After a crash with Win XP Professional, I am missing all the important Profile files. How can I recover passwords and history if the key3.db and places.sqlite files are not shown in the profile folder?
I only have a large urlclassifier3.sqlite file in the old default profile folder. Help!
Modified by SadFirefoxUser
All Replies (6)
You could try system restore, provided that it was enabled before the data loss occurred. If it was not enabled or the last system restore point was long taken before the data was was updated, you will have some data loss, but maybe not all of it. Here is an idea: Regularly make images of your Windows installation, so that if anything weird happens (like a hard drive failure or crash), you can restore the latest image to a different hard drive, and everything will be exactly like you had it the last time you made an image.
Thanks, but crash was fatal and resulted in disc corruption. The recovery tools erased the bad sectors and so a system restore was not possible. I was hoping the relevant files could be extracted somehow from that big sqlite file...
Make sure that you look in the correct location. The file urlclassifier3.sqlite is usually in the cache location:
- C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Local Settings\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<profile>\
The Firefox Profile Folder is in this location:
- C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<profile>\
Modified by cor-el
Thanks- I did look there, but the Profile folder is entirely missing from C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\ Can't imagine where it went, unless it was part of the corrupted files on the disk that got wiped. Firefox was open at the time the machine crashed.
Sounds like boot sector corruption to me! I suggest you download Testdisk a product of CG Security. Use the latest version that is NOT beta. Boot the computer to a bootable CD such as Hiren's Boot CD. Run the DOS version. Do NOT write anything to the hard disk, such as a log! Do a deep search for lost partitions. When given the opportunity, look at files and folders. Finally, do a rebuild of the boot sector, and compare that to the current boot sector and backup sector. The write a verified version of the boot sector back to the hard disk. Note: Testdisk 6.11.3, under DOS, will show DELETED FILES IN RED. You can then OFFLOAD them to another drive or USB stick. Good luck.
Thanks!! This'll take some time but you've given me some hope... :)