Today I wrote a batch file to back up my Firefox settings. Yesterday, I lost all of my Firefox settings because, like an idiot, I was messing with the application data files without backing them up first. So after re-installing all of my favorite extensions and theme, I decided it was something I never wanted to have happen again. I researched to death a way to transfer this stuff from my laptop (WIN XP) to where the data was lost (WIN 2000), but after a long time I realized that the following file was causing problems:
C:Documents and SettingsprofileApplication DataMozillaFirefoxProfiles
random.defaultchromeoverlayinfobrowsercontentoverlays.rdf
and since I couldn’t figure out a way around it, I gave up. If you know how to deal with it, or why that file causes me problems, I’d love to hear about it.
I also spent a while on google trying to find any type of backup/restore extensions or programs. I did find one called MozBackup, but not only are they not developing it anymore, it didn’t work.
In my research I realized that you can just copy the firefox directory, and use it for backup. So I created a directory called c:documents and settingsprofilemy documentsFFBackupfirefox and a batch script called backupFF.bat in my C:/ root directory with the following code:
xcopy /E /Y “c:documents and settingsprofileapplication datamozillafirefox” “c:documents and settingsprofilemy documentsFFBackupfirefox”
exit
Then I went to control panel > shceduled tasks and created a new schedule to run my bat file once a week. As far as I can tell, problem solved.