In the past often problems with the installation of extensions (eg Lightning) on an USB-Stick are discussed here in the forum. Mainly, this problem expressed with a message, that a Script may be busy, or it may have stopped responding (see also the screenshot Unresponsive script). The background to this alert titled "Warning: Unresponsive script" is the fact that the script just needs a little more time for processing.
Here's the instruction how you can tell Thunderbird to run the script longer:
- In Thunderbird, choose Tools –> Options –> Advanced –> General and press the Config Editor... button.
- The Warning "This might void your warrant!" appears. Click on the button named "I'll be careful, I promise!" to proceed.
- Add in the filter bar the following expression: dom.max_chrome_script_run_time
- Now you double-click on the entry "dom.max_chrome_script_run_time" and increase the integer-value from 20 to 180. Due to this increase the script has now 180 seconds for processing. This should be enough.
- Click on the button "Ok"
After change of the settings in Thunderbird should now work the installation of extensions (eg Lightning) on an USB-Stick. In my case it has worked flawlessly. For more informations please look at the section Increasing the time limit.
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, thanks for the investigation, the problem seems to occur more and more also on firefox addons.
The installation on a copy on the hard drive did so far cured it so far, but solution without that copy/paste might be more suitable.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
In a similar way as for Thunderbird exists for Firefox a solution concerning the message "Warning: Unresponsive script". For more informations look at the article Warnung Nicht antwortendes Skript (instructions in german language) or Warning Unresponsive script (instructions in english language).
I've never run into this myself, so I'd think it only occurs when using a pretty slow flash drive. Note that some 'standard retail' USB flash drives, especially inexpensive larger drives, use vastly inferior flash RAM and have horrible write speeds with small writes like database updates. Firefox and Thunderbird simply aren't expecting to encounter write speeds similar to old-school floppy disks.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I also believe that this problem only occurs in connection with slow USB flash drives. But apparently there are a lot of people who have such a slow USB flash drive. This demonstrates the fact that in recent times very often this problem has been addressed here in the forum.
Perhaps we could build in a quick speed test at the platform level and detect inferior drives. Then be able to advertise that fact to the apps and let the apps compensate when necessary. It'd be a decent amount of work to add it all for only a small percentage of drives.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
That's a good idea to detect such inferior drives.
On the other hand, there are obviously very comprehensive scripts that require some time for processing. For such large scripts the default integer-value of 20 (=20 seconds) can be too low. Certainly for this reason was integrated the above mentioned instructions in the official Firefox support or in the appropriate Thunderbird support. Insofar this problem can occur also on superior USB flash drives in conjunction with such extensive scripts.
I tried on other usb drives, one of them very fast single layer type: same problem with lightning etc.
tried on external drive: same problem
when copied the app to local drive, no problem at all
to me it looks like some extensions are not able to install over usb connection properly
tests done on XP and w7
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
Do you tried to use the above described instructions?
I've once again tested these instructions in two cases:
In both cases proceeded the installation of Lightning 1.0b5 into Thunderbird 6.0.2 without problems. I use Windows XP Home SP3.
no I did not test it for the moment, had some other time consumimng tasks to do , but will try soon.
I think it should be a solution in case of some very complicated scripts , someone reported problems with enigmail on TB and have seen some problems reported on FF with some probably complex extensions.
So if all can be solved by slightly increase the timeout, then all will be fine.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
I already read the article of the member alabama0 concerning the failed installation of Enigmail 1.3.1 into Thunderburd 6.0.1.
I've now tested the installation of Enigmail 1.3.2 in Thunderbird 6.0.2 on an USB flash drive in two different ways:
In both cases proceeded the installation of Enigmail 1.3.2 into Thunderbird 6.0.2 without problems. In summary it can be noted that in using the above described instructions the installation of any extensions into Thunderbird works smoothly.
You may notice in your ScreenShot that one of the options is to click "Continue", this is to tell FireFox/ThunderBird to keep running the script even though it's taking longer than FireFox/ThunderBird thinks it should; in my experience (which is mainly with slow processors & memory causing the problem, rather than slow drives) clicking continue when it appears has always worked just fine (if the computer is being particularly problematic at the time, FireFox/ThunderBird may appear to "Stop Responding", and require me to wait a couple of minutes before it properly recognises my mouse hovering over the button, then I can click "Continue" and it will usually work).
~3D1T0R
but not always
in my case it was the problem installing lightning and this did then crash the whole pc (xp) in such a way that I had to reboot the computer.
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
In the past I have tested this variant also with success. However, this variant seems to work not always. Obviously, success of this solution depends on the specific architecture of the computer and the quality of the USB flash drive (see also the comment of ottosykora). On the other hand, with the by me above described solution always is guarantees, that it works.
had just few minutes to test the install of large ext.
Installed TB on explicitely slow stick, set the timeout to 180 and then gave it to install lightning and enigmail
all went fine, with lightning for a moment the windows tells 'not responding' but after other minute or so, all was installed fine.
The script not reponding msg did not come up.
Could we take it into some HWTO on the main TB support or so?
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
AFAIKthe only reason that clicking "Continue" would not work, when changing the TimeOut would, would be if you didn't wait for FireFox to be properly responding before you tried clicking the "Continue" button, because all the "Continue" button does is tell FireFox to keep running the script from where it left off.Note: I wait till the "Unresponsive Script" window responds to hovering over the buttons, and un-hovering them (can't think of a better word for moving the cursor to where it's not hovering over the buttons any more) without a notable delay before I click "Continue". (otherwise Windows will notice that FireFox hasn't done anything with that click, and will mess it up)
~3D1T0R