[tor-bugs] #6062 [Tor bundles/installation]: Tor Browser wont start via shortcut in windows start menu

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#6062: Tor Browser wont start via shortcut in windows start menu
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     Reporter:  trallala             |      Owner:  erinn
         Type:  defect               |     Status:  new
     Priority:  normal               |  Milestone:  TorBrowserBundle
    Component:  Tor                  |  2.3.x-stable
  bundles/installation               |    Version:
   Resolution:                       |   Keywords:
Actual Points:                       |  Parent ID:
       Points:                       |
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Comment (by BugMagnet):

 I am a Tor newbie, only *trying* to run it for a few days now. Am  finding
 it VERY frustrating. I appreciate it is like much good software  FLOSS and
 I like that and am understanding such is a ''pro bono ''community effort.
 I am told Vidalia is being deprecated and abandoned (yet i see some
 comments within the last few weeks indicating some fixing might continue,
 so I remain confused on actual plans moving ahead).

 For now, I am simply experimenting with TBB and have  this to report FWIW:

 Testing tor-browser-2.3.25-13_en-US.exe on a Win XP Media Center 2002
 platform -

  * Run "Start Tor Browser.exe" from the directory it was extracted to
 (C:\Tor Browswer\*) - result, vidalia, tor and browser open and poof tor
 check website reports: "Congratulations. Your browser is configured to use
 Tor."
  * Create shortcut for "Start Tor Browser.exe" and "Pin to Start Menu".
 Note, by default, shortcut option for "Start !in:" was set to "C:\Tor
 Browser". Click on "Start Menu" shortcut  - result, vidalia, tor and
 browser open and poof  tor check website reports: "Congratulations. Your
 browser is configured  to use Tor."
  * Select "C:\Tor Browser\Start Tor Browser.exe" and "Pin to Start Menu".
 Note, on "Properties for this pinned link, "Location" shows "C:\Tor
 Browser". Click to run pinned link from start menu  -  result, vidalia and
 tor run but '''browser never starts'''.

 Seems a pinned link, even though showing the executable is located in
 "C:\Tor Browser\" directory, doesn't set it while the shortcut's option to
 "Start in" "C:\Tor Browser" handling seems to work. Fields for the pinned
 link are not editable from "Properties" as they are for shortcuts.

 While there may or may not be a windows bug in properly handling pinned
 links, I am guessing that using relational paths instead of full paths in
 vidalia is related to this problem. If so, having vidalia learn the
 location of the 'install/extract' directory and appending that to the
 paths so they would be full instead of relational would fix this I think.

 Also, a little off topic but perhaps related, I am finding TBB is creating
 files and folders outside the install/extract/run directory tree (C:\Tor
 Browser\*). This is very different from the incidental tracks and traces
 left behind as reported in https://research.torproject.org/techreports
 /tbb-forensic-analysis-2013-06-28.pdf. The current FAQ at
 https://www.torproject.org/docs/faq.html.en#HowUninstallTor claims:

   Tor Browser does not install itself in the classic sense of
 applications. You just simply delete the folder or directory named "Tor
 Browser" and it is removed from your system.

 This is not true since TBB under some circumstances is creating files and
 folders outside the "Tor Browser" directory such as:

  * C:\Documents and Settings\user1\Application Data\tor contains several
 operational files

  * C:\Documents and Settings\user1\Data\Vidalia contains vidalia.conf

  * C:\Program Files\tor\ contains a tor log file

 I think these are created when TBB is confused when running without the
 "Start in" directory properly set and the relational paths therefore
 becoming ambiguous. I have documented changes to torrc and vidalia.conf
 made by vidalia under such circumstances, but have been told vidalia is
 old and won't be fixed. My concern is making these issues known, so that
 whatever is coming to replace vidalia won't mimic its problematic
 behaviors on these issues.

-- 
Ticket URL: <https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/6062#comment:3>
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