win7 Ult. Firefox has lost all my bookmarks - how do I get-'em-back@ please
mgbinnewhaw
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December 23, 2014 - 7:57 pm
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Hiya Daniel,
That's the rub - I don't know if copying works with the backup files - tried it once a week or so ago and it just disappeared into cyberspace or hell or wherever good downloads and pasted files go. However, will give another go in the morning (now 01:00 in UK) and I need to sleep!
mgbinnewhaw
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December 24, 2014 - 3:04 am
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Hiya Daniel,
'fraid not, haven't used IE since Win98!
mgb
jayesstee
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December 24, 2014 - 1:06 pm
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Hi, mgb,
mgbinnewhaw said
1. I think my brain is showing the ravages of 75yrs. of being bashed
2. There is not a Profile.ini folder present on my new Win7 \Firefox folder.
3. There is a Profiles folder containing an alphanumeric.default, which in turn contains a bookmarkbackup folder containing .JSONLZ4 bookmark files (see attached SS).
Can you explain what is what in this confusion-creating structure, please.
mgb
1. 75? A mere junior! Buck up man!
2. Strange, are you sure? Have you got the right settings to see system files in File Explorer?
It is actually a file, not a folder. This is how FF chooses which is the current ".default" folder.
Your appended image doesn't show it because it is a file and the left hand pane only shows folders.
If you look, it should be in the "profiles" folder.
3. The structure is the succession of 3 (mine has 15!) FF bookmark backup files that date either from when you reinstalled or updated FF, or perhaps when FF decided to change to the current ".default" folder.
Note: I have never tried restoring at that low level, only at the ".default" folder level and you have to copy (or create)
the accompanying profile.ini file.
1. I'm actually a non-practising alcoholic, so that's my excuse for any addled brain working.
2. Yes, absolutely certain. You forget that this is a virgin install and I haven't bookmarked anything - well, I hadn't up to writing that sentence and having just bookmarked a couple of web pages, lo and behold, there is a profile.ini in the same folder as F/F
3.The Genie9 case is work-in-hand, but I am now very confident we'll get it sorted after Christmas.
Thanks to all who've contributed!!
Regards,
mgb
dandl
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December 24, 2014 - 5:58 pm
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Hi mg
I believe I have a solution. I was able to transfer Firefox bookmarks from FF in Mint to my FF in XP. Do you want to try? One image is from the bookmark from Mint, the other is from the Mozilla FF folder in XP. Their reall is nothing to this. Have a good Christmas Day. Daniel.
This is not from PC yo PC. Notice the full path to the object folder, I copied from my Mint VM FF to my Genie9 backup folder on my E:/ Drive and from their to my C:/ Drive FF folder. After you get the backups in your C:/ drive FF folder their should be a list of backups in restore under the Import and Backup Tab in FF. Genie9 will not transfer the files this will have to be done manually through copy and paste Daniel.
mgbinnewhaw
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December 25, 2014 - 4:38 am
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Hiya Daniel,
Thanks for you interest, but my problem is not transferring from PC to PC but from
a backup file to my PC.
Regards,
mgb
dandl
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December 25, 2014 - 7:28 am
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mg please read edit to the above post
Jim Hillier
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December 25, 2014 - 9:02 am
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MGB, what Daniel is saying is - if you have up-to-date Firefox bookmarks (or near enough) in ANY other operating system, you can export those bookmarks to a HTML file, put that file on a flash drive, and then import them from there into your new Firefox.
dandl
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December 25, 2014 - 10:27 am
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Thank you Jim, this is not hard to do. Daniel.
mgbinnewhaw
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January 2, 2015 - 1:26 pm
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Daniel,
You're quite right, now I know how, it is simple (thanks to Jim's clarification). One other thing I now know is that restoring from Genie is not really simple - either you do it exactly as it expects or it completely ignores your attempts to restore a file - which is better than moving it to somewhere unknown to man or beast, I suppose.
Anyway, thanks very much to Daniel, jayesstee, and Jim. I'm a happy camper again.
Regards,
mgb
jayesstee
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January 2, 2015 - 2:44 pm
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Congrats mgb,
Glad to know you're sorted for the New Year.
As I said in post number 3 above, "Xmarks" and "MozBackup" will stop you ever facing this problem again.
"Xmarks" can automatically (or manually) backup all your bookmarks and synchronize them with other browsers, if you use more than one. Find out about it at: https://www.xmarks.com/
"MozBackup" will backup your current Firefox settings, bookmarks, history and add-ons, but has to be used manually (i.e. you run it at regular intervals, or whenever you are going to do some thin major to your system. Find out about this from: http://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/
Anyway Season's Greetings to you and all who visit DCT.
mgbinnewhaw
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January 3, 2015 - 7:56 pm
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Hiya jayesstee,
You are clearly a mind reader!! Just after I posted my last post I remembered I wanted to know a bit about Xmarks (I obviously installed it the minute you recommended it). I need to re-install my Find prog before I can find where the bl***y Xmarks files are lurking.
My brain has now returned to its usual level of functioning (it has reacted to your admonishing it to "buck-up") and I will certainly be looking at xmarks.com. I am presently talking to Genie support and am very immersed in Mozilla support site. I really don't see why Firefox hides the bookmark file in such an obscure place. Also I don't (as yet) know why Genie9 doesn't restore the bookmark file when I restore F/F.
Anyway, thanks again for you very insightful and relevant comments. And may I wish you a belated Happy New Year and to all who sail in the good ship DCT!
jayesstee
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January 4, 2015 - 3:14 pm
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mgbinnewhaw said
Hiya jayesstee,
1) I need to re-install my Find prog before I can find where the bl***y Xmarks files are lurking.
2) My brain has now returned to its usual level of functioning (it has reacted to your admonishing it to "buck-up").
Hi mgb,
1) My Xmarks keeps its backup somewhere on line (its own cloud?) I've had it installed so long now that I don't remember whether I was offered the choice of local or on-line storage (memory going, but I am older than you!) Normally I like to store things locally, so I don't think I had a choice. This not a problem to me since I don't store sensitive info. like banking or credit card details anywhere on-line or locally.
2) My apologies for the "buck-up" comment, I was just showing off, because I precede you. See I got it in twice in one post!