283983 - All profile settings lost, including bookmarks extensions and themes, for no known reason.

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 193749

(Toolkit :: Startup and Profile System, defect)

Description

[mixxster]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.7.5) Gecko/20041107 Firefox/1.0
Build Identifier: Firefox/1.0

Ok, I had finally got firefox custimized and setup just the way I like it. I
have been using it sence September 2004, and around Feb. 20 2005, I just browsed
the web. I did not make any changes that I know of. I shut off my computer for
the night, and the next day I turned it on and all my extensions deleted,
themes: deleted, options; defaults, bookmarks: deleted. 

Reproducible: Couldn't Reproduce

Steps to Reproduce:
1. I dont know how to reproduse it.
2.
3.

Actual Results:  
?

Expected Results:  
not deleted my stuff

Win. XP Home

Comment 1

[Darin Fisher]

Hi mixxshi,

Can you try looking in C:\Documents and Settings\{your name}\Application
Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\?  Do you see a single directory with an unusual
name like abcdefgh.default?  If so, do you see your files in that directory? 
Does the bookmarks.html file, for example, in that directory contain your
original (lost) bookmarks?  It may be that your settings are all still there,
just inaccessible to Firefox for some odd reason.

Comment 2

[Ben Fowler]

See Bug 193749 "bookmarks and personal preferences are 
lost after system crash due to power failure", its many duplicates and
the advice in http://www.mozilla.org/start/1.5/troubleshooting/ 
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/releases/#troubleshooting 
and http://www.bytecave.net/anders/guide/mpguide/TroubleShooting.html

(Though none of those resources seem quite as much to the point
as coment 1).

Comment 3

[admin]

This very same thing happened to me about four days ago. I had to power off my
system while Firefox was running [Windows XP SP2, Firefox 1.0.1] because another
mis-firing application wouldn't relinquish control of Windows. I should note
that before I powered off the PC, the Firefox window was gone, but the task
manager still reported that it was running.
When I started up again, most of my profile settings were wiped out (history,
bookmarks, settings - though not saved passwords). I checked the profile
directory, and the relevant files had been rewritten with the defaults.
I had experienced no problems with the browser before this happened.

Comment 4

[José Jeria]

(In reply to comment #3)
> This very same thing happened to me about four days ago. I had to power off my
> system while Firefox was running 

See comment 2

Comment 5

[José Jeria]

(In reply to comment #3)
> This very same thing happened to me about four days ago. I had to power off my
> system while Firefox was running 

See comment 2

Comment 6

[admin]

(In reply to comment #4)
> (In reply to comment #3)
> > This very same thing happened to me about four days ago. I had to power off my
> > system while Firefox was running 
> 
> See comment 2

I saw that. It was no help.

Comment 7

[Tristor]

This looks like a duplicate of 193749, I am going to go ahead and dupe it.
CCing myself


*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 193749 ***

Comment 8

[Ben Fowler]

(In reply to comment #6)
> (In reply to comment #4)
> > (In reply to comment #3)
> > > This very same thing happened to me about four days ago. I had to 
> > > power off my system while Firefox was running 
> > 
> > See comment 2
> 
> I saw that. It was no help.
 
Please understand that it is no fun trying to provide user support
within bugzilla. 'Having to power off my system while Firefox was running'
is not this bug, but sounds sufficiently like one of problems mentioned
in Bug 193749 "bookmarks and personal preferences are lost after system 
crash due to power failure" that I would strongly suggest that you look
at resources and procedures mentioned there for help, even though I don't
know a great deal about windows.

I agree that the URL 
http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/releases/#troubleshooting
no longer exists.

I agree that the URL http://www.mozilla.org/start/1.5/troubleshooting/ 
does not provide advice that fully covers this Bug (and you are invited 
to contribute sections that cover either your problem or the one in 
Comment 1 ).

I accept that providing in Bugzilla a pointer to a third party document 
is evidence that there might be a deficiency in the Mozilla site, but I 
still think that the link I provided is at the very least a useful guide
and introduction to the Profile, but I continue to claim that you would
be better off looking for such resources whether third party or within
Mozilla for support.

I continue to assert that the instructions in comment 1 are still the most
useful part of this report.

I am grateful for your informing us that my comment 2, was more help, and
given further detail, I would be happy to improve on it!

Comment 9

[Tristor]

Some additional help on how to fix (however much of a nasty fix it is) profile
issues is written by me, on page 2 of a thread.  A direct link to the first in a
series of somewhat helpful comments from myself and others is:
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?p=1317962#1317962

I would reference that, I posted a nice little walkthrough on how to do it on
WindowsXP (the same applies to Win2k as well) and screenshots of various steps.

Unfortunately, there isn't much else I can do to help you.  If between that and
the other bugs you can't fix it... sorry.