When updating WordPress, this error might not be what it seems –
PHP Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 60 seconds exceeded in C:\WampDeveloper\Websites\domain.name\webroot\wp-includes\class-http.php on line 1610.
Fix – Disable all modules before doing the upgrade. Lots of errant modules freeze everything when WordPress is upgrading itself.
Other Cause – If an errant module is not the issue, run a phpinfo.php file with <?php phpinfo(); ?> in the website’s webroot (DocumentRoot) folder to see what value of max_execution_time is set at in php.ini.
Check .htaccess, VirtualHost files, php.ini, WP’s wp-config.php for any additional/overriding settings.
Another Cause – Sometimes hard-coded time limits are set in WordPress’s script files.
Run a string search of all *.php files in WordPress’s folder for strings:
A) “set_time_limit” –
looking for set_time_limit(60);
B) “max_execution_time” –
looking for ini_set('max_execution_time', 60);