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.

Firefox fails default browser check despite (apparently) correct settings.

  • 4 replies
  • 4 have this problem
  • 6 views
  • Last reply by farci

Richard_B
Richard_B
more options

Firefox version 31.0; Windows 8.1

Firefox began to display the " Firefox is not currently set as your default browser" message every time I start the program, despite having apparently set the Firefox preferences and the Windows Default Programs settings for Firefox to open every file type and protocol it is able.

After answering " Yes" to the query " Would you like to make it your default browser?" the Firefox dialog box closes and what I believe is a Windows-generated pop-up opens asking which program I wish to use in the future to open "these types of files?" My choices are Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Other.

Firefox is the default program for htm, html, shtml, xht, and xhtml file types, and for FTP, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols -- as verified by Control Panel::Default Programs::Set Default Programs::Set Program Associations. While Internet Explorer is not the default program for any of these file types or protocols, it is default for the following: mht, mhtml, partial, svg, url, and website, as well as MK and RES. None of the Microsoft tools in Control Panel can modify or delete the associations for Internet Explorer.

This behavior began after recent Windows updates, including two specifically for Internet Explorer (KB2966826 and KB2974008.) Because I was using the recommended setting to allow Windows to automatically install all updates, I did not have a history of System Restore Points to permit backing out updates to a previous known-good state.

I strongly suspect that one or more of the recent Windows updates is the culprit, as similar behavior involving Thunderbird began at the same time.

Any thoughts?

Richard

Firefox version 31.0; Windows 8.1 Firefox began to display the " Firefox is not currently set as your default browser" message every time I start the program, despite having apparently set the Firefox preferences and the Windows Default Programs settings for Firefox to open every file type and protocol it is able. After answering " Yes" to the query " Would you like to make it your default browser?" the Firefox dialog box closes and what I believe is a Windows-generated pop-up opens asking which program I wish to use in the future to open "these types of files?" My choices are Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Other. Firefox is the default program for htm, html, shtml, xht, and xhtml file types, and for FTP, HTTP, and HTTPS protocols -- as verified by Control Panel::Default Programs::Set Default Programs::Set Program Associations. While Internet Explorer is not the default program for any of these file types or protocols, it is default for the following: mht, mhtml, partial, svg, url, and website, as well as MK and RES. None of the Microsoft tools in Control Panel can modify or delete the associations for Internet Explorer. This behavior began after recent Windows updates, including two specifically for Internet Explorer (KB2966826 and KB2974008.) Because I was using the recommended setting to allow Windows to automatically install all updates, I did not have a history of System Restore Points to permit backing out updates to a previous known-good state. I strongly suspect that one or more of the recent Windows updates is the culprit, as similar behavior involving Thunderbird began at the same time. Any thoughts? Richard

All Replies (4)

FredMcD
FredMcD
more options

Click on your Windows Start button, select Run, then enter www.ask.com, or whatever you like. What browser opens?

farci
farci
more options

I can find no other suggested remedy since the original questions in 2014 but I suffer from the same problem. Any more ideas, please?

Richard_B
Richard_B Question owner
more options

nothing that I could find would solve my problem, so I just gave up trying...

then I had a group of Microsoft Updates badly interact with each other, causing me all kinds of stability problems involving SQL and printer drivers.

To fix those issues, I backed out all updates within the prior two months, then [slowly and painfully!] reinstalled them -- when done in groups, you can tell how Microsoft corrects bad updates by noting which ones are not reinstalled.

I also had to download and install every single MS SQL update available before everything that was broken worked again. Note that none of the updates had titles that suggested anything at all to do with web browsing (other than Internet Explorer) or Firefox.

There was also at least one Firefox update shortly after my re-installation of Windows Updates.

Funny thing happened along that path: as of today (version 32.0.1) has none of the problems I reported, but I cannot say for certain which change fixed them: I was far more concerned fixing SQL and printer issues to even test Firefox for default file association settings.

Sorry that I cannot be more useful, other than the general suggestions to: (1) keep your system fully updated with all patches (2) keep your anti-virus, anti-malware, and anti-spybot software current as well (3) keep any program that uses HTML and other browser protocols also up to date (4) take regular snapshots of your registry, and create a system restore point before every system and software update, so you can more easily back out problems (5) keep the installation package(s) for prior version(s) of software (and Windows Update files) at least until you verify an update hasn't broken anything.

Hope that helps.

--Richard

farci
farci
more options

Richard - thanks for your detailed reply.

I'm just an ordinary small business user so I'm really looking for a solution somewhat more simple than this.

To be frank, I stopped using Firefox for about 12 months due to several niggling issues which made it very unstable. I went to Chrome which worked much better BUT now I can't open URLs from Outlook 2010 with Chrome so returned to Firefox and got this and other attendant issues.

Some days life just sucks...