diff --git a/phpBB/includes/extension/base.php b/phpBB/includes/extension/base.php
index fed120c51b..d9159d57d2 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/extension/base.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/extension/base.php
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ class phpbb_extension_base implements phpbb_extension_interface
 	/**
 	* Single enable step that does nothing
 	*
+	* @param mixed $old_state State returned by previous call of this method
 	* @return false Indicates no further steps are required
 	*/
 	public function enable_step($old_state)
@@ -33,17 +34,20 @@ class phpbb_extension_base implements phpbb_extension_interface
 	}
 
 	/**
-	* Empty disable method
+	* Single disable step that does nothing
 	*
-	* @return null
+	* @param mixed $old_state State returned by previous call of this method
+	* @return false Indicates no further steps are required
 	*/
-	public function disable()
+	public function disable_step($old_state)
 	{
+		return false;
 	}
 
 	/**
 	* Single purge step that does nothing
 	*
+	* @param mixed $old_state State returned by previous call of this method
 	* @return false Indicates no further steps are required
 	*/
 	public function purge_step($old_state)
diff --git a/phpBB/includes/extension/interface.php b/phpBB/includes/extension/interface.php
index 7d0ecd72c7..b37cd24d77 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/extension/interface.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/extension/interface.php
@@ -40,11 +40,14 @@ interface phpbb_extension_interface
 	/**
 	* Disables the extension.
 	*
-	* Must be a quick operation, that finishes within max_execution_time.
+	* Calls to this function can be made in subsequent requests, when the
+	* function is invoked through a webserver with a too low max_execution_time.
 	*
+	* @param	mixed	$old_state	The return value of the previous call
+	*								of this method, or false on the first call
 	* @return null
 	*/
-	public function disable();
+	public function disable_step($old_state);
 
 	/**
 	* purge_step is executed on purging an extension until it returns false.
diff --git a/phpBB/includes/extension/manager.php b/phpBB/includes/extension/manager.php
index 29cd89fb34..bcdd21f7f1 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/extension/manager.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/extension/manager.php
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ class phpbb_extension_manager
 	* in the extensions table.
 	*
 	* @param	string	$name	The extension's name
-	* @return	bool			Whether another run of enable_step is required
+	* @return	bool			False if enabling is finished, true otherwise
 	*/
 	public function enable_step($name)
 	{
@@ -191,18 +191,36 @@ class phpbb_extension_manager
 	* process the event.
 	*
 	* @param string $name The extension's name
-	* @return null
+	* @return bool False if disabling is finished, true otherwise
 	*/
-	public function disable($name)
+	public function disable_step($name)
 	{
 		// ignore extensions that are already disabled
 		if (!isset($this->extensions[$name]) || !$this->extensions[$name]['ext_active'])
 		{
-			return;
+			return false;
 		}
 
+		$old_state = unserialize($this->extensions[$name]['ext_state']);
+
 		$extension = $this->get_extension($name);
-		$extension->disable();
+		$state = $extension->disable_step($old_state);
+
+		// continue until the state is false
+		if ($state !== false)
+		{
+			$extension_data = array(
+				'ext_state'		=> serialize($state),
+			);
+			$this->extensions[$name]['ext_state'] = serialize($state);
+
+			$sql = 'UPDATE ' . $this->extension_table . '
+				SET ' . $this->db->sql_build_array('UPDATE', $extension_data) . "
+				WHERE ext_name = '" . $this->db->sql_escape($name) . "'";
+			$this->db->sql_query($sql);
+
+			return true;
+		}
 
 		$extension_data = array(
 			'ext_active'	=> false,
@@ -215,6 +233,22 @@ class phpbb_extension_manager
 			SET ' . $this->db->sql_build_array('UPDATE', $extension_data) . "
 			WHERE ext_name = '" . $this->db->sql_escape($name) . "'";
 		$this->db->sql_query($sql);
+
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	* Disables an extension
+	*
+	* Disables an extension completely at once. This process could run for a
+	* while so never call this in a script that has a max_execution time.
+	*
+	* @param string $name The extension's name
+	* @return null
+	*/
+	public function disable($name)
+	{
+		while ($this->disable_step($name));
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -224,7 +258,7 @@ class phpbb_extension_manager
 	* extension's meta class to delete the extension's database content.
 	*
 	* @param string $name The extension's name
-	* @return null
+	* @return bool False if purging is finished, true otherwise
 	*/
 	public function purge_step($name)
 	{
diff --git a/tests/extension/ext/foo/ext.php b/tests/extension/ext/foo/ext.php
index 2968a64a97..60b3ad1f16 100644
--- a/tests/extension/ext/foo/ext.php
+++ b/tests/extension/ext/foo/ext.php
@@ -2,4 +2,12 @@
 
 class phpbb_ext_foo_ext extends phpbb_extension_base
 {
+	static public $disabled;
+
+	public function disable_step($old_state)
+	{
+		self::$disabled = true;
+
+		return false;
+	}
 }
diff --git a/tests/extension/manager_test.php b/tests/extension/manager_test.php
index ba7f227a56..891f1b287a 100644
--- a/tests/extension/manager_test.php
+++ b/tests/extension/manager_test.php
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 
 require_once dirname(__FILE__) . '/../mock/cache.php';
 require_once dirname(__FILE__) . '/ext/bar/ext.php';
+require_once dirname(__FILE__) . '/ext/foo/ext.php';
 require_once dirname(__FILE__) . '/ext/vendor/moo/ext.php';
 
 class phpbb_extension_manager_test extends phpbb_database_test_case
@@ -63,10 +64,14 @@ class phpbb_extension_manager_test extends phpbb_database_test_case
 
 	public function test_disable()
 	{
+		phpbb_ext_foo_ext::$disabled = false;
+
 		$this->assertEquals(array('foo'), array_keys($this->extension_manager->all_enabled()));
 		$this->extension_manager->disable('foo');
 		$this->assertEquals(array(), array_keys($this->extension_manager->all_enabled()));
 		$this->assertEquals(array('foo', 'vendor/moo'), array_keys($this->extension_manager->all_configured()));
+
+		$this->assertTrue(phpbb_ext_foo_ext::$disabled);
 	}
 
 	public function test_purge()