With App-V prior to version 5 it was not possible to set a virtualized Firefox as the default browser. This is by design. With App-V 5.0 this is not restricted anymore.
This article applies to any Firefox version, but has been written with Firefox 17.
- Install the AppV 5.0 Sequencer on a workstation with Windows 7 with SP1.
- Sequence Firefox 17.0.1 with the default settings. Only the update service should be disabled.
- Install the AppV 5.0 Client on a second workstation with Windows 7 with SP1.
- Install the virtualized Firefox 17.0.1. with PowerShell:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted Import-Module AppVClient Add-AppvClientPackage –Path D:\Mozilla_Firefox_17.0.1-AppV5.0_ENG\Mozilla_Firefox_17.0.1-AppV5.0_ENG.appv -DynamicDeploymentConfiguration D:\Mozilla_Firefox_17.0.1-AppV5.0_ENG\Mozilla_Firefox_17.0.1-AppV5.0_ENG_DeploymentConfig.xml | Publish-AppvClientPackage -Global
- Start Firefox 17.0.1 and made it the default browser.
- Go to ‘Default Programs’ in the Control Panel
- Set Firefox as the default program:
- In the Search box enter the webpage to open: www.google.com.
- The icon is a ‘firefox’ one.
- And Google is opened with Firefox.
You can only set a virtualized Firefox as the default browser if it has been published globally.