Me vs Portable Firefox

[starseeker]

I downloaded Portable Firefox today because I don't want my parents to find out but I have a problem. I'm trying to install flash player so I can watch videos on Youtube but it isn't working. I cannot get Firefox to understand that I have installed flash player. Its fine on IE but Firefox just isn't accepting it.

[Shoeberto]

Some quick googling shows that the Flash installer for portable firefox doesn't work right. You may be SOL on this one, as I couldn't find any workarounds for it other than an open-source flash replacement, but unless you're wanting to compile a beta version of a flash player from source, there's not much else that I know of that can be done.

[crono_logical]

Here's how to do it

I used the geeky method described on there when I first got portable firefox for my work computers, by copying the plugin from my own computer's installation, since the simpler method didn't exist back then

[starseeker]

Thanks for that. I'll just have to persuade my parents to allow me to install Firefox (or just do it covertly). I wouldn't know where to start making a flash player.

[Yamaneko]

The geeky way is similar to what you have to do in Linux if you don't have root access. Except you just symlink from /opt/firefox/plugins/ (or wherever else) to /home/firefox/plugins.

Tell your parents they're more at risk running IE than Firefox.

[starseeker]

We have a firewall and anti-virus software. I've tried multiple times.

[crono_logical]

Firewall and anti-virus software is useless against exploits in Internet Explorer itself - the first lets malicious software through because either the firewall sucks and only looks at stuff coming into the computer (it's already been let in because IE asked for it), or the software can pretend to be a valid program (IE) when connecting back out, and second is useless because stuff like adware and other pests are technically not viruses so won't get detected anyway

[starseeker]

Yeah, on some sites it's me versus the rampaging hordes of pop-ups.

[Silent Warrior]

... Why would it NOT be ok to install Firefox?

[starseeker]

'We have IE, why do we need Firefox. We have anti-virus software and a firewall'. Those are my parents standard responses.

[crono_logical]

Break IE then Force install firefox for them and ignore them

EDIT: Better yet, install Firefox, then change the IE shortcuts to open Firefox instead but leave the IE icon

[starseeker]

They also use the internet on this computer. I'll just re-download Portable Firefox covertly. As long as I don't smurf up the computer, they don't need to know what i do.