Adapt your favourite plugins for Firefox 4 or 5

OK, so you have a favourite plugin that doesn't work with Firefox 4 or 5, and no updates available. Don't panic - this simple solution might save your day. But (depending on the plugin) it might also corrupt your Firefox install, so be prepared, back up your bookmarks &c. You are doing this on your own risk!!!

For Windows users:

a) Find your plugin out there on the web and save it to your hard disk. It is a .xpi file.

b ) Rename it to <plugin>.zip and unzip it.

c) In the folder with the expanded files, open the file <plugin>.rdf in a text editor (e.g. MS Notepad)

d) Find the entry <em:maxVersion>3.6.*< (version number may vary)

e) Change the version number, e.g. to 5.0.*

f) Save

g) copy/paste or simply draw the edited file to the .zip folder so that it replaces the old one.

h) Rename the .zip folder to <plugin>.xpi

i) Open Firefox and simply draw (right button + mouse) your new <plugin>.xpi file to the Firefox window. A window should open offering you to install the plugin.

I have only tested this on two plugins: Hide Google Options (googleoptions.xpi) and Photobucket's upload plugin (photobucket_uploader-1.3-fx.xpi) but they run fine in FF5.

Linux users don't have to bother renaming the .xpi, just open it with xarchive or something like that, extraxt the .rdf file, edit and replace. Everything is simple in Linux

Mac users - sorry, no idea, won't touch'em even with a bargepole