310441 - Most extensions do not install under Windows 2000 ("not a valid install package")

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Toolkit :: Add-ons Manager, defect)

Description

[Jonathan Fine]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.0; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.0; en-US; rv:1.7.12) Gecko/20050915 Firefox/1.0.7

I run the same version of Firefox at home (Win XP SP2) and at work (Win 2000).  
I haven't had problems installing extensions under Win XP, but many of those 
same extensions do not install under Win 2K.  When I try both automatic and 
manual installs in Win 2K, the error message is "not a valid install package."

Most recently, I've been using the Duplicate Tab 0.5.1 extension on both XP and 
2K.  I upgraded to 0.6 with XP, but I get the error trying to upgrade with 2K.  
I contacted the extension creator, and he suggested this problem is with 
Firefox.

Examples of extensions which I installed under XP but have never been able to 
install under 2K:  Permit Cookies, undoclosetab, Remove It Permanently.

I am an Admin on both my XP and 2K machine.
Most recently, 

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.  Install an extension in Win XP.  Success.
2.  Install same extension in Win 2K with same version of FF.  "Not a valid 
install package."
Actual Results:  
1.  XP:  Success.
2.  2K:  "Not a valid install package."

Expected Results:  
The same version of Firefox should be able to install the same extension under 
both Win XP and Win 2K.

I run the same version of Firefox under both Win XP SP2 and Win 2K.  I am Admin 
on both machines.

Comment 1

[Jonathan Fine]

I don't know if this is related or not, but when I've had an extension that
installs in Win XP (FF 1.0.7) but not in 2K, I've tried renaming the *.xpi to
.zip to try and examine the contents.  In these cases, Winzip complains that
it's not a valid archive.  (Winzip 8, if that matters.)  The same extension
installs in FF in Win XP though.

Comment 2

[Robert Strong (they/them - no direct email)]

Jonathan, are you still experiencing this with Firefox 1.5?

Comment 3

[Jonathan Fine]

This problem seems to have gone away or is largely resolved with Firefox 1.5.  Thanks, team!