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How do you save Firefox settings for after windows reinstall?
- Thread starter Headbust
- Start date
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2109
And what I personally can't live without: http://www.xmarks.com/
FEBE is clunky and a pain to use, I wouldn't rely on it for your bookmarks, just you add-ons. Xmarks is a by far the greatest add-on I have ever used. Your bookmarks are INSTANTLY backed up and synced across as many computers running FF as you want.
And what I personally can't live without: http://www.xmarks.com/
FEBE is clunky and a pain to use, I wouldn't rely on it for your bookmarks, just you add-ons. Xmarks is a by far the greatest add-on I have ever used. Your bookmarks are INSTANTLY backed up and synced across as many computers running FF as you want.
Joe Average
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If you're using Vista or Windows 7...
There's 3 folders you need to be concerned with (as I don't trust any of the automated things, they always miss something in my experience, especially plugins/extensions - something is always broken on a restoration). I just slapped Windows 7 x64 7201 on this machine 20 mins ago and before I wiped the old 7127 this is what I did.
In the Program Files directory (or Program Files (x86) if you're running a 64 bit version of Vista/Windows 7 and you're using Firefox 32 bit), there's the standard Mozilla Firefox directory, you'll want to save that whole thing.
Then, in the Users\username\AppData\Local and Users\username\AppData\Roaming folders you're going to find a Mozilla folder in each. You need to copy both of those as well.
I create a folder in another location (another drive) called Mozilla Backup and in it I'll have the following (I rename the two AppData folders so I know what's what):
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla - Local
Mozilla - Roaming
That's it. When I reinstall Windows 7, I copy those folders back to their target locations and then pin the firefox.exe in Mozilla Firefox to the Taskbar and run it. It'll ask me if I want to make Firefox the default browser and that's it. Everything else is there, working exactly as it was on the previous installation without any issues. Cookies, cache, plugins, extensions, bookmarks, etc... as close to a perfect backup as you can get.
Good luck...
There's 3 folders you need to be concerned with (as I don't trust any of the automated things, they always miss something in my experience, especially plugins/extensions - something is always broken on a restoration). I just slapped Windows 7 x64 7201 on this machine 20 mins ago and before I wiped the old 7127 this is what I did.
In the Program Files directory (or Program Files (x86) if you're running a 64 bit version of Vista/Windows 7 and you're using Firefox 32 bit), there's the standard Mozilla Firefox directory, you'll want to save that whole thing.
Then, in the Users\username\AppData\Local and Users\username\AppData\Roaming folders you're going to find a Mozilla folder in each. You need to copy both of those as well.
I create a folder in another location (another drive) called Mozilla Backup and in it I'll have the following (I rename the two AppData folders so I know what's what):
Mozilla Firefox
Mozilla - Local
Mozilla - Roaming
That's it. When I reinstall Windows 7, I copy those folders back to their target locations and then pin the firefox.exe in Mozilla Firefox to the Taskbar and run it. It'll ask me if I want to make Firefox the default browser and that's it. Everything else is there, working exactly as it was on the previous installation without any issues. Cookies, cache, plugins, extensions, bookmarks, etc... as close to a perfect backup as you can get.
Good luck...
On Vista, the Firefox profiles are in:
C:\Users\****\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox
in a folder called "Profiles", where **** is your user name.
1- Backup your profile to a folder on another partition, or another physical hard drive, than your OS.
You never need to do this copying again.
After a fresh install of Vista, install Firefox and run it. Then, close all Firefox windows.
2- Open a command window and navigate to where you installed Firefox and type firefox.exe -p, which opens the Firefox profile manager.
In that manager click on "Create Profile".
Click "Next".
Give it a distinct name if you want.
Click "Choose Folder".
Navigate to where you saved your profile in step 1 and click "OK".
Click "Finish".
Now, when you start Firefox, all your bookmarks and settings are already there.
C:\Users\****\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox
in a folder called "Profiles", where **** is your user name.
1- Backup your profile to a folder on another partition, or another physical hard drive, than your OS.
You never need to do this copying again.
After a fresh install of Vista, install Firefox and run it. Then, close all Firefox windows.
2- Open a command window and navigate to where you installed Firefox and type firefox.exe -p, which opens the Firefox profile manager.
In that manager click on "Create Profile".
Click "Next".
Give it a distinct name if you want.
Click "Choose Folder".
Navigate to where you saved your profile in step 1 and click "OK".
Click "Finish".
Now, when you start Firefox, all your bookmarks and settings are already there.
Last edited:
techie81
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This is the way to go.
Joe Average
Ad Blocker - Banned
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That's for just bookmarks from what I can discover upon a cursory inspection. And I'd never trust my stuff to some online storage anyway (even with their so called "security" in place...).
The OP asked for a way to make a total absolute backup of everything and several of the suggestions offer that, most especially mine because it literally is backing up everything that makes up Firefox on Vista and Windows 7 - all the content for the entire app resides in those three folders.
The OP asked for a way to make a total absolute backup of everything and several of the suggestions offer that, most especially mine because it literally is backing up everything that makes up Firefox on Vista and Windows 7 - all the content for the entire app resides in those three folders.
Joe Average, why do you copy both the folders from both local and roaming? I always copy just one (can't remember which one, not on my computer right now but it's the one with the bookmarkbackups folder) and I always get all my settings and extensions.