- Joined
- Jun 14, 2004
If your crafty, this is not a an exclusive Windows to Linux guide. It can also be for XP to Vista. I want everyone to understand that your personal browser can be portable to a degree. It also serves as a form of backing up.
One of the toughest parts of migrating to a new OS is the fact you loose your basic browser passwords and bookmarks. Some of the files regardless of operating system with Firefox are the same. So once you know which ones to grab. It makes short work reducing the time to retyping everything again.
Summary:
Locate the files needed to transfer passwords/logins/other keyed data and book marks for the migration. Move the files to the Linux/Windows directory. Load Firefox up and have your passwords usable like under your current profile.
This guide is not all inclusive, but will give you an idea what to look for and how to migrate over and get up and going.It is up to you how to move the data over. If you want tips on what to use. Chime in below.
There is two(3) main directories we will be working in. You will have to unhide files to see past a certain branch in the file locations. So unhide files prior to starting out.it just makes it easier.
[If XP]
C:\Documents and Settings/~ user name/Application data/Mozilla/firefox/
[If Vista]
C:\Users\~user name\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\firefox\
[Linux]
/home/~user name/.mozilla/firefox/
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder
Ok, you probably did not notice the slash at the end of the address. Thats ok.
This is where it gets tricky sort of. Not to bad, it should come together for you a little further down.
Ok we are looking for the profile that holds the information about your user profile. The strange part here. It may be a random set of numbers and letters. In my case I had 7a7pmbc9.default listed for my default profile. if you pick the wrong folder, you will not get your (current) passwords and or bookmarks. Not a show stopper, but it's not the goal.
So lets say you only had one profile folder. W00T easy!
As the example profile folder as above. I will want to navigate to:
C:\Documents and Settings/~ user name/Application data/Mozilla/firefox/7a7pmbc9.default
(See why ileft the trailing slash now?)
We are going to grab some files here. This is the magic of the migration I am bringing forth.So you can have all your passwords and bookmarks like you do in Windows. If a file does not exist, that is ok. Just grab what you see.
File names in pale green are the important ones to this migration. The light blue file names are for special logins partiicular to my setup. So if you have similar named files it does not hurt to grab them.
The rest just add coolness and familiarity from your old profile.
Bookmarks.bak
Bookmarks.html
cookies.txt
dta_history.xml
formhistory.dat
history.dat
hostperm.1
key3.db
kf.txt
localstore.rdf
localstore-safe.rdf
secmod.db
sessionstore.js (might have more than one denoted with a -1 -2 -3 or such. Grab all of these)
signons2.txt (if any variation of signons exists, grab these also)
Ok now what not to grab. You can, but it might break your install. Any files listed as extensions. Since some extensions will work in both Windows and Linux. This is a 50/50 shot you will get good results. I suggest leaving a fresh extension install once your going in Linux or other OS. You can grab the blocklist.xml files if you have the need for the extension file.
Now lets find how to get these files in the proper Linux directory.
We need have the .mozilla folder visible for this.
The .mozilla folder we are moving all these files to are in.
/home/~user name/.mozilla/firefox/
The structure is the same as the Windows varient of Firefox. So locate the profile and just simply paste the files in the prifile folder. You know your in the right spot if if prompts you to overwrite files.
Ok,now fire off your Firefox. You should be good to go. All your bookmarks are now here. The form data and passwords. If you nocitce. Your history is there and woo hoo cookies. So mostly you have very little headache retyping eveyrthing and remembering logins.
If at any point you do not see files. Simply use the unhide folders and files feature as your operating system setup gives.
One of the toughest parts of migrating to a new OS is the fact you loose your basic browser passwords and bookmarks. Some of the files regardless of operating system with Firefox are the same. So once you know which ones to grab. It makes short work reducing the time to retyping everything again.
Summary:
Locate the files needed to transfer passwords/logins/other keyed data and book marks for the migration. Move the files to the Linux/Windows directory. Load Firefox up and have your passwords usable like under your current profile.
This guide is not all inclusive, but will give you an idea what to look for and how to migrate over and get up and going.It is up to you how to move the data over. If you want tips on what to use. Chime in below.
There is two(3) main directories we will be working in. You will have to unhide files to see past a certain branch in the file locations. So unhide files prior to starting out.it just makes it easier.
[If XP]
C:\Documents and Settings/~ user name/Application data/Mozilla/firefox/
[If Vista]
C:\Users\~user name\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\firefox\
[Linux]
/home/~user name/.mozilla/firefox/
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder
Ok, you probably did not notice the slash at the end of the address. Thats ok.
This is where it gets tricky sort of. Not to bad, it should come together for you a little further down.
Ok we are looking for the profile that holds the information about your user profile. The strange part here. It may be a random set of numbers and letters. In my case I had 7a7pmbc9.default listed for my default profile. if you pick the wrong folder, you will not get your (current) passwords and or bookmarks. Not a show stopper, but it's not the goal.
So lets say you only had one profile folder. W00T easy!
As the example profile folder as above. I will want to navigate to:
C:\Documents and Settings/~ user name/Application data/Mozilla/firefox/7a7pmbc9.default
(See why ileft the trailing slash now?)
We are going to grab some files here. This is the magic of the migration I am bringing forth.So you can have all your passwords and bookmarks like you do in Windows. If a file does not exist, that is ok. Just grab what you see.
File names in pale green are the important ones to this migration. The light blue file names are for special logins partiicular to my setup. So if you have similar named files it does not hurt to grab them.
The rest just add coolness and familiarity from your old profile.
Bookmarks.bak
Bookmarks.html
cookies.txt
dta_history.xml
formhistory.dat
history.dat
hostperm.1
key3.db
kf.txt
localstore.rdf
localstore-safe.rdf
secmod.db
sessionstore.js (might have more than one denoted with a -1 -2 -3 or such. Grab all of these)
signons2.txt (if any variation of signons exists, grab these also)
Ok now what not to grab. You can, but it might break your install. Any files listed as extensions. Since some extensions will work in both Windows and Linux. This is a 50/50 shot you will get good results. I suggest leaving a fresh extension install once your going in Linux or other OS. You can grab the blocklist.xml files if you have the need for the extension file.
Now lets find how to get these files in the proper Linux directory.
We need have the .mozilla folder visible for this.
The .mozilla folder we are moving all these files to are in.
/home/~user name/.mozilla/firefox/
The structure is the same as the Windows varient of Firefox. So locate the profile and just simply paste the files in the prifile folder. You know your in the right spot if if prompts you to overwrite files.
Ok,now fire off your Firefox. You should be good to go. All your bookmarks are now here. The form data and passwords. If you nocitce. Your history is there and woo hoo cookies. So mostly you have very little headache retyping eveyrthing and remembering logins.
If at any point you do not see files. Simply use the unhide folders and files feature as your operating system setup gives.
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