Bookmarks disappeared, Firefox won't open profile backup file
Was updated to FF 49.0.1. Bookmarks and history all disappeared. Research said the bookmarks backup file in my profile could be opened with FF. It's a compressed JSON file. FF won't open it. If I open it in Word, it's all in some sort of gibberish machine language.
Would like to go back to the previous version of FF but now my Win 7 machine won't Restore to Earlier Time, either. Even with shutting off ALL security apps / programs and even disconnecting from the internet AND disabling all the add-ons, it always seems to go thru the motions but then tells me Restore failed and that I must have some type of AV program running.
WHY do all these changes have to be shoved down my throat?! I liked things the way they were and they worked. I didn't know I could require FF to ask if I wanted an update. How is a person supposed to find out about things like that?!
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I failed to mention I use Yahoo as my home page and for email. And I am now also not able to attach any files or photos o Yahoo email.
I tried using the arrow alongside the paperclip to select files from this computer bu nothing happens.
Modified by macx
Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web Link} by holding down the <Shift>
(Mac=Options) key, and then starting Firefox.
A small dialog should appear. Click Start In Safe Mode (not Refresh).
Is the problem still there?
Look on your desktop. Do you see a folder called; Old Firefox?
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/recovering-important-data-from-an-old-profile
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/back-and-restore-information-firefox-profiles
Yes, in Safe Mode FF won't open the bookmarks backup file.
I also read to move a bookmark backup file from a previous profile, before FF 49, into the current profile bookmarks backup folder. I was able to do that, but now what? The post that suggested that did not explain what to do then or how that was supposed to help. FF won't open the older bookmarks backup file, either.
No, I do not and never have seen an "Old Firefox" folder on my desktop or anywhere else in my computer.
I've also tried to Restore to an Earlier Point but this always fails, too.
There is a large number of various types of files and comments on the internet, especially in all these FAQ files on different help topics, including this forum and the 2 links in the above post, regarding how to do things, including to solve my bookmarks and restore problems, that do nothing more than run me around in circles for hours and do not solve my problems. Where's FireFox? They seem to be perfectly able to screw up a good system, now why can't they help people fix the problems all these "wonderful" new changes have created?!
And the final slap in my face? When I selected "NO" to the question did this article help, all it does is say "Sorry About That"! Pathetic, incompetent lack of support from FireFox!! No wonder they've lost so much market share to Chrome.
Modified by macx
I've called for more help.
I finally got everything straightened out. There were bits and pieces of the answer in a number of different places, some in the links offered in this thread, others in various Search results. It's amazing that what turned out to be relatively simple, and I'm SURE I'm not the first one needing to restore lost bookmarks, couldn't be answered in a straightforward manner "layman's terms" manner in FireFox Help!! And none of the "experts" in this Forum were able to write out this basically simple solution!
Put them all together and this is how it worked:
Went thru Start / Search, with FireFox closed, and entered %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\ which took me to my profile from my previous version of FF (48). Going thru the ? in the Help menu your current / open version of FF (bars in upper right of FF screen) and going through Troubleshooting only brings you to your current profile.
I then opened my previous profile folder (opened thru Start Search with FF closed) and the bookmarks backup file in there. I selected and Copied the bookmarks file I wanted to restore. Then went into the profile for my current version of FF (49) and Pasted it in that Bookmark Backups folder there.
Then with FF open, going into Bookmarks, Show All Bookmarks, Import and Backup, to Restore, it finally listed the backups from both my current profile backup file and the one I had copied into my current bookmark backup folder in my current profile. From Restore, I selected the older bookmark backup file I had copied in there from my older profile and selected open.
There they were!
Caution - if you have saved any new bookmarks, you must Export them to HTML before you do the Bookmarks Restore as they will be replaced and lost if you don't Export them to HTML and save them first.
I had previously saved my new bookmarks to HTML which I then was able to import into the Restored Bookmarks file so now I have both my old bookmarks and my new bookmarks combined into my current Bookmarks file.
FIRST thing I did was to Export that current bookmarks file into HTML and copied that file onto my backup drive!
It wasn't that complicated! And I'm NOT a computer geek, which is why it took me nearly a dozen hours to piece together and ultimately stumble on the solution. So WHY can't a simple set of directions be placed into FireFox Help under the Bookmarks section that shows how to do that, step by step?! There's directions for all the easy tasks that a lot of people know, but nothing like this to help correct a very serious problem. Pathetic lack of organization and extremely poor problem solving tools in FF Help!!!
Modified by macx
That was very good work. Well done. Please flag your last post as Solved Problem so others will know.
These add-ons can be a great help by backing up and restoring Firefox
FEBE (Firefox Environment Backup Extension) {web link} FEBE allows you to quickly and easily backup your Firefox extensions, history, passwords, and more. In fact, it goes beyond just backing up -- It will actually rebuild your saved files individually into installable .xpi files. It will also make backups of files that you choose.
OPIE {web link} Import/Export extension preferences