If you take a look at the installed add-ons in Firefox you might notice an add-on called Microsoft .net Framework Assistant. That add-on is different from most other installed add-ons. The first thing that you will notice is that you cannot uninstall it as the uninstall option is inactive in Firefox. You might also realize that you did not install that add-on actively which means it must have been installed by another application.
The Firefox Extension Guru posted a walkthrough on how to remove the Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant. It basically comes down to the following steps (it might be a good idea to backup all data before proceeding).
- Make sure Firefox is closed.
- Go to C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\Windows Presentation Foundation\DotNetAssistantExtension in Windows Explorer and delete everything in that folder but keep the folder name.
- Start Firefox. The add-on should not be in the list anymore.
- Type about:config in the Firefox address bar.
- Filter for the entry general.useragent.extra.microsoftdotnet
- Right-click that entry and select Reset
The process is apparently a bit more complicated for Firefox 3.1 beta versions as the Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant is not yet compatible with that version of Firefox and thus not completely installed.
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Microsoft .net Framework Cleanup Tool
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32 Responses to “Remove Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant From Firefox”
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So Microsoft finally found a way to “Embrace, Extend and Exterminate” Firefox. By taking over Firefox codes.
what does this addon???
just wonder…
What dose it do, Why remove it?
Because it shouldn’t be there in the first place. No add-ons should be installed without your approval/acceptance. This one bypasses all of that somehow.
Also, it isn’t complete or functional.
ANY software, including add-ons, that are installed and not being used are just wasting memory.
You could go around installing every piece of software you can find and then sit around wondering why your computer is so slow…
Many question need answering!
WHAT is this add-on for? Does it cause any harm or security exposure? WHY would I want to remove it? What would guarantee that MS wouldn’t just add it it back in? And finally, HOW did MS get this add-on into FF in the first place? I don’t recall approving it.
JoJo:
1. Well the add-on is described here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc716877.aspx
2. You might want to remove it as you did not install it actively in first place.
3. No guarantee
4. It is apparently part of an update of the Microsoft .net Framework 3.5
it gives OneClick support to firefox and people that has installed .net but that use firefox should not remove it. it allows for quick streamlined .net app installs.
Just tried to read the MicroShaftese language at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc716877.aspx
They basically installed a backdoor function into your browser. I’ll bet it has all the problems of ActiveX. And MicroShaft is forcing it all down your throats.
Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant in Firefox and Java Quick Starter (extension and system-wide) : two intrusions less, two.
I think the dichotomy “good guys”/”bad guys” is a false concept, as we are all both. OK, some may be more this or more that, but to who is it up to decide?
Whether it be Microsoft, Google, Apple, Yahoo etc. etc., the golden modern oil is information, they all want to know what we do on the Web. Fair enough to counter-strike, with a smile and with modesty :)
No, I’m not paranoid! I mean, just enough, I hope!
I still don;t understand what it is exactly that this extension does nor how it gets installed without my approval. Does it come with Silverlight maybe?
I do notice that much of the MS site works in FF these days. Maybe this extension is what allows that?
And does this add-on compromise FF security in any way?
Firstly, I totally agree with all the comments against the way this has been installed but I don’t recommend removing it this way.
Simply disable it.
Why? Because another update to .NET will simply re-install it again and you’ll have to remove it all over again. Disable it and no matter how many times MS updates it, it won’t run (unless they rename the extension I suppose). Hopefully they will take the hint and make the installation more transparent.
By the way, they’re not the first – recent updates to Sun’s JVM (builds 10 onwards I believe), have done exactly the same, again can’t be “uninstalled” and even worse include code that automatically runs a service and also runs the JVM process when Firefox starts up.
Taomyn > Sun’s Java Quick Starter Firefox extension is automatically removed once Java Quick Starter is disabled from Java’s control panel.
@Transcontinental, sorry but know. Two separate installations on an XP and Vista system of Firefox v3.06 and Java 1.6_12, neither has “JQS” enabled and both still have the extension.
I really wish Mozilla would describe how to get rid of these properly – I looked around and it seems the extensions are installed as NS1:installLocation=”winreg-app-global”, which I think is what tells Firefox to disable the uninstall button. I guess because it’s meant to be a global extension. I can’t seem to find out much more about it.
Taomyn > Well, when I disabled JQS from Java’s control panel, I noticed immediately that JQS Firefox extension had been removed.
The thing to avoid is to remove/disble JQS Firefox extension manually (that is therefor before disabling JQS from Java control panel), because doing so may lead to problems with further Sun Java installs.
Concerning the .Net Framework Assistant extension, the annoyance of its install without notification is even more obvious than that of JQS since the former offers no mean of removal, and that this post reflects the counter-measures processed by enlightened thoughts ;)
In Firefox Extension Manager’s Plugins’ Tab, appears the following related plug-in :
Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) plug-in for Mozilla browsers
I’ve disabled it, assuming that it is correlative of removing Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant Firefox extension. Is that correct ?
Also in my add-ons > plugins page:
Microsoft DRM
DRM Netscape Network Object
Microsoft DRM
DRM Store Netscape Plugin
Where did these come from?
I have disabled it. It was causing firefox to act funny (after a while of use, it would stop loading webpages)
Easier way to uninstall:
1. Open Regedit (Start > Run > “regedit”)
2. Goto “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Firefox\extensions”
(or “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Mozilla\Firefox\extensions” for 64-bit versions of Windows
3. You’ll see “{20a82645-c095-46ed-80e3-08825760534b}”. Right click it and click Delete.
4. Restart Firefox.
Wow. thank you so much! I did this and my firefox instantly ran faster. I was wondering why my internet was so slow lately. I thought it was my cable, but i realized it was firefox. Doing the regedit way deletes it from the addon menu, but doing it as the original author stated actually made my firefox run faster, thanks!
# Make sure Firefox is closed.
CHECK!
# Go to C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v3.5\Windows Presentation Foundation\DotNetAssistantExtension in Windows Explorer
and delete everything in that folder but keep the folder name.
CHECK!
# Start Firefox.
CHECK!
The add-on should not be in the list anymore.
AHHHHH, WE HAVE A PROBLEM. It’s still there! Now what?
Run > “regedit”)
<2. Goto “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Mozilla\Firefox\extensions”
(or “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Mozilla\Firefox\extensions” for 64-bit versions of Windows
<3. You’ll see “{20a82645-c095-46ed-80e3-08825760534b}”. Right click it and click Delete.
<4. Restart Firefox.
BINGO! This worked. It’s now gone! Thank you!
There’s an interesting article on the Washington Post regarding this adventure, http://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/05/microsoft_update_quietly_insta.html
Says it all and said by a security professional, for those who could still doubt…
AutoCAD 2010: Also got this installed without seeing it anywhere. I’m going to complain to Autodesk.
It will also append to firefox’s useragent string. :(
Quick solution: install the recent Microsoft patch “Update to .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1 for the .NET Framework Assistant 1.0 x86 (KB963707)”. After I installed it, the uninstall option became available. I uninstalled it, and poof, it was gone.
If you guys use Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.9.1.2) Gecko/20090729 Firefox/3.5.2 , you can go to this page https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/9449 to upgrade the .Net Framework Assistant, and then you can uninstall the extensions.
Hope this can help!
Did it the same way Dee did it. Works like a charm. I wouldn’t recommend David’s way as it seems you are just giving MS another chance to screw with your cpu.
Help? I’m coming in a bit late to this- I dont know if this stuff even APPLIES anymore. I’d never noticed or even heard of Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant until just a few mins ago. I was watching something in Win Media Player that I’d gotten online, I closed it, then I saw a message from Firefox saying that “Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant is unstable” or something like that. Asked me if I wanted to restart Firefox. So I did. Then googled it. Most of what I find seems to be from back in Feb – April, yet some is more recent. Was this situation resolved since then? Because I dont even see Microsoft .Net Framework Assistant listed in my add-ons at all. Yet, I got this message of danger or instability… Someone fill me in???
-J
How the hell the firefox code that i install several days ago was prepared to uninstall this update from MS from a couple days?
I remmeber accept the update from MS but i don’t remmeber accept firefox update his code to detect this extension and proceed to automatically uninstall whitout asking me…
Many commenters are wondering what harm these Microsoft backdoor add-ons cause with Firefox. Here is a possible answer:
http://annoyances-resolved.blogspot.com/2009/10/battle-of-two-softwares-microsoft-vs.html