Is ther nobody knows the answer to this...really?

You need to select Import Bookmarks from HTML ...

done that, thats my problem...they dont show up anywhere. cant find them. There on an external drive, but when i try to find them via Import Bookmarks from HTML ...they dont show. 1st image is external drive with bookmarks showing 2nd image is after ive clicked 'Import Bookmarks from HTML'

That probably means that the file doesn't have an .html file extension and you will have to rename the file to bookmarks-2012-09-14.html to make Firefox list it in the Import file picker.
You see that the HTML file type is required in the corner at the bottom right.

If you are not sure about the file type then you can open the file in Firefox via "File > Open File"
A JSON backup will show as one long text line without line breaks and a HTML backup as a web page with clickable links.

• A JSON backup starts with: {"title":"","id":1,"dateAdded":
• An HTML backup starts with: <!DOCTYPE NETSCAPE-Bookmark-file-1>

In your first screenshot, I suspect that is a JSON bookmark backup file that your arrow is pointing to - JSON files need to be restored.

Import and Backup > Restore -> Choose file ...

Import is for bookmarks.html files.

Ok thank you for your help. Ive changed file name to bookmarks-2012-09-14.html. It shows up now, but when i click, bookmarks/import and backup/importbookmarks from HTML, click on the file in external drive...nothing happens. I know im not far away, sorry if these are daft questions.

Windows hides the file extension on "known" file types. If that isn't really an html bookmarks file Firefox can't process as an html file if it is a JSON file - the file formats are entirely different.

I suspect this is a JSON file because Firefox bookmarks.html export files are named simply bookmarks.html, where as the JSON files have the date in the file name as shown in your screenshot. bookmarks-2012-09-14

Ok so how can i get them back..Thanks again.

check out the format when you backup the bookmark (json or html) retore it via same format.

1st - open the Windows Control Panel (or whatever it is called in Win7) -> Folder Options --> View = un-check Hide extensions for known file types

2nd - see what the file extension is for that file

3rd - Import it if it is an HTML file
Restore it if it is a JSON file

If you changed the file extension and aren't sure what it originally was, open that file in a text program (Notepad or Wordpad) and view the first line of that file, and using what cor-el posted figure out whether it is an HTML file or a JSON file, and correct the file extension.

its a json file. when i try to restore i get options (dates) from 14th/09----21st/09 the 14th is when i exported them and if i click that it restores to default boomarks. Thanks guys but startin to loose the will now.:-(

heres the first few lines when i open it.

{"title":"","id":1,"dateAdded":1338627736782000,"lastModified":1339089986024000,"type":"text/x-moz-place-container","root":"placesRoot","children":[{"title":"Bookmarks Menu","id":2,"parent":1,"dateAdded":1338627736782000,"lastModified":1343404705110000,"type":"text/x-moz-place-container","root":"bookmarksMenuFolder","children":[{"title":"Recently Bookmarked","id":343,"parent":2,"annos":[{"name":"Places/SmartBookmark","flags":0,"expires":4,"mimeType":null,"type":3,"value":"RecentlyBookmarked"}],"type":"text/x-moz-place","uri":"place:folder=BOOKMARKS_MENU&folder=UNFILED_BOOKMARKS&

Yes, that is a JSON backup, so you need to remove the .html file extension and add a .json file extension instead.
If Windows is stubborn and doesn't want to change the file type but merely changes the name to bookmarks.json.html then try to add quotes around the name when renaming or (temporarily) disable hiding the file extension.

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Show_hidden_files_and_folders

Note that restoring a JSON backup will replace the current bookmarks, so you lose any bookmarks that aren't in the backup unless you first export the bookmarks to an HTML file.
Then you can import that file after you've restored the JSON backup.

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Backing_up_and_restoring_bookmarks_-_Firefox

There lies the problem..file extension..:-) Briliant,Thanks very much. Now Ive learnt something.