Windows 10: Firefox url shortcut downloads and opens a file

Discus and support Firefox url shortcut downloads and opens a file in Browsers and Email to solve the problem; I'm running windows 10 pro build 14986. For example, I go to bing.com. I drag and drop the shortcut from Firefox to the desktop. I double click on the... Discussion in 'Browsers and Email' started by Slugger, Dec 12, 2016.

  1. SLUGGER
    Slugger Win User

    Firefox url shortcut downloads and opens a file


    I'm running windows 10 pro build 14986. For example, I go to bing.com. I drag and drop the shortcut from Firefox to the desktop. I double click on the shortcut and it opens File:///C:/Users/Username/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/INetCache/IE/OB0L0QRF/HGCFGEDM. I can watch it download and open bing.com but with no pictures. Now i thought maybe something was going on with my parents laptop. I went to my VM of the same build for windows and it does the same thing.
    Is this a problem with Insider Preview builds because i don't see this on my Windows 10 pro build14393.

    I made Microsoft Edge the default. Double clicked on the desktop shotcut and everything works fine. Me thinks MS is up to something. Breaking Firefox install?

    :)
     
    Slugger, Dec 12, 2016
    #1
  2. MIK3FEE
    mik3fee Win User

    Windows 10 Creators Update v1703 Breaks Internet Shortcuts and opening local *.htm & *.html files !!!

    After installing this Update I could no longer open Internet shortcut .url files or .htm or .html files!

    I tried going to the "Choose default apps by file type" to specify Firefox as default app to open them, but they still didn't work!!!

    Firefox was listed as the default app for both the .htm and .html file types. I changed them to Chrome browser and then they would open.

    But if I change them back to Firefox they won't open!

    For Internet Shortcuts the settings page says .url file types are opened with "Internet Browser" and it doesn't allow to change to Firefox or another browser specifically !!

    Please help, this is a real big PAIN !!!

    Thanks

    ***Post moved by the moderator to the appropriate forum category.***
     
    mik3fee, Dec 12, 2016
    #2
  3. ERIK På KONTORET
    Erik på kontoret Win User
    Internet Shortcuts with different browsers in the Microsoft Windows 10 start menu?

    In Microsoft Windows 7, the different browsers could be in the start menu, each having a sub-menu with Internet shortcuts to open in that browser. Now I am trying to restore that functionality in Microsoft Windows 10.

    It works to put Internet shortcut files in [C:\Users\<USERNAME>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu]. They will appear in the start menu. It also works to open the properties for one such file and change what program that particular
    file should be opened with. But unfortunately that change affects all Internet shortcut files!

    So I tried the next thing; changing the suffix of different the files from .url to .IE-url or FFX-url. Then it was possible to associate different browsers with the different suffixes. But then the files do not work as Internet Shortcut files; when they
    are opened with Firefox, it shows a configuration file like:

    [InternetShortcut]

    IDList=

    URL=<TARGET>

    When they are opened with Internet Explorer, it shows a download dialog. So I tried to change the content of the file to something like this:

    <html><head><meta http-equiv="refresh" content="0; url=<TARGET>" /></head></html>

    It worked for Firefox (which showed the website with the URL <TARGET>). But Internet Explorer still shows the download dialog.

    In addition to that, the files with suffixes .IE-url or .FFX-url do not appear in the start menu.

    The final idea is to keep the .url suffix for all files and add a line like "browser=C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" to the file. But I can not find any documentation that such a line would be respected by the system.

    So therefore I have to ask: How can the Microsoft Windows 10 start menu be configured to show Internet shortcuts that are associated with different browsers?
     
    Erik på kontoret, Dec 12, 2016
    #3
  4. EASCOTT
    eascott Win User

    Firefox url shortcut downloads and opens a file

    3 weeks ago and it looks like nothing has happened but it just can't be so. I am having the same difficulty so if this problem was resolved in the backroom I would appreciate a expose. *Smile
     
    eascott, Jan 5, 2017
    #4
  5. COUNTMIKE
    CountMike New Member
    How did you make shortcut and is the FF default browser ?
    I just made a desktop shortcut with Url as target and it opened in a new instance of FF.
     
    CountMike, Jan 5, 2017
    #5
  6. EASCOTT
    eascott Win User
    Hi,

    Thanks for responding. To be sure I had a good definition of the problem, I changed my default browser and tried the shortcut procedure with Chrome, Opera and Safari. They all behaved the same way, i.e., they downloaded a file and ran the downloaded local file. The shortcut file in question is created by dragging the the icon on the left of the address bar onto the desktop. This procedure has worked for years but this new behavior started after the latest insider update, i.e., Windows 10 Insider Preview 14986.

    All that being said, I need to apologize for wasting your time since I resolved the issue in the interim. I had went into the Programs and Defaults and made sure that all my preferences were restored (Firefox is my default browser for .html, .htm and the corresponding protocols) since WIndows 10 seems to want to change those to Edge every time it gets a chance. However, what I had overlooked, because it had never been an issue in the past, was the setting for a .URL shortcut file itself! When I checked that out I discovered that it was set for Internet Explorer. Changing that to Firefox resolved the problem.

    Thanks for your support. I hope my feedback will help someone else resolve this issue without a lot of hassle.
     
    eascott, Jan 5, 2017
    #6
  7. COUNTMIKE
    CountMike New Member
    Oh, that's OK, I always make .url shortcuts this way so I can have a name for it as I want.
     
    CountMike, Jan 5, 2017
    #7
  8. SLUGGER
    Slugger Win User

    Firefox url shortcut downloads and opens a file

    I checked the .url shortcut and all I see is Internet Browser. Can not set the default for .url. The problem still persists.


    I took a look at it again. Firefox wasn't listed as a default for .url. I looked for the firefox folder and now it works. Good now at least it's a fix. I should report this in Feedback Hub
     
    Slugger, Apr 5, 2018
    #8
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Firefox url shortcut downloads and opens a file

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