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Sync:HTML backup after Sync size is less to Latest backup before Sync.[UPDATE:3rdMARCH2019]

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1. Synced my Firefox sync account

2. Disconnected my Firefox sync account

3. Reinstalled windows

4. Installed Firefox 56 (I was using 63 but i only had 56 installer)

5. Updated it to 65.0.1.

6. Connected my Firefox sync account


Problem -

1. All bookmarks didn't sync.

I created bookmark HTML backups and it were of 6mb and my latest backup is 171mb.

There are 2980 differences in 173mb backup and Backup taken after again connecting to FirefoxSync. I used WinMerge.

2. HTML backups also contain fav-icons [and Firefox Sync only syncs links not fav-icons.]

When browser is used fav-icons are loaded but after sync fav-icons are loaded as pages are loaded , so there are no fav-icons and html backup size is less than the last backup.

3. Could be related to https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1251781

4. There could be something wrong with Firefox's Exporting. Imported the same 173mb HTML to chrome and Firefox then exported HTML backups. Firefox Export was of 61.1Mb Chrome Export was of 12.9Mb

1. Synced my Firefox sync account 2. Disconnected my Firefox sync account 3. Reinstalled windows 4. Installed Firefox 56 (I was using 63 but i only had 56 installer) 5. Updated it to 65.0.1. 6. Connected my Firefox sync account ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Problem - 1. All bookmarks didn't sync. I created bookmark HTML backups and it were of 6mb and my latest backup is 171mb. There are 2980 differences in 173mb backup and Backup taken after again connecting to FirefoxSync. I used WinMerge. 2. HTML backups also contain fav-icons [and Firefox Sync only syncs links not fav-icons.] When browser is used fav-icons are loaded but after sync fav-icons are loaded as pages are loaded , so there are no fav-icons and html backup size is less than the last backup. 3. Could be related to https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1251781 4. There could be something wrong with Firefox's Exporting. Imported the same 173mb HTML to chrome and Firefox then exported HTML backups. Firefox Export was of 61.1Mb Chrome Export was of 12.9Mb

Modified by user316481287857416984750827541791736039599

All Replies (5)

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Were you using sync to backup your data? That is not what sync is meant for.

Do you have others on the sync?

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UPDATED 1st MARCH 2019 FredMcD said

Were you using sync to backup your data? That is not what sync is meant for.

Yes,Why Not? I disconnected my Firefox with Sync then reinstalled then connected it again, so it should sync all data.

Do you have others on the sync?

If you are asking if any other person was using my account ,NO. And Only 1 device is/was(this) connected to the account.

Modified by user316481287857416984750827541791736039599

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Reverting to Firefox 56 after using Firefox 63 may have caused data loss or corrupted the Places file. And then with Firefox updating to Fx 65.0.1 that could have made matters worse.

Bookmarks.HTML files can't be compared with the bookmarksbackup JSON or JSONLZ4 (compressed) files, as far as the file size. Data storage is entirely different AND as you mentioned the HTML file contains the favicon data which can create a file size 20x of the actual bookmarks URL data.

Plus, if a bookmarks.html is "Imported" the entire file is appended to existing bookmarks; like doubling your bookmarks in Firefox. Doing a "Restore" of JSON (or jsonlz4) would replace existing bookmarks, not append them.

And Sync works with the modern JSON / JSONLZ4 files; the bookmarks.html format is a legacy format which is for cross-browser compatibility dating back to the mid-1990's with Netscape. The first version of IE Favorites provided the initial compatibility with Netscape bookmarks, and subsequent new browsers that came out carried that cross compatibility forward as an unofficial standard.

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UPDATED 3rd MARCH 2019 the-edmeister said

Reverting to Firefox 56 ...... worse.

I first updated then synced

Bookmarks.HTML files .... URL data.

When browser is used fav-icons are loaded but after sync fav-icons are loaded as pages are loaded , so there are no fav-icons and html backup size is less than the last backup.

And Sync works with the modern JSON / JSONLZ4 files

What?

Modified by user316481287857416984750827541791736039599

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There are 2980 differences in 173mb backup and Backup taken after again connecting to FirefoxSync.I used WinMerge.

Modified by user316481287857416984750827541791736039599