Nothing works to recover bookmarks and history
Hi all,
I tried everything but nothing seems to work. Yesterday when I opened my computer all bookmarks and history were gone.
- I received this msg "The bookmarks and history system will not be functional because one of Firefox's files is in use by another application. Some security software can cause this problem." ***
Hence I tried with all of the following options and nothing has worked yet.
-I tried the "places.sqlite" file solution multiple times (renaming, deleting, etc.). Did not work. -I tried refreshing Firefox solution (completely new profile). Did not work. -I tried deleting & reinstalling Firefox. Did not work. -I also try restoring bookmarks from library and a new error message shows: "Unable to process the backup file." -I tried to export my back-up HTML bookmarks that I saved from 3 months ago. Guess what? Did not work. -I tried to get the bookmarks from other browser (chrome) and it did not work either.
Can any of you help me recovering the bookmarks please? Thanks in advance.
Chosen solution
I don't know why a fresh new places.sqlite database triggers the same error. Usually creating a new one works.
Probably you have shut down and restarted Windows at least once since this problem started, so it is not a transient problem with permissions.
At this point, could you try:
New Profile Test
This takes about 3 minutes, plus the time to test bookmarkting.
Inside Firefox, type or paste about:profiles in the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it.
Click the Create a New Profile button, then click Next. Assign a name like Sept2018, ignore the option to relocate the profile folder, and click the Finish button.
After creating the profile, scroll down to it and click the Set as default profile button below that profile, then scroll back up and click the Restart normally button. (There are some other buttons, but please ignore them.)
Firefox should exit and then start up using the new profile, which will just look brand new. Please ignore any tabs enticing you to connect to a Sync account or to activate extensions found on your system so we can get a clean test.
Does bookmarking work in the new profile?
To return to your old profile: Open the about:profiles page again, click the Set as default profile button for your normal profile, then click the Restart normally button to get back to it.
To move old files to your new profile: This article will get you started: Recover important data from an old profile. Of course, don't move the old places.sqlite file. Moving the bookmarkbackups folder should allow you to use the Restore feature.
Any luck?
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Chosen Solution
I don't know why a fresh new places.sqlite database triggers the same error. Usually creating a new one works.
Probably you have shut down and restarted Windows at least once since this problem started, so it is not a transient problem with permissions.
At this point, could you try:
New Profile Test
This takes about 3 minutes, plus the time to test bookmarkting.
Inside Firefox, type or paste about:profiles in the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it.
Click the Create a New Profile button, then click Next. Assign a name like Sept2018, ignore the option to relocate the profile folder, and click the Finish button.
After creating the profile, scroll down to it and click the Set as default profile button below that profile, then scroll back up and click the Restart normally button. (There are some other buttons, but please ignore them.)
Firefox should exit and then start up using the new profile, which will just look brand new. Please ignore any tabs enticing you to connect to a Sync account or to activate extensions found on your system so we can get a clean test.
Does bookmarking work in the new profile?
To return to your old profile: Open the about:profiles page again, click the Set as default profile button for your normal profile, then click the Restart normally button to get back to it.
To move old files to your new profile: This article will get you started: Recover important data from an old profile. Of course, don't move the old places.sqlite file. Moving the bookmarkbackups folder should allow you to use the Restore feature.
Any luck?
This is really good. Thank you. I could solve it and at least was able to get my bookmarks saved from HTML.
Thnx so much