Has anyone lost their bookmarks ---Firefox?

[LaPera]

I've had Firefox 1.0 for about three weeks and I've completely lost all my bookmarks, (twice now) I shut off my computer, wake up, turn my computer on--- and all my bookmarks have disappeared?

Has this happened to anyone else?

Very frustrating!

[Wilber_Stool]

1. Once a week

or more, goto manage bookmarks, file, export, and export your bookmarks to a floppy disk. You can do it with IE as well. This way you will have them even after a crash.

[LaPera]

7. But will they go right back in place, from the floppy

or will one have to manually put them back in the exact folders for each bookmark?

[Wilber_Stool]

24. No

Just go back to manage bookmarks, file, and chose import. You'll get a wizard. Chose "from file". Go to the floppy and import bookmarks.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. Sounds like a bad install or....

...a new firefox profile was created.

Check out this thread....it might help.

http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=197624&highlight=bookmarks

[qnr]

3. Never, and I've been using it for more than a year.

[NYC]

4. Mozilla Best of 2003.

I lost all the bookmarks. They are still in my computer, just not on the bookmark list. I had used Mozilla for over a year when this happened. I have no idea why it happened, and it never happened again.

I forget where they are located, but they are here somewhere. Since someone above mentioned "export", I think I will try "import" to get all the old ones back in the bookmark list.

[ooglymoogly]

5. yes every time i turn off the computer

and what is a bad install? i downloaded from their site. am about to go back to another browser where i fondly remember having a long list of favorites.

[Solon]

6. Your bookmarks are still there...

They are in a single HTML file, and can be recoverable. Its call "Bookmarks.html", and should be found under your username and application settings. "C:\Documents and Settings\Username\" Somewhere in that folder, I would check and make sure the show hidden filenames and show system files settings are checked under Folder options. If on Linux, its under "/home/user/.mozilla/firefox/", OK.

[LaPera]

9. Solon, I've read the same thing on a google search, can you or anyone

help guide me along, to get to "C:\Documents and Settings\Username\" etc. etc. ?

Where do I start? In...

C:\ drive, or

"Run", or

"Seach" files and folders

or "My Documents" folder???

I have XP Pro.

[Solon]

18. Open up my computer...

Go to C: drive, then go to "Documents and Settings" folder, then click on YOUR username next. Then you see the folder "Application Data", open that folder up, then you see "Mozilla", open that up, the "Firefox", you should then see "Profiles" folder, open that, then open up the next folder beyond that, there should only be one, and its name is I believe random like "yvygokdy.default", open that folder then see if the "Bookmarks.html" file is on there, double click it and check its contents, it opens in your default web browser. If it opens, then go to up to bookmarks menu, select manage bookmarks, then in the bookmarks manager, go to File, select "Import...", then point it to the Bookmarks.html file.

Here is a summary, this is the full folder path you are trying to open to check if the files is fine:


C:/Documents and Settings/Username/Application Data/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/yjphjayy.default/

The underlined items in the path are different on your system, the first one Username is the name you login to Windows XP in, the second the the profile Firefox created that keeps your settings. This allows multiple people to use the same program with different bookmarks and other settings, like themes.

[Solon]

19. Another note, there is another file...

if the html file is corrupted or your bookmarks are not in it, then check to see if a "bookmarks.bak" file is also in that same folder. If it is, then you can import that instead.

[ooglymoogly]

32. solon now that i have you on the line

maybe you can answer a question for me. was it homer who said "what is war?'...'war is old men talking and young men dying"... i wanted to use it in a post but could not remember who said it. herodotus or homer...yes...no? i thought because of your user that you might know

[Solon]

37. I believe Herodotus is credited with a saying a long those lines...

though I believe it is "In peace, children inter their parents; war violates the order of nature and causes parents to inter their children." As far as Homer, he was before my time by almost a generation, and to be honest, there were more than one, though historians of today still are debating that point. To put it more succinctly, he is famous for words that were not his own, though he was, I have heard, a fascinating storyteller. Just the words themselves are only half a story, after all.

[LaPera]

10. I know the feeling...I'm about ready to go to another browser as well...

[auntAgonist]

8. No . I've used Firefox now for a while

and never had any problems with it.

[miss_kitty]

11. I have had other problems w/ FF

I find an uninstall/reinstall works to clear things up. All of my old settings have shown up on the new install

You can also go to file, click on 'Import' and reimport from your other browser, but if you have new ones you picked up on FF though, too bad.


I have gotten excellent quick help from the Mozilla site at this address:

http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewforum.php?f=38&sid=587a0a620e6659e7f3df515c74f15993

It's a forum. You might want to read through a little bit to see if someone else has your problem before you post. and no need to register before posting...

Good Luck! :hi:

I have XP Pro too

[LaPera]

12. Thanks, I just used the "import" from the file menu and got my old

IE "Favorites" immediate installed back into my FireFox bookmarks...they are old, but still useful...

I'm not even going to bother fine tuning the bookmarks until Firefox comes up with a patch...

I think what I'll do is keep my "Favorites" updated and continue to import them, after they fade away some morning...I never know when of course.

[miss_kitty]

13. like I said

Uninstall and reinstall. I have never had the problem you mention, so they may never patch it. You might just be running off a bad install. Takes 5-10 minutes. Download the installer first, then open it once it is downloaded. (save to disk-means on your computer-it will be an icon on your desktop or in a folder)

[LaPera]

15. I've done that before, but all my settings were still there after the

reinstall...should I do a complete uninstall? i.e. Not just remove Firefox from "add & remove programs" in Control Panel---BUT also delete and clean up any and every exsisting file(s) with software like Cleansweep, and use the XP "Search files" to delete, clean out the Registry, etc. and delete any trace of Firefox?

Then reinstall?

[miss_kitty]

17. No. I've only done an 'add & remove programs' uninstall

I wanted my settings to be retained-if you get prompted to remove all of it, if you click yes, your old settings still come back. And I have had to uninstall/reinstall more than once. I honestly think it's to do with XP and the box, rather than Firefox. We seem to be in the minority.

Once, I used Flashget to download Mozilla, and it zipped the file, which made plugins not work...I had the preview version of FF1.0 which was somewhat buggy and it created a profile which argued with the new profile from the new download-I was told to create a new profile, but that was too :scared: scary, a couple of updates later, that problem has vanished. Are you running the preview version or the newest? Is there a red circle with an arrow in it in the upper right hand corner? that means an update is available...

[Solon]

22. A simple solution to your problem...

Usually, when a preview release of a product is out, like 1.0pre, then when I upgrade, to smooth it over, I just delete the "C:/Documents and Settings/Username/Application Data/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/yjphjayy.default" folder entirely, after I copied my bookmarks.html file to a different folder, like the desktop. Make sure to only delete it after uninstalling Firefox releases, it is left behind and can sometimes conflict with new releases that you install. Once the new copy is installed, I simply import from the file Bookmarks.html from the desktop, and viola, all my bookmarks are still there. Just a tip.

ON EDIT: MY bad, I'm under Linux, and looked at my Windows partition, easier to cut and paste the whole thing than to type it, it looks different under Linux, so I edited the line to look like it would under Windoze. :)

[miss_kitty]

25. uhhhhh-yeah :)

everything is aok-i've only had one application error or hang, with this version. Like I said-I think people who have probs with FF are in the minority, and it has been my experience a normal uninstall followed by a reinstall-it's as if nothing has happened, except the problem goes away.

But I DID have the conflict between profiles-and that dried up too.

:) :) :)

[Solon]

27. Like I said, just a tip...

I keep extra copies of my bookmarks.html file elsewhere, like on a floppy or something, just in case, you can to, and you don't even have to open Firefox to do it. Just saying.

[miss_kitty]

28. I'll look into it-thanks

I like learning new stuff about computers and the whole 'finding files and saving them somewhere else' is new to me. When I see long lines of text separated repeatedly with '/', my eyes tend to glaze over, though I am getting better, having convinced myself it is a map to a destination.

I have to say-If I did not have this box, which has really been nothing but trouble for nearly two years, I would know nothing about computers. I tell people that having my computer is being in love with a very handsome man who is an utter and compleat bastard. I love my computer-but I hate it too!

[Solon]

29. Its much easier than it looks, trust me...

Every single name separated by these "/" are simply folder names, you don't even have to type them, think of it as a map to the destination, look under C: on by Clicking on "My Computer" and then run from there, all you have to do is point and click.

[miss_kitty]

30. Ok Here's the deal

I can't find it. I explore the start menu-no Mozilla no Firefox. I look in programs, and under mozilla, under FF, no Bookmarks. The Documents and settings has favorites, but that's old IE junk...

[Solon]

31. Go to Control Panel....

Look at Folder Options, then click the advanced tab, the one that brings up a lot of shit that can be checked/unchecked, look for the entry "Show hidden files and folders", make sure that is checked, then hit apply, and you will now see a bunch of folders and files that you didn't know existed, cause microsoft thinks you are too stupid to look at all that shit. Look again and it will be there. BTW: the hidden files and folders will look faded out, whited out a little bit, just a way to tell you about it.

[miss_kitty]

33. good. I thought I had hidden files showing

but that must've been before the last reformatting.

So I get to this point: "C:/Documents and Settings/Username/Application Data/Mozilla/Firefox/Profiles/..."

There's a file called default 82e. It has 3 cache folders in it-Cache, Cache (3) and Cache Trash.

:shrug:


BTW THANKS!

On Edit: And +chrome, +extensions and +US

[Solon]

34. Are there any other files in the default 82e folder?

I ask, because mine has these list of files/folders:

Folders:

Cache
Chrome
Extensions

Files:

Bookmarks.bak
Bookmarks.html
cert8.db
compatibility.ini
etc. etc.

If you don't have all these files, did you uninstall FF? You said earlier that you couldn't find it under the Start Menu, so I'm just wondering where it is.

[miss_kitty]

35. I just stuck it in the edit of my previous post

only the three folders. I started to do a search before you told me about the hidden files and windows exeplorer suffered a serious error :eyes: sheesh. I'll try search again-they're stuck somewhere else-I'm using FF right now and I have Bookmarks

[miss_kitty]

36. Search says they're in the default file

5 different ones, ranging from 2.47 KB to 164KB (also14.2, 15.8 and 27.4 KBs) They're supposedly in the US folder and someother places, all not showing up...

[Solon]

39. Weird, all I can say...

is that if you don't have problems now, then export your bookmarks to a file now, and update it occasionally, using Firefox's Bookmark manager, just save it under My Documents or something. This is just to be save, for if you do have to uninstall Firefox for any reason afterwards, delete the Mozilla Folder but at least you will have a backup of your bookmarks that you can import into a new installation later.

[miss_kitty]

41. Here's what's weird

There is a file called bookmarks. It is labeled 'AutoCAD Backup Drawing' which AutoCAD should be able to open. EHHHHHHH! wrong answer. When I go to open it, it says "Microsoft needs to know which program created this file." :eyes: It's bookmarks.bak *sigh*

[Solon]

42. That's the BOOKMARK FILE!!!!

That's it, the extension ".bak" is recognized by the system to open in AutoCAD, but that isn't true. Open up Firefox, and then goto "File" then "Open File..." make sure it is set for the all files type, then go to that file and open it in firefox. That is, if you want to test it. It should be no problem, it should come up with a bunch of links that are familiar as bookmarks. Firefox stores all bookmarks as a single web page file, the html file, unlike IE which stores them as separate URL files. This is a problem with AutoCAD putting itself in as the default program for BAK files.

[miss_kitty]

40. well ever time I open these crazy ass files, new shit shows up

I have found the big html file in chrome and so now I assume that's my bookmarks. Is that the one I copy to a floppy?

[Solon]

43. Is the filename Bookmarks.html? n/t

[miss_kitty]

44. yes

it comes right after the bookmarks.bak file, labeled AutoCAD...
When I tried to open it-it came up with that message window that offers to take you to the net to find the originator of the program. I'll TRY to do what you are suggesting in response #42...

BTW, can I change that label in properties? Or should I leave well alone?

[Solon]

45. Actually, you can and can't...

Its a LONG story, but basically, under folder options is file types, that is the Microsoft way of telling what programs can open what files, as well as the labels. You could edit it manually, but I don't recomend it. An easier way would be to right click on the file, and see if the "Open With..." entry is availuable, if it is, then it brings up a menu so you can choose what program will open that file at that time.

[miss_kitty]

46. I opened it

and i selected firefox to always open that file. i hope i don't have to reformat in half an hour.:scared:

I am going to see if that choice stuck. I did not see any way to change the file default from AutoCAD to whatever. At least I know what it is.

[Solon]

48. You won't have to reformat...

Relax a little bit, its not like you were using "regedit" or anything, now screwing around with that can definately cause some problems. All a ".bak" file is is a backup file, why they still use the old 8.3 standard is beyond me. Especially in WinXP, I mean, it would be more meaningful if it was named "Bookmarks.backup" now wouldn't it? They have to be compatible with old systems, like Win95 or something I guess. Like I said, if that file is you bookmarks, then you can copy and paste it anywhere you like, and don't worry to much about losing that one, like I said, its a backup.

[miss_kitty]

49. Thank you so much for your help, Solon n/t

[Solon]

51. What do you think Geeks are for?

We like to help, we try to impress the girls that way :evilgrin:

[miss_kitty]

52. Oh

I AM impressed.

I was thinking next time I can't avoid reformatting, I'd throw Linux on here, too. Is it a hard thing to do?

[Solon]

53. Not really...

Try a live CD version first, see if you like it. That way it won't touch the stuff on your computer, its a try before you install type of thing. Just boot the CD and you have the full system, surf the net, check e-mail, whatever. One of the Best I found, as far as distros is "KANOTIX", its at www.kanotix.com. If you like it, you can always install it later.

[miss_kitty]

47. Once I have it

do I 'Save File As...' under file, like a document (which it is)?
Then to 'My Docs' or a floppy?

[Solon]

50. Any way that works is my answer...

Basically, you can store it on floppy just in case, put it in my documents if you want, its your choice. I put it on floppy so if I ever do anything stupid that requires a reformat, I don't lose my bookmarks on Firefox. Hell its even cross compatible, I reformatted my system for Linux, and with the floppy in hand, went to the Bookmark Manager, selected import from file, and viola, from Windows XP to Linux, I kept my Bookmarks.

[LaPera]

14. I recall asking on DU three weeks ago if I should...

get rid of Internet Explorer, now that I'm using (and love Firefox) or should I just leave IE alone and do nothing...since it was a few DUers who told me about and encougaged me to use Firefox...

When I asked that question...immediately. everyone said "Do nothing" just leave IE alone and use Firefox.

I'm glad I listened...because my IE "Favorites" were still there!!!

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[miss_kitty]

23. I remember that

You should never uninstall of IE. It's bundled, and you could seriously f up your system into a reformatting. When FF users say "get rid of IE" or "Dump IE" they mean "Stop using it" not "Uninstall it" You'll still need it for the worthless updates, too!

[mr blur]

26. You CAN'T get rid of IE

It's locked into Windows and trying to get of it will mess things up badly. Another example of Gates' determination that no-one should ever use any software that isn't buggy, clunky, bloated Micro$oft crap.

[Solon]

20. What version are you using...

I haven't had this problem with Firefox, and I have 1.0. We have it on 3 systems in the house and it hasn't caused any problems.

[Gothic Sponge]

16. No problems here

[Wapsie B]

38. I did when I first used it.

With the version I have now there's been no problems.