Save the bookmarks in Firefox

This article will explain how to save your bookmarks, so you can replace them if you ever have to reinstall Firefox. Remember that if you don't save them prior to a reinstall, you will lose all of them. It's also a good idea to save a copy everytime you backup your personal files, in case your computer ever crashes or you have to do a complete reinstall of your PC.



Quick and easy version:



Go to the Firefox browser and Select Bookmarks > Manage Bookmarks

Select File > Export



Choose the folder to save your bookmarks in (We recommend adding today’s date to the file name so that you can easily identify it in the future).



More Detailed Instructions:



First, set windows to show hidden files. To know how to view hidden files see this link: How to see hidden files in Windows



Then navigate to:



C:\ Documents and Settings\

• Administrator\
  
  
  
  


• ApplicationData\


• Mozilla\


• Firefox\


• Profiles\


• wplpwcgf.default\(before ‘default’ are randomly generated characters, your’s will be different)


• bookmarkbackups (select the one with the most recent date)
  
  
  
  C:\ Documents and Settings \ "your user name" \ Application Data\ Mozilla \ Firefox \ Profiles \ default.random characters \ Bookmark.html
  
  
  
  


• Select Bookmark.html with the most recent date, right click it and select Copy.


• Go to your Desktop, and in an empty area, right click and select Paste.
  
  That will put a copy of the file on your Desktop.


• After you install a new copy of Firefox, go to the Profile folder again, and delete the new Bookmark.html file that is in there.
  
  


• Go back to your Desktop and Copy the Bookmark.html file you put there, then Paste it into the Profile folder where you deleted the new Bookmark.html file.
  
  

Now, all of your old Bookmarks are back in your Profile folder, just like they were in the version of Firefox you removed.

Also, since this is an .html file, you can open it in Internet Explorer, by double clicking it, and using the links that way. Just click a link, and it will open in Internet Explorer.

Upgrade the Firefox browser with the most recent updates.

The images below, showing how to update Firefox, are from Firefox 1.5. The steps are the same for Firefox 2.0. Don't know which one you're running? Here's how to check (click here to jump to the update procedure).

1. Open Firefox.
   
   
   
   


2. Click on Help and click on About Mozilla Firefox.
   
   
   
   


3. It will show you which version is running.
   
   
   
   




4. From the same menu, click on Check for Updates (just above About Mozilla Firefox).
   
   
   
   


5. You will get a screen, which will show the progress bar.
   
   
   
   


6. Click on Download and Install Now. It allows you to update to the immediate version from the existing one.
   
   
   
   

You'll need to close Firefox, then reopen it for the update to take effect. Some extensions and add-ons might not work after updating, but generally those authors are quick to fix any problems. Click on Tools > Add-ons, then click the Find Updates button to get recent version of your add-ons.

For different versions of FireFox you can use, check out Campus FF and eBay FF

How to set the home page for Firefox?

Here are your options for what opens when you start Firefox.  First open the Firefox Options dialog box:

• From your menu bar, click Tools > Options.
  
  
  
  
  
  


• Click on Main tab, the first section is Startup.

You can set your own home page, have a blank page, or have Firefox load your last session (all the pages that were open when you last closed Firefox).



The second and third options are pretty straight forward, select them and there is nothing else to be done.



If you select "Show my home page", you'll have to set a home page.  If the website you want as home page is in your bookmarks, then click "Use Bookmark" ...







... and this box will appear:







Select the bookmark and click OK. Another way to do this is to have the website open in Firefox, then come to the Options section and click the "Use Current Page" button.



Here's a real convenient feature in Firefox.  You can set multiple pages to open in different tabs when you start Firefox. This is helpful if you always check the same three or four sites everyday.  For example, you may be in the habit of first checking your email, a favorite news site and the weather forecast everyday. Open those three sites in three separate tabs (but just one Firefox window). From your menu bar, click Tools > Options. Under the Main section, select Show my home page and click Use Current Pages (notice the "s" at the end of page). That's it. Click OK and you're done.







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Troubleshooting Firefox hanging issues

There can be many scenarios that can cause Firefox to freeze.  Freezing/hanging is different from a crash. A crash is when the browser closes unexpectedly.   Freezing means not responding your actions.



Check the following symptoms and how to troubleshoot hang/freeze problems. 



Your Firefox Froze:

• while loading/starting it.


• and can't load certain websites.


• while downloading files.


• while loading Java, Flash or PDF files.

1. Froze while loading/starting Firefox:



Check your Extensions and Plug-ins:



Determine when the problem started. Check whether it is a problem with an extension that you have recently installed. Some extensions might cause problems like slowing down the browser or freezing up.  Disable the extension and check. If you find it as a culprit, uninstall it. The best thing to do is restart Firefox in safe mode and disable plug-ins and extensions and check. Here's how you open firefox in safe mode:

1. Close your Firefox browser.


2. From the desktop, click Start > Run.
   
   
   
   


3. Key in, firefox -safe-mode.
   
   
   
   


4. You will be popped with a new window called "Firefox Safe Mode"
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   • Just select the options displayed and if you click "Make Changes and Restart", Firefox applies changes and restarts in normal mode.
   
   
   • If you choose to select "Continue in Safe Mode" no settings will be applied.
   
   
   • If you choose to "Exit" the browser will just exit without saving any settings.
   
   
   
   

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2. Can't load certain Websites:



It might be JavaScript problem:



Firefox might not work because of the Javascript on the webpage getting messed up.  Just close the browser and reopen it.  You can disable Javascript selectively for certain webpages by downloading and installing NoScript extension.





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3. Froze while downloading files:



Clear Download History:



Keeping the Download History can cause extensive usage of memory and this can slow down or freeze Firefox. 

1. Delete the "downloads.rdf" file to clear the download history.


2. You need to make a little change to the browser setting.  Here's what you do:


3. Open Firefox browser.


4. From the menu bar, click Tools -> Options.
   
   
   
   


5. Click Privacy tab. Uncheck "Remember what I've downloaded" check box.
   
   
   
   

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4. Froze while loading Java, Flash or PDF files:



Check the Associated Plug-in:



If your Firefox is freezing when you click on a PDF link, it means that there should be some problem with an associated Firefox plug-in.  Click here to see a related article.



There can be other applications that also might cause Firefox to freeze.  Check the anti-virus and anti-spywares that are running on your computer.



Run a Standard Diagnostic if the above steps doesn't take care of your problem.

How to prevent PDF's from freezing FireFox?

If your Firefox is freezing when you click on a PDF link, it means that there is some problem with an associated Firefox plug-in. There are several ways to fix this problem:

1. Download and Install Firefox plug-in.


2. Uninstall and Reinstall Firefox.


3. Uninstall and Reinstall Adobe Reader.

1.  Download and Install Firefox plug-in:



By downloading a plug-in which is available on Firefox website, you can have an option of opening a PDF file in HTML format.



Important: If you choose to download this Firefox plug-in, ensure that you have a copy of Adobe Reader installed on your computer.  Otherwise this won't work.



Here's what you do to download and install the plug-in:

1. Open Firefox Browser.


2. Key in, https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/636/ in the address bar.
   
   
   
   


3. Click on Install Now shown on the web page to download the file.
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. In few seconds, you will see a Firefox pop-up prompting you to install the plug-in.  Click Install Now to proceed.
   
   
   
   


5. After the installation completes, close and restart Firefox.


6. You need to make some changes to the browser settings for the plug-in to work properly.
   
   
   
   • Click Tools -> Add-ons.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Click on Extensions, navigate to PDF Download item and then click Options.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Select General tab.  Check Open PDF check box.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Select PDF Opening tab.  Check Use OS Default Viewer check box.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Close and restart Firefox.
     
     
   
   
   
   

The above steps should take care of your problem but if doesn't then, try the steps below





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2.  Uninstall and Reinstall Firefox:



Before you go ahead, check the Firefox version you have.  Here's how you check it:

1. Open Firefox browser.


2. On the menu bar, click Help > About Mozilla Firefox.
   
   
   
   
   
   


3. It should show up something like below:
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. The latest version of Firefox is version (2.0.0.1).  If you are still running the older version, consider upgrading it to the new one.  Click here to download latest version of Firefox.


5. Uninstall the existing Firefox (if you have an older version).  Here's how you do it:
   
   
   
   • From your desktop, click Start > Control Panel.
   
   
   • Double-click on Add/Remove Programs.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Navigate to the item that says Mozilla Firefox and click Remove.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • This will take you to Firefox uninstallation wizard, follow the steps to remove Firefox.
   
   
   
   


6. After it is done, double-click on the file that you have downloaded for the Firefox browser and install it.

Note:  Most of the times, uninstalling and reinstalling takes care of most of the issues with the browsers.





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3.  Uninstall and Reinstall Adobe Reader:



Before you go ahead, check the Adobe Reader version you have.  Here's how you check it:

1. Open Adobe Reader.


2. On the menu bar, click Help -> About Adobe Reader.
   
   
   
   


3. It should show up something like below:
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   


4. The latest version of Adobe reader is version (8.0.0).  If you are still running the older version, consider upgrading it to the new one.  Click here to download latest version of Adobe Reader.


5. Uninstall the existing Adobe Reader (if you have an older version).  Here's how you do it:
   
   
   
   • From your desktop, click Start -> Control Panel.
   
   
   • Double-click on Add/Remove Programs.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   • Navigate to the item that says Adobe Reader and click Remove.
     
     
     
     
   
   
   
   


6. After it is done, double-click on the file that you have downloaded for the Adobe Reader and install it.

Note:  Most of the times, uninstalling and reinstalling takes care of most of the issues you encounter.





These steps above should fix your problem.