Did you try the first part to see if you could use the signons.sqlite file and the key3.db file to recover the passwords?

Or is that what you mean with what you wrote above?

• "Do I copy logins and key (from the first screenshot) to the current profile folder before or after I do everything in "about:config"?"

This first suggestion involves to only (re)move the logins.json file(s) and leave the key3.db file. The key3.db file stores the encryption key needed to decrypt names and passwords. If Firefox is able to use the signons.sqlite file by setting signon.importedFromSqlite to false and with no logins.json file present then at least you have old passwords back with a new logins.json file.

I removed the 2 login files and left the key file: no passwords. In fact 3 passwords that I created since the refresh, are gone too. The thing is, the signon.sqlite file is already in the current profile folder, and it's the same signons file from the old profile...same # of KB.

Do I need to go to about:config and change something there now?

I'm just not understanding why refreshing lost my bookmarks, passwords and add-ons (preferences), when all those files are in the current profile.

Firefox uses REFRESH as a go-to solution for so many things: "Having problems? Hit REFRESH and all will be well", when things are far worse afterwards. Most of us don't know how our computers and browsers work, we trust people at Microsoft, Windows and Firefox (who usually do a fine job) to do the heavy maintenance for us, so we should only have to update when told to...a little light housekeeping now and then. While I like knowing 'how things work', I'm a little over my head right now....and scrapped for time. (Sorry, I apparently just vented).

I get to a point reading all the "how-to's" that my eyes glaze over...and I've been on Firefox, Microsoft, Windows, Adobe (and a million various other) support pages for 2 weeks now, doing everything recommended, to figure out (and "fix") why (all of a sudden) I couldn't do something as simple as watch YouTube videos on Firefox, when I could the day before...and could on IE...and I solved that problem all by myself (out of sheer frustration) by going out on a limb and uninstalling Adobe Flash because (of all people) Krebs on Security told me Firefox was having problems with Adobe Flash because of security issues. Firefox didn't tell me that. and there are a ton of people out there having the same (or similar) problems, who DON'T have the time or wherewithal (or knowledge) to go rooting around in obscure folders and files, tweaking this and that. I don't know what happened when I hit refresh...I trusted what Firefox told me: that all my preferences would be saved...and now things are about as bad as they can get because all the appropriate files are IN my current profile folder, where they should be, and yet, none of my add-ons, bookmarks or passwords showed up after refresh. SO, I had to install Dashlane to remember my passwords, I had to spend 2 days online learning that I could "import" my bookmarks, and I still can't get Firefox to recognize the password associated files it's showing me it already has listed in "current profile". and the fact that we can't call a number and speak to a "tech", is just maddening. The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing...in my computer, Windows, Firefox, Adobe, Facebook, YouTube are all pulling in different directions, and people like me are stuck in the middle: befuddled, frustrated, confused and screwed. But I KNOW who the real culprit is: HACKERS. They're to blame for this fine mess, Ollie! ...and then there's Java...to install or uninstall: that's the question...and now it seems Adobe Flash is in the same boat...which means what? Incompatibility...programs fighting with each other, and havoc being wrought inside my computer....making it a useless mess, and wasting my time trying to fix things I can't fix until the big guys get on the same page. I'm sorry to use this space to vent: (

and just when things weren't screwy enough, today, I CAN'T watch YouTube videos! I give up.

installed latest version A.Flash: I can watch videos again (AND on PBS) for now...and I removed the 2 login files from the current profile, leaving the signons and key files: no passwords. So I moved one of the login files (that I moved into it's own folder yesterday) back into the current profile folder: no passwords...zilch. Now what do I do, oh wise one cor-el? and I mean that most sincerely.

...and just because I wasn't having enough fun, a Windows update from this morning says my desktop program isn't available...so no desktop, and my icon for Microsoft Security Essentials has mysteriously disappeared, even tho I asked it to be displayed in my task-bar...and my "computer-guy" newsletter says Windows reports Outlook crash for some of its customers because of that update. I'm expecting that in about 10 minutes I won't be able to use anything with Flash again...then something else will disappear, malfunction or break and I'll have to tell my family and friends to forward my mail to the local nuthouse, because I'll be there shortly.

as expected: after (re) downloading Adobe Flash yesterday and being able to watch videos through Firefox (on Facebook and YouTube), today no videos anywhere through Firefox: black screen again, but Flash works in "games" on FB in Firefox. (and in the middle of writing this, Firefox crashed).

So I went to IE to see if 'flash' works there, and on Facebook I only get sound, while on YouTube flash works fine!  SO, I'm back to square one...and still no passwords via Firefox, despite the fact that every file associated with them is my current profile: (  Cor-el, have you given up on me?  I've been to suppot pages on Firefox, Adobe, YouTube, Facebook and every other support page that comes up when I Google search "problems with Flash", and no one seems to have a definitive answer.

perusing this site for help with "flash", tells me what Krebs told me: Adobe Flash is vulnerable to hacking, which is why Firefox runs Flash in protected mode, which is causing problems watching videos. So the hackers have won because Adobe doesn't seem to be able to stay a step ahead of them, and their security patches aren't lasting more than a day now.

What fun: woke up this morning to not being able to see YouTube videos on Firefox (when I could yesterday after I re-installed Adobe Flash), so I uninstalled Adobe Flash again, and still couldn't watch them on Facebook or YouTube using Firefox...then Firefox crashed. Went to IE, could only get sound for YouTube videos on Facebook, but could see and hear them on YouTube: that was an hour ago. Came back at 1:30, and now YouTube videos work on Facebook and Youtube on Firefox. In the span of 4 hours things changed, and I'm sure they'll change again.

YouTube normally uses the HTML5 media player and not a Flash based player by default to play videos. You can check that via the right-click context menu. If you see a Lego block icon on the Navigation Toolbar and you still see videos with the Flash plugin disabled then you know for sure that the Flash plugin isn't used for the video.

yesterday I could watch YouTube videos on YouTube and Facebook via Firefox without Flash installed. This morning, zip: back to black: no YouTube videos at all (NONE) via Firefox on YouTube OR Facebook. If I go to IE, I can watch videos on YouTube across the board, but I only get sound on YT videos on Facebook. From one day to the next is a crap shoot, with or without Flash installed. I haven't changed anything or done anything since yesterday to warrant this schizophrenia: ( It's like "it" has a mind of it's own...whatever "it" is, and THAT'S what I've been trying to put my finger on. I've run malware scans 'til I'm blue in the face, to rule that out...what else can I do? and there's still this little issue of collateral damage from refreshing Firefox a week ago, and no passwords...despite the fact that evry file associated with them is IN the "current profile" folder. OY.

Just for kicks I re-installed Adobe Flash Player for Firefox-NPAPI, to see if that made a difference: NONE...so I went to OPTIONS>APPLICATIONS, and see that Firefox is using "Quicktime plug-in 7.7.8" to play all audio/video files? Not Flash? WTH? And if YouTube is using HTML5, and I have an add-on installed (from Firefox) called "YouTube Flash video player", that has options to either use HTML5 OR Flash, and I keep it toggled to HTML5 without Flash installed, I should be able to view YouTube videos on Firefox, ON YouTube AND Facebook all day/every day...but I can't. It changes from day to day!

FINAL SOLUTION: It's with deep regret that I uninstall Firefox...I just can't take it anymore : ( Goodbye Firefox, you served me well for 3 years.

If you want to try to use signons.sqlite then you first do about:config (reset signon.importedFromSqlite). Then you go to the Firefox profile folder and close Firefox. You always need to close Firefox before making changes to files in the profile folder. Then you need to remove the logins.json file(s) but leave a copy of key3.db and signons.sqlite. When you restart Firefox you can check the Password Manager.

If that hasn't worked then copy logins.json and key3.db to the current Firefox profile folder.

You can open the logins.json file in the Scratchpad (Firefox menu button or Tools > Web Developer) to see the URL of each item (names and passwords are encrypted). Click the "Pretty Print" button to format the file for readability.