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NoScript has just disappeared from my system! I upgraded to V. 2.0.9.8 when it came out and it was working okay, then I realized this morning that it was gone. No icon in the status bar! Not in the Add-Ons list. And no, I did not delete it -- I feel naked and at risk without it.

The only thing I have done is try to install a stupid, clumsy Epsom Workforce 840 printer from our network, which has been a nightmare. It has failed multiple times by not being able to find the printer, and I have had to restore back several days to clean the out the garbage it leaves behind. But that is the only thing that has really heppened.

I do remember this happening once before months and months ago, but just wrote it off and reinstalled it and re-updated all my settings. But is there some reason for this and a quick fix?

I am in a terrible rush right now and having to figure out all the settings and whatever had been set is going to be a real burden.

Help!

That looks like an Add-Ons Manager corruption.

Could you try to follow the steps outlined in this article?

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Firefox_:_Iss ... sion_files

Also, if you've got Firefox extensions called "Zone Alarm Toolbar", "HP Smart Web Printing", "Skype", ".NET Framework Assistant" or "McAfee Site Advisor" please uninstall them: they're buggy and known to cause this problem.

Look in your Profile /extensions/ directory.
Do you have a subdirectory named: {73a6fe31-595d-460b-a920-fcc0f8843232} ?
That would be for NoScript. (Similar "names" for other extensions too.)

There have been instances (& I've forgotten the circumstances) where extensions "disappear" (might have even been some threads here?), possibly leaving the directory, but nothing or very little left therein (possibly a .jar file, but no other supporting files?).

settings and whatever had been set

That would be stored in your Profile, mainly in prefs.js, though ABE settings are stored in an ABE directory.
Thinking that all that should still be there.
(hint, backup .)

geckohale wrote:I have had to restore back several days to clean the out the garbage it leaves behind.

If I recall correctly, a Windows session restore once removed some of the Firefox extension updates I had made since the restore point. I had to reinstall those extension updates. That may have been your problem too. I don't know. You may need to reinstall and redo your settings if Giorgio's and therube's suggestions aren't sufficient.

I terminated Firefox and followed the "Corrupt extension files" procedure and renamed the extensions .ini, .cache, and .rdf files by adding OLD right before the "." extension.

I do not have the extensions: Zone Alarm Toolbar, HP Smart Web Printing, nor McAfee Site Advisor -- but .NET Framework Assistant 0.0.0 had somehow managed to sneak back in. I had disabled it once before and have done so again. Although it shows "uninstall," it is always grayed out. Skype extension for Firefox 4.2.0.5198 was disabled, but I have now uninstalled it.

I also have 3 extensions directories under the profile:

C:\***\Profile\FF\gecko\extensions\{73a6fe31-595d-460b-a920-fcc0f8843232}(2)
C:\***\Profile\FF\gecko\extensions\{73a6fe31-595d-460b-a920-fcc0f8843232}(3)
C:\***\Profile\FF\gecko\extensions\{73a6fe31-595d-460b-a920-fcc0f8843232}(4)

The extensions(2) and extensions(3) subdirectories have no .jar files, but do have the following subdirectories and files:

chrome(2)\
components(2)\
defaults(2)\
META-INF(2)\
.autoreg
GPL.txt
install.js
install.rdf
NoScript_License.txt

The extensions(4) subdirectory contains all the same directories and files as above, except it has no install.js file.

Each of the subdirectories to the extensions(n) directories look like they have about the same files. And there is a noscript.jar file under each chrome(2) directory.

So ... I did the above and then brought Firefox back up. I still have NO version of NoScript installed. Do I have to reinstall the latest version and start from scratch or will one of these extensions(n) directories help me?

Thank you for your help,Geckohale

Hello Geckohale,


I had quite exactly the same problem. The only solution I've found (through Firefox help)
is to reinstall extension in safe mode : Mozilla Firefox safe mode (...not Windows one or any other op. system safe mode) It works ! "Noscript" is back ! even "Im Translator" which had disappeared too... But am I going to do that for every addon ? I hope...No

The incrementing numbers tends to make me think of a permissions issue?
Or possibly your anti-virus is seeing something it doesn't like & deleting parts?


How do you install extensions in Safe Mode? Isn't one of the purposes of Safe Mode that extensions do not run? (Is running in Safe Mode different from having the ability to install in Safe Mode?)

Is there some bad blood between NoScript and Firefox? Is this something that is being done intentionally? Or is it something wrong with NoScript or something wrong with Firefox?

Why would I have to reinstall from Safe Mode? Can't I just delete the extensions(2), extensions(3) & extensions(4) directories for NoScript and just reinstall with the current version as I would do if I was just starting with NoScript? It's irritating enough to have to redo all the settings, but to have to try to install from Safe Mode is doubly so. And I have no idea how to do so.

I have done system restores back to prior points many times without it screwing up NoScript, nor any of my other Firefox or Thunderbird extensions. That's just "user data" to XP.

In answer to therube, we use Kaspersky Internet Security 2010 (updated regularly) and Firefox is "trusted", which means no special restrictions apply to the activity of the application, although it is run in the "sandbox" and monitored by "Proactive Defense" and "File AV". Any time Kaspersky doesn't like something, it throws up a big yellow dialog box and you select whether you want to allow or block the action, among other things. I have not seen any such thing regarding Firefox/NoScript. Nor does the OS nor Kaspersky differentiate between Firefox and any of its extension as far as I can see. The extensions are just part of the Firefox application. Firefox is not an OS program.

There must be some reason this is happening. Is there a way to "save" the current version of NoScript so that it can be restored?

And yes, I should have just gone ahead and restored my profile backup yesterday, but I stupidly didn't. And everything on our backup NAS drive just gets overwritten each night. Because it wasn't a problem on Friday -- just since yesterday. Sigh ...

Mahalo, Sherron

Hello everybody,

To "therube" and "halaepohaku"




Sorry, English is not my native language, so it takes me several minutes to answer.
I just intended to recount my own experience.

On Sunday, I saw that NoScript and Im Translator had completely vanished from my Firefox 3.6.13 and that I could'nt reinstall them as usual. It didn't work. There was an endless download of the extension then nothing happened... I've tried to restart Firefox again and again, to reinstall Firefox, to disable Spybot and other security stuff... in vain.

That's how I arrive on this forum... I see Geckohale's message, and I remember that, me too, I was obliged to restore my Windows Vista to a previous point, yesterday, after installing and deleting three unsatisfying fireworks screensavers. My Comodo Defense+ reported several intrusions related to Atk Hotkey program, and two Usb ports were out of service, though neither virus nor spyware was detected... rather suspicious.

At the present time, it's possible for me to disable an extension in my Firefox, but I can't install normally a new one.

First of all, I save the add-on I need, on my disk, by right-clicking on the download-link.
Next I have to run the safe mode (see Firefox folder in Start menu). Then, I drag
the setup file (.xpi) from my disk to the Add-ons window of Firefox. And the setup process begins... successfully.

Yes, Safe mode disables all extensions, but fortunately, it doesn't prevent them from being installed.

I just noticed this:

Firefox 3 and above: Starting in Firefox 3, if an add-on does not provide a secure method of auto-updating then, by default, Firefox will refuse to install the add-on. If you have add-ons already installed that are insecure in this way, they will be automatically disabled. [6] Add-ons from AMO and other secured sites are not a problem; for add-ons that do provide a secure updating method, advanced users can add the preference extensions.checkUpdateSecurity and set it to false (not recommended). See this article and bug 378216 for more information.

@ http://kb.mozillazine.org/Firefox_:_Iss ... sion_files

Of course, I am not trying to INSTALL NoScript; it was already installed AFTER I updated to Firefox 3.6.13 a while back -- and was running. I have been using this version of Firefox for more than just yesterday (a week or so at least).

Aloha hirube. I see what you are saying.

But why on earth would NoScript disappear in the first place? Who is the culprit and .... why?

I haven't even tried reinstalling, because of those old versions .... do I remove them? Is there anything else I need to do? Obviously I can't have Firefox uninstall NoScript because Firefox has "forgotten" NoScript is there -- which is probably why you had so much trouble trying to reinstall it.

Any help from the Master?

Mahalo, geckohale
aka Sherron

geckohale wrote:I just noticed this:

I doubt this has anything to do with this, I believe this is just about enforcing that updates are done in a way that they can't be subject to MITM attacks (baddies forging a fake update for Fx addon).

uninstalling Zone Alarm toolbar did the trick for me. Thanks.

Alas and alack, I don't have ZoneAlarm Toolbar.

I should note that since NoScript disappeared (but not its Extensions directory files) only after we installed the dumb Epson workforce 840 printer (which was a pain in the butt and I only have the "print" portion), only my NoScript went away. My husband did not experience this problem. Do you think NoScript doesn't like Me?

Last time I will ever buy an Epson. It's been a real pain.