Question:

I'm running Mozilla version 1.4 and want to install the v1.5 GA release. I don't want to lose all my settings. Can I just install over the current 1.4 installation?

Answer:

Conventional wisdom is that one can not install v1.5 over and existing v1.4x installation. The recommended method is to install to a fresh directory and create new profiles. Mr. KIA has chosen to defy conventional wisdom.

Here's how he did it.

First, you'll need some backups just in case you spill coffee on the motherboard or something unexpected happens during the install.

• Empty the Mozilla caches to reduce the backup sizes.
• Shut down any running instanaces of Mozilla.
• Back up the content of the Mozilla application directory tree.
• If you use the MOZ_PROFILES variable, back up the content of the Mozilla profile directory tree.
• If you use the MOZ_PLUGIN_PATH variable, back up the content of the Plugins directory.

Next, prepare the Mozilla application directory for the install.

• Using your favorite file manager, clear the archive flags for all files in the Mozilla application directory tree. This will allow you to find the files the install does not modify.
• If you are not using the MOZ_PROFILES variable, your user profiles are in the Mozilla application tree. If so, set the archive flags for all the files in the Profiles subdirectory tree.
• If you are not using the MOZ_PLUGIN_PATH variable, your plug-in DLLs are in the Mozilla application tree. If so, set the archive flags for all the files in the Plugins directory.
• Delete secmod.db from each of your user profiles. This file contains embedded DLL pathnames and the v1.4x DLLs are not compatible with Mozilla v1.5x. This is because of the switch from the VAC compiler to the GCC compiler. Mozilla will rebuild secmod.db next time you start it up. If you actually imported any PKS#11 keys into secmod.db, then you will need to import them into the newly created secmod.db.
• Delete xul.mfl from each of your user profiles. Mozilla is supposed to know when to rebuild this file. We are just making it easy for Mozilla to know it must rebuild the file.

Now you are ready to install. If for some reason you have not yet downloaded a copy of v1.5, go to Mozilla OS/2 Ports and download it now. Don't forget to download the GCC runtime DLLs and read the read.me.

• Unzip the 1.5 release into the application directory using:

    unzip -o
  

  This will force every file to be extracted and will overwrite any files that already exist.
• Unzip the GCC runtime DLLs into the Mozilla directory. These DLLs are still in beta and may change in the next Mozilla release, so the Mozilla directory is the best place to install these files for now.

To finish up, you need to delete the obsolete files. If you don't the typical result will be an application trap or hang when you try to start Mozilla.

Using your file manager, find all the files in the Mozilla application directory tree that do not have the archive bit set. These are the files that the install did not replace. These files are either obsolete or belong to some extension you installed. Delete any you are not sure you want keep.

Now start Mozilla and return to your normally scheduled browsing.

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