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How do I control Firefox's response to "ms-windows-store:" URLs?

  • 3 replies
  • 6 have this problem
  • 26 views
  • Last reply by guigs

soubeagi
soubeagi
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Normally, when Firefox encounters a link with a pseudo-protocol that it doesn't know how to process (such as iTunes store links, which Apple only wants you to open with iTunes), usually Firefox puts up a "Launch Application" dialog each time, which allows the user to choose a program to use for the URL (or, for the way I usually use this dialog, to cancel the attempt to act on the URL completely) - unless you check the "Remember my choice" option, in which case it will stop asking, but put an entry on the Applications page of the Options dialog, in case you want to change the chosen action in the future. However, in the case of the new Windows store URLs, I don't get that dialog and I don't have an entry in the Options; I automatically get thrown off the Desktop and into the Windows store app every time, with no obvious way to change this behavior. What's different about these URLs (or about Firefox's reaction to them) that won't allow me to modify or abort this action?

Normally, when Firefox encounters a link with a pseudo-protocol that it doesn't know how to process (such as iTunes store links, which Apple only wants you to open with iTunes), usually Firefox puts up a "Launch Application" dialog each time, which allows the user to choose a program to use for the URL (or, for the way I usually use this dialog, to cancel the attempt to act on the URL completely) - unless you check the "Remember my choice" option, in which case it will stop asking, but put an entry on the Applications page of the Options dialog, in case you want to change the chosen action in the future. However, in the case of the new Windows store URLs, I don't get that dialog and I don't have an entry in the Options; I automatically get thrown off the Desktop and into the Windows store app every time, with no obvious way to change this behavior. What's different about these URLs (or about Firefox's reaction to them) that won't allow me to modify or abort this action?

All Replies (3)

guigs
guigs
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Hi soubeagi,

Thank you for contacting support. There is a built in way to change the dialogue for how Firefox handles specific urls and then there is also the default programs actions in the operating system. It may help to check both.

Steps to change the open with urls:

  1. Open the menu Tools > Options
  2. Click on the Applications Tab
  3. search for the ms-windows-store: url and manage the action taken for these urls

Reference for option dialogue:

I think this is the most likely place to change the dialogue: the about:permissions page. These are actions remembered for specific websites listed.

Operating system preferences: Control Panel > Default Programs >

Please post back if it worked, and thank you!

soubeagi
soubeagi Question owner
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> There is a built in way to change the dialogue for how Firefox handles specific urls and then there is also the default programs actions in the operating system. <

If you had read my original post carefully, you would have seen that I already posted "I don't get that dialog [in Firefox] and I don't have an entry in the Options" - to clarify, neither Firefox's dialog (actually the Applications tab of Firefox's main Options dialog) nor the "Set Associations" dialog for Windows itself lists "ms-windows-store:" as something available to change - and neither one of them provides a way to add an entry for this to their list.

> I think this is the most likely place to change the dialogue: the about:permissions page. These are actions remembered for specific websites listed. <

My problem does not pertain to any particular Web site; it happens whenever I encounter an ms-windows-store: URL, no matter what Web site I happen to be on when I do - so again, this help is not helpful.

guigs
guigs
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Hi soubeagi,

Thank you for your clarification. If the dialogue is not available for these urls, it is possible that there is something in the website that causes this to happen. It is possible to observe the HTTP traffic. If you open up the Web Developer Tools and the Web Console and navigate to the windows page, do you notice a 300 or two 200 ok traffic headers?