So... can anyone please tell me if when the release version of 115.1 ESR comes out will it likely install fine after this version as shown above caused an installation failure or will this cause a problem? I'm not sure why I was prompted to install a version for QA testing purposes as I'm not in that group. Thanks!

Back on page one there are screenshots. Good grief... I am sorry this has gotten so lengthy!

It is always possible that you have been chosen to participate in an experiment to check whether moving to ESR is working. I wouldn't worry and just wait for the official 116 and 115.1.0 release next Tuesday or later.

Thank you, cor-el, that's all I needed to know! :)

If you get a pop-up message asking to update Firefox or plugins or scanning for malware then such a message is likely a scam and you should NEVER respond to such an alert to avoid getting infected with malware.

• only update Firefox via "Help -> About" or by downloading and installing Firefox from the Mozilla server and never via a pop-up or link on a web page.

See also:

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/i-found-fake-firefox-update#
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/avoid-and-report-mozilla-tech-support-scams

/edit: fixed first link

Awesome! Good stuff... the first link returns a "page not found" however if you enter "fake firefox update" in the search it returns pages of stuff! It'll take me some time to look through it properly but from I just glimpsed there's so much stuff that wouldn't even occur to a person!

There has not been any fake updates through the internal software update system which uses .mar files to do updates (whether on Windows, macOS, or Linux) and has not changed much since Firefox 1.5

The Firefox 115.1.0esr prompt may have been intentional in testing though failed or it could be a glitch in process of setting things up for Windows 7, 8, 8.1 users and some are getting premature update prompts.

We did go though a period for some years where there were malware scammers serving fake Firefox-update/firefox-patch .exe or .js. to Firefox users on Windows (did not seem to target Firefox users with macOS or Linux useragents). They were due to malvertising ads pointing to random sites that only lasted a day or less often in trying to get users to download and run fake updates/patch .exe or .js files which had different results. Chrome users were targeted in a very similar fashion during this time also from the same disposable sites. Unfortunately not everybody realized they were obviously fakes and ran the .exe or js files and only asked about them after.

This is an idea of what occurred with these fake patches https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/forums/contributors/712056

Just to clarify... no Windows or PC's here! Only Macs since the turn of the century I've always had a PowerBook or MacBook Pro and more recently an iPad although my current one is done in by a bad battery so I'm hoping to get a new one soon. So I can't point a finger at the premature update prompt at Windows... *shrug** It just happened...

It does seem to have moved me to the esr update channel though and otherwise everything is working fine right now. I did start my "computer life" on a PC in 1997 but it went out the door in 2000 when I was introduced to a wonderful PowerBook by someone.

Thank you both for all the reading material... in the last few years I've been led to believe that malware and viruses have become so much more prevalent in Macs and that one absolutely needs all sorts of AV and Anti-Malware software etc.

Just to clarify... no Windows or PC's here! Only Macs...

er right I meant for macOS 10.12, 10.13, 10.14 users also along with Windows 7, 8, 8.1.

No worries...

115.1 esr installed for me just fine today! :)