Help! How do I stop a pending update in Firefox?
I had to 'Refresh' Firefox 49.0.2 because of recent very slow startup. This cured my problem but I had to re-customize my toolbar layout etc. I had previously saved a screen shot and everything was working fine again but the auto update got automatically turned on instead of the 'ask' option I had set. The next day Firefox ran fine but 'about' says 'Restart to update Firefox' presumably to 57 since I am now on v56 . I am using Windows 7 Pro 32bit, clean installed last year on a 2005 Dell XPS gen4 so I'm not sure v57 would run well on this. I would prefer stay on v56 for now (why did it auto update to 56 instead of 56.0.2??) unless some websites don't work properly and I an forced to revert back to an earlier version.
I already unchecked 'Use background service to install updates' but it still shows pending update. I am afraid to quit Firefox since it might install v57 upon restart. Where is the update file located so I can delete it??
Thanks
Chosen solution
A similar thing happened to me when I was on Firefox 56 waiting for one of my extensions to finish updating for Firefox 57. So I had to figure out where it was:
Open this path by pasting it into the Windows 7 Start menu search box and pressing Enter:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Mozilla\updates
Here you can see folders for any staged updates that will install on your next Firefox restart. In my very limited experience, if you delete the folders, then Firefox forgets all about this update until it checks again.
Note: This doesn't mean you should continue using Firefox 49! Err, 56.
Read this answer in context 👍 2All Replies (4)
It's a forced update to 57. ver 56 and below are no longer supported and are insecure. Since waiting to update do this below.
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/export-firefox-bookmarks-to-backup-or-transfer
- https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/back-and-restore-information-firefox-profiles
Then let it update as can not stop it.
Please let us know if this solved your issue or if need further assistance.
After the update,
First, Type about:preferences#advanced<enter> in the address bar. Under Advanced, Select Update.
[v56+] Type about:preferences#general<enter> in the address bar. Select Update.
Select Never Check For Updates.
Also turn off Use a background service to install updates
Install Older Version Of Firefox {web link} Be sure to read everything here.
If you still want to downgrade, look under; I still want to downgrade. Click the Directory of other versions and languages link. Look for the directory of the version that you want. But, remember that old versions may have security issues.
You should also check out Firefox; Extended Support Release {web link} ESR Notes System Requirements
So are you saying that my old version 49.0.2 was more secure than 56??
I have Norton Internet Security which occasionally stops a website from installing things and have not had any problems. I have not been thrilled with some of the recent updates causing slowdowns to this computer, i.e. Thunderbird adding the calendar feature and then taking a long time (18 seconds) to load.
My 2010 Imac updated itself to v57 and runs fine but but this W7 PC is only a Pentium4 with Hyperthreading, not a dual-core. I don't want Pocket, Hello or any other features installed that I won't use
Modified by MikeZZ
Chosen Solution
A similar thing happened to me when I was on Firefox 56 waiting for one of my extensions to finish updating for Firefox 57. So I had to figure out where it was:
Open this path by pasting it into the Windows 7 Start menu search box and pressing Enter:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Mozilla\updates
Here you can see folders for any staged updates that will install on your next Firefox restart. In my very limited experience, if you delete the folders, then Firefox forgets all about this update until it checks again.
Note: This doesn't mean you should continue using Firefox 49! Err, 56.
Modified by jscher2000 - Support Volunteer