if I would like to set it as my default browser. I click "Yes", but when my g/f logs in and loads up IE, THAT asks he "Would you like to make IE your default browser?" Of course, she clicks "Yes", which starts the whole cycle again next time I login.

We're on XP Pro and our usernames are totally separate, so why is it setting it at a sysem-wide (local machine) level? Is there a way I can isolate this to a per-user (local user) level?
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Old 07-23-2004, 11:14 AM   #2 (permalink)
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This was an error in Firefox. They fixed it recently, but I think it was after the 0.9.2 release. Hold on, I'll go check...

... OK, it was Bug 235380 - Use HKCU instead of HKLM for default browser settings on XP. Looks like it was fixed at the end of June. It isn't in 0.9.2, so I'd recommend installing yesterday's nightly build (20040722); it is quite solid.

Index of /pub/mozilla.org/firefox/nightly/2004-07-22-10-0.9
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Last edited by redlemon; 07-23-2004 at 11:22 AM..
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Old 07-23-2004, 03:33 PM   #3 (permalink)
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Okay the problem is human, not machine. If your g/f didn't "like" IE you'd be fine.

My wife didn't "like" firefox either, not because of firefox, but because she knew how to use IE well and did not want to relearn on another browser.

I had been trying to get her to try the fox, to no avail. When the recent rash of security problems came out, I said that's enough. She's not computer ignorant, so I told her that with all the flaws in IE, I'm very not comfortable using IE to pay our bills online, and I'd like her to change over to the fox.

I installed it, added some really cool extensions, and made absolutely sure her bookmarks and all made it over to firefox. That was easy because firefox grabs the suff basically for you. Granted, I re-sorted it all out of the "imported from IE" bookmarks folder manually.
After I was sure the fox was up and working with her bookmarks and passwords I sat down with her at the computer.

Soon after, Melissa realized that she didn't have to relearn how to use a browser, and that her bookmarks were even easier to use with the bookmarks toolbar folder she was excited about the fox. Then I showed her that she could do a right-click highlight and dictionary/google search on any word/s in a page she got more excited about Firefox. Once I showed her how easy it is to change skins, it was all over, she loved the fox too. (I installed every skin available at the time of install, so all she had to do was choose!!)

The reasons she was opposed to trying a new browser, and thought she 'liked' IE were:

She was afraid her compute tech hubby would make her feel stupid with some overly-complicated browser that only a geek would love.
She was not willing to re-learn how to do something she'd been doing for years by herself. She didn't know how much she already knew, and that switching browsers is easy to do.
She did NOT accept losing any of her bookmarks as possibility. She wanted them all there, in the browser, the way she had them. BTW---she was really happy that not only did she learn to use Firefox's bookmark manager by herself, but that it was MUCH better than IE's options.

Melissa is very happy that popups are a thing of the past, she's loving tabbed browsing and the ability to open a google search in a new tab with a right click-highlight of any word on a page. She's also sure that her Firefox looks better than mine, because her applied skin is 'better.' That's still open to discussion!


When we were done, I removed all the shortcuts to IE. If she wants to use it, she's going to have to find it in the programs folder. I did that because even though she said she'd be using the fox, I wanted it to be the easiest option to use. (That's something I've learned about users, find thier REAL concern, address it, then make sure the agreed upon course of action is the easiest to use. Even if it means making the old way more difficult than striclty necessary.)
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Old 07-24-2004, 05:23 AM   #4 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally posted by redlemon
This was an error in Firefox. They fixed it recently, but I think it was after the 0.9.2 release. Hold on, I'll go check...

... OK, it was Bug 235380 - Use HKCU instead of HKLM for default browser settings on XP. Looks like it was fixed at the end of June. It isn't in 0.9.2, so I'd recommend installing yesterday's nightly build (20040722); it is quite solid.

Index of /pub/mozilla.org/firefox/nightly/2004-07-22-10-0.9
Hm, still seems to be doing it. Any ideas?


Quote:
Originally posted by billege
Okay the problem is human, not machine. If your g/f didn't "like" IE you'd be fine.
Anti-MS politics aside, it's a problem with the machine. Mozilla and IE should be able to co-exist on the same machine as different settings for different user. I could care less what browser my g/f uses.
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Old 07-24-2004, 06:25 AM   #5 (permalink)
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There's politics, then there are huge freakin security problems.

One matters to me, one does not.

While I'm at it, default browser is a machine setting, not a per user setting. You're screwed.
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Old 07-26-2004, 07:10 AM   #6 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally posted by Stompy
Hm, still seems to be doing it. Any ideas?
Perhaps the 'old style' key is still stuck, and the 'new style' key isn't enough to override it. Could you undo the regstry stuff by hand and see if that does it? (I'm talking out of my ass here, BTW.)
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Old 07-26-2004, 09:39 AM   #7 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally posted by billege
There's politics, then there are huge freakin security problems.

One matters to me, one does not.

While I'm at it, default browser is a machine setting, not a per user setting. You're screwed.
Umm... I don't think so. I'm using W2K. I installed Netscape for my wife and Opera for me. html opens netscrape under my wife's profile and opera under mine.
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Old 07-27-2004, 09:56 PM   #8 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally posted by tropple
Umm... I don't think so. I'm using W2K. I installed Netscape for my wife and Opera for me. html opens netscrape under my wife's profile and opera under mine.
Okay, you know what? When W2K magically turns into XP Pro, which Stompy says he's using, then you can tell me I'm wrong. Okay? Thanks.

(edit---- part of me wants to apologize for the sarcasm, but the part of me that loves hearing "hey, I'm using a <i>different piece of software</i> and it works for me, so you're wrong," won't let me.)

I did my research before I told him he's screwed. Now, I could have explained it at the time, but I was tired, grumpy, and maybe that prevented me from being as fluffy as I usually am to my users. I could have been nicer. Now I'm going to explain with links and text why with XP Pro, he's screwed. K?

*off to use the edit window*

Here is the straight dope from Microsoft:
"By default, Windows XP uses a global setting in the HKeyLocalMachine (HKLM) Registry key to set an initial, default e-mail and Web browser client from the Start menu." Like I SAID: It's a machine setting, not per user. You're screwed.

Further MS says "You can programmatically change the defaults for the system or individually for each user."
Doen't that sound like fun?

For the whole story from MS's Knowledge base click and be transported.

I did find this little application is supposed to do the grunt work for you, and allow per user default browser settings.

That utility, and the same discussion btw, is happening over at this forum. They seem to have found the same utility I did. For some it works, for others it doesn't. Best of luck.

To sum up, Stompy was right, it's a problem with the machine. MS should have made it much easier to select default browser and email client (which is just as difficult to change per user), but they didn't. However, MS, loves MS products, so we're lucky we can use different default browsers at all. As a result, as far as I've searched, it's actually impossible for a normal non-code altering user to set different browsers per user. If anyone can find a way, I'd be interested in hearing how it's done. My curiosity is piqued, if I find a way, I'll report back.

further edit--- I just finished trawling through Tweak UI and didn't find any help there....I'll go look at the registry and see if I can find anything there.
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Last edited by billege; 07-28-2004 at 12:25 AM..
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Old 07-28-2004, 03:43 AM   #9 (permalink)
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Well, golly gee whiz, there billege. You know what, forgive me for making a mistake your holiness.
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