For those of you who?ve recently upgraded to the latest version of Firefox (ver. 3.6), the popular and amazingly customizable web browser from the ingenious crowd at Mozilla, you might be aware that your extensions ? those apps which expand upon your browsing experience ? aren?t working.
This is a problem about which frustrated users of Firefox have become especially vocal, but there seems to be a fix.
In the past, when a new version of the browser was released, there was a simple solution to ensuring that the extensions were working properly. One needed to only edit the config file, adding a simple ?extensions.checkCombatibility? entry to the list of values. With the new version, this string no longer works. However, with a simple amendment to the original value, you’ll have extensions working on your new browser in no time.
If you haven?t made the necessary changes, when installing an extension on the new version of Firefox, you?re met with an error message that reads:
Readeroo.0.2.20080520 could not be installed because it is not compatible with Firefox 3.6b3
Correcting this is simple, though the process may initially seem daunting to your average user. Here?s what you need to do:
In your address bar, where you?d normally enter a url (www.webpage.com), type: about:config.
Ignore the warning and proceed.
You?ll see an exhaustive list of all the configuration values associated with your browser. Ignore those and right-click on the list, choosing ?New? -? ?Boolean? from the drop down.
You?ll then be asked to enter a ?preference name,? where it becomes critical to know which version of Firefox 3.6 you?re using, as both Alpha and Beta releases are available to the public. ?For instance, if you know you have? the Beta release, you will enter the following in the ?preference name? field:
Extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6b
Note the ?b? at the end and understand that it signifies the Beta release, while an Alpha release would require that you end the string with an ?a.?
After that?s complete, you?ll want to choose ?false? and proceed. Assuming everything was entered correctly, the value will now be included in that long list of configuration settings. If you?re curious, run a search for it in the ?Filter? field.
Once that’s done, your extensions will install as they once did, returning you to the wonderful world of customization that Firefox extensions welcomes you to.
If you have any other questions, even if unrelated to Firefox, never hesitate to give us a call.