This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Avatar for Username

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

This thread was archived. Please ask a new question if you need help.

Context: windows 10, thunderbird 45.2.0 - updates are not installing because the interface is not prompting for admin password.

JayinRedhook
JayinRedhook
more options

We are new to Windows 10 and created an admin user (to protect us from ourselves) and a standard user. The standard user is the USER of Thunderbird but so far updates to 45.2.0 are not going on. We get a pop up message saying that the user doesn't have the authority to do the update. Other programs we use have, like other levels of windows, prompted us for the admin password before proceeding with an update (as standard user). We would have expected Thunderbird to do this also.

Is there a problem in Thunderbird or is there something basic about the Windows 10/Thunderbird management interface that we don't understand?

Reminder that we have not and have no reason to configure Thunderbird on our admin user. Thanks!

We are new to Windows 10 and created an admin user (to protect us from ourselves) and a standard user. The standard user is the USER of Thunderbird but so far updates to 45.2.0 are not going on. We get a pop up message saying that the user doesn't have the authority to do the update. Other programs we use have, like other levels of windows, prompted us for the admin password before proceeding with an update (as standard user). We would have expected Thunderbird to do this also. Is there a problem in Thunderbird or is there something basic about the Windows 10/Thunderbird management interface that we don't understand? Reminder that we have not and have no reason to configure Thunderbird on our admin user. Thanks!

Chosen solution

We are seeing more of these types of issues, but as far as we were aware, Thunderbird "just updated using the Mozilla updater. Even on limited user accounts.

I could raise a bug, but are you skilled enough to answer technical questions?

Read this answer in context 👍 1

All Replies (2)

Matt
Matt
  • Moderator
  • Top 10 Contributor
more options

Chosen Solution

We are seeing more of these types of issues, but as far as we were aware, Thunderbird "just updated using the Mozilla updater. Even on limited user accounts.

I could raise a bug, but are you skilled enough to answer technical questions?

JayinRedhook
JayinRedhook Question owner
more options

Hmmm....I believe I can (not delving into the code but describing the environment and our experience with various attempts to solve this). Your comment about the Mozilla updater causes me to add these facts:

  • Firefox is set to "check for updates but let me choose to install them". Those updates work as expected, presenting a request to enter the admin password.
  • Thunderbird had been set to "automatically install updates". Since that failed (with a pop-up box that said, in essence, you don't have permission to do this - contact administrator, etc.etc.) I started looking for a reason.

Yesterday (before your reply) I changed the Thunderbird setting to "check for updates but let me choose to install them". I also followed the direction at the end of the error message "you can always get the latest version of Thunderbird at www.getthunderbird.com. That spot, of course is the same as an initial install of Thunderbird. I didn't think I wanted to install the whole thing again, so I waited a bit to see what else I'd get from the new update setting or the support forum.

Later, there was a pop-up that said there was a later version but it presented the more familiar path - blacked out screen with a message box in the center prompting for the admin password. Following that process, I once again got to the download site. This time, I just proceeded to do the (apparently) full install and it worked fine.

So is the problem with the "automatically install" path only? Shouldn't the pop-up about "you don't have permissions" really be the "do you want to install this?, 'give me the admin password'"?

Tell me more about the "use a background service to install updates". That is checked in Firefox, but not in Thunderbird. That may be a clue. (The old computer is dead and buried so I can't check its options.)

Thanks.