Did I mess up firefox install?

In finder I see Firefox listed as a Device at the bottom of the left side screen. Also, when i first launch firefox after a complete shut down it goes to an odd looking screen with a large firefox icon on left, a small arrow pointing to the right at an image of a folder. I do also show firefox in finder as an application. Also, I created a disk image of a folder and password protected it using disc utilities and then when I enter the password and open the protected disk image the folder shows large image of the firefox icon in background with the files that I have in the protected folder listed in background.

I am running Lion on a MBA. Just coming to mac from years and years of windows and struggling to do things I once did without a second thought. But I'm getting there. Any help much appreciated.

The image you're seeing is the disk image Firefox came on. You need to do as the picture suggests - drag Firefox to the folder. This will install Firefox. Take a look at this.

I've done that several times now. Firefox is running on the machine fine.

Is it suppose to appear as a device in finder?

I may have misspoke - the screen asking me to install firefox appears when I open finder - not when I launch firefox. I just rebooted - started firefox first and it started fine - but when I opened finder that firefox install screen appeared. I suspect I have done something wacko in my newbie haze.

Here is what is happening - I unmount the firefox device, close finder, open finder. Then after a moment the firefox intall window comes up again and I look and notice that the firefox device appears in finder again.

??? I'm clueless.

You need to drag the firefox icon to the applications folder. It's not installed, you're running it from the dmg you downloaded.

Did you unmount it? If not, you can do so by clicking the little eject button next to it in the sidebar or by selecting the eject option in the menu that comes up when you right click it.

Excsuse my stupidity -

drag the firefox icon from where? Right now it does appear in applications and in dock and of course there is also the firefox device showing in finder at the bottom on the left.

yes I have unmounted it several times and then it remounts after I shut down finder and start finder again. At least I think it looks like that is what is happening to me.

Disk images, once unmounted, should not be remounted. If you've dragged Firefox to the Applications folder, unmount the image and delete it. That should stop it from remounting.

I'm not sure I understand the lingo. I clicked the "eject" button and the "device" name firefox disappears. I'm understanding that to mean that I dismounted it. Correct?

When you say after doing that I should then delete it - what precisely should I delete?

Man do I feel dumb.

Thanks so much for helping.

Install firefox by dragging the firefox icon INSIDE the dmg to the applications fold. Once you install firefox. You can make sure you've done that by looking inside the applications folder - sometimes when a dmg (sort of similar to a zip file) is opened, it will have have an applications folder in it. You can use that as well as the one listed in finder. (Sometimes I double click the one inside the dmg for ease).

Once that is done, if you want firefox to be easier accessible, like on your launch bar or desktop, then drag the one from in your applications folder there. This creates what is called an alias (same as shortcuts in windows).

Now that this is done you can unmount the dmg by either selecting it and dragging it to the trash can OR if it is showing in finder on the left side, it can be unmounted there by clicking on the double arrow OR if you go to Disk Utilities (Applications -> Utilities or click on your desktop and do Command (windows key)+Shift+U).

Now you can delete the dmg or keep it..

rpg51 said:

I'm not sure I understand the lingo. I clicked the "eject" button and the "device" name firefox disappears. I'm understanding that to mean that I dismounted it. Correct?

When you say after doing that I should then delete it - what precisely should I delete?

Man do I feel dumb.

Thanks so much for helping.

Click to expand...

First off, don't feel dumb. Everyone's been where you are at some point.

Second, I was referring to the DMG itself. Once Firefox is installed (which it has been), simply delete the DMG.

rpg51 said:

I'm not sure I understand the lingo. I clicked the "eject" button and the "device" name firefox disappears. I'm understanding that to mean that I dismounted it. Correct?

Click to expand...

Yes

rpg51 said:

When you say after doing that I should then delete it - what precisely should I delete?

Man do I feel dumb.

Click to expand...

you can delete the dmg once you are sure it has been installed in you applications folder (this is the most common place to install it but not all programs need to put in there I don't think)..

Feel smart! It's a better way to be and for many, computers are difficult to grasp and even harder is switching to a new platform when you've memorized or learned another.

rpg51 said:

Thanks so much for helping.

Click to expand...

Good luck and I hope that helps

Ok, let me use Firefox as an example as it has an sort of installer as part of it's package.

You download Firefox10.DMG. When the download is finished, you click on Firefox10.dmg and it will open and mount on the desktop.

See the Image below. Drag the FIREFOX Icon to the Folder on the Right with the A in the middle. That will install Firefox to the Applications folder on your drive.

After that close that window that the DMG opened and either throw the Firefox Folder on the desktop into the Trash or Right Click and click on Eject. That will unmount the DMG Image.

Then Run Firefox from the Applications folder. What some in this thread are doing is copying the OPEN firefox DMG to the Apps folder instead of the Application inside that DMG.

I believe I have done all that - maybe I missed someting?? - but firefox keeps reappearing after I ejected it over and over again - ????

Should I uninstall firefox and start all over?? Ugh, - I have it all configured with plug ins etc. Any other ideas where I amight be going wrong?

I should emphasize that firefox is already installed in the applications folder and it runs just fine.

Have you deleted the disk image? It can't remount itself if it doesn't exist.

When you click on Firefox to open it from the Applications folder, does that DMG window in the picture below come up first?

1. I don't know how to delete the disk image. Where is that located?
2. No, when I click firefox in the applications window the dmg window does not appear - (dmg window I assume is the window you use to drag firefox to a folder depicted graphically).

Ok, I'm willing to bet that the solution here is simple but that it's hard to figure out because there seems to be a lack of clarity. Let's try this: can you detail for us the steps you took to download and install Firefox. Be very specific.