fireGPG is not portable when GPG is installed on host

UPDATE:
This works! I have no idea why or how, but my previous statements were wrong.
I've tested the same 2 USB-pendrives (one is stand-alone portable apps and the other is a portableApps suite bundled with fireGPG and GPG/GPGShell) on 3 different XP-machines of various configuration... and they work like a charm! Weird as hell, but nice.

Screenshot at http://sv.tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2zee1kg&s=5

My sincerest apologies if I upset anyone and lots of cred to theGlue and all the other developers for this great addon and swift replies to my inquiries!!

Installation HowTo at http://tinyurl.com/dl99t8  (if you have comments please email me)

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I've also submitted a bug report about this, but since portability is something that concerns a lot of people I thought I'd share my discoveries.

I've "put together" a portable version of fireGPG containing
- portable firefox 3.08 - http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/firefox_portable
- firegpg 0.7.5 - http://sv.getfiregpg.org/install.html
The three apps below needs to be bundled together, read install notes (important!) for gpgshell
- portable gpgShell 3.7.1. - http://www.jumaros.de/rsoft/download/gpgsh.php
- portable gnuPG 1.4.9 -  ftp://ftp.gnupg.org/gcrypt/binary/gnupg … -1.4.9.exe
- making gpg/gpgshell portable - http://www.jumaros.de/rsoft/download/Copy2Usb.exe.gpg

This setup work perfect on 6 different XP-machines, laptops as well as desktops, from my pendrive (USB-stick) when configured as below and either only firefox is installed or neither gpg nor firefox is installed. Please note that portable gpg/gpgshell worked flawlessly even though firegpg didn't.

In FireGPG Preferences / GPG
-----------------------------
[unchecked] Enable GPG-agent
Add arguments to the gpg command
--homedir {$FxFolder}\..\..\..\PortableGPGShell_371_EN-multi\GnuPG-Home

[checked] Specify path to the gpg executable
{$FxFolder}\..\..\..\PortableGPGShell_371_EN-multi\gpg.exe

paths:
H:\portable.apps\FirefoxPortable\FirefoxPortable.exe
H:\portable.apps\PortableGPGShell_371_EN-multi\GnuPG-Home
H:\portable.apps\PortableGPGShell_371_EN-multi\gpg.exe

Now here are the two complications:
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1. Host has firefox + gpg installed
If the host computer has gpg and firefox installed, fireGPG can't find the keys because instead of looking in the by fireGPG preferences specified folder it looks in C:\Documents and Settings\%user%\Application Data\gnupg and eventhough there ARE keys in that folder (which in my case are the same as the ones on the USB-pendrive) fireGPG doesn't "see" them.
I have not found any way around this bug. In short gpg.exe thinks it's homefolder is in apps data and not on the pendrive even though fireGPG knows that gpg.exe is on the pendrive. Everytime you start FF this seems to be set, no matter what gpg says prior to that
you can check this with the help of a command-prompt, typing 'gpg --version' while standing in the folder that holds gpg.exe

2. Host has firefox installed
If the host computer only has firefox installed, fireGPG still can't find the keys because instead of looking in the specified folder it looks in C:\Documents and Settings\%user%\Application Data\gnupg. (where does this path come from?!?)
However if you make a small .bat file containing 'set GNUPGHOME=GnuPG-Home' and double-klick this before you access firegpg then it works and firegpg finds your keys, since it's looking in the right home folder.

Somehow the setting in gpg-agent seems to be overrided by the gpg.exe installed on the host computer ?!

Has anyone else had similar troubles??

Last edited by mattias (2009-04-10 22:23:36)