Searching for bookmark/favorites files and OE address book

All: Last week I spent a lot of time getting help to finish a (somewhat) messy upgrade on one of my home machines from Win2K to XP Pro. This week I'm trying to see if I strill have my "old" Outlook Express Address Book and Firefox/IE bookmarks and favorites. Before I started the "upgrade" to XP, I copied (or so I thought ) everything from my hard drive onto an external drive. I'm now looking through these files, and don't see any windows Address Book files (for Outlook Express) or any bookmarks or favorites for the browsers. Am I missing something, or did I end up losing them all, as I'm fearing? –Tom vonHatten

Hi tvhevh,

Did you copy or back up your Favorites and Outlook Express? There is a big difference…. and backing up would of course be the secure way of doing things.

and don't see any windows Address Book files (for Outlook Express)

Are you referring to OE address book here? as if you backed up your entire OE (Outlook Express) to the external HD they would be there. Windows address book is not the same as Outlook Express address book.

For your favorites, you would have needed to EXPORT them to a new folder, then drop the folder into your external HD for safe keeping. I have done both and both worked well for me.

I am fearing you may have lost all if you did not do the above.

kind regards,

I'm now looking through these files, and don't see any windows Address Book files (for Outlook Express) or any bookmarks or favorites for the browsers.

I don't know where firefox stores it's favorites.

IE stores them in :

[path to where you copied you data from your other drive]:\Documents and Settings\[YourUserProfileName\Favorites



Outlook Express files are located in :

[path to where you copied you data from your other drive]\Documents and Settings\[YourUserProfileName]\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{6EFA0F4A-7EB8-4D1C-84D5-CACC9F4785E1}\Microsoft\Outlook Express

[edit: the files here are the outlook express mail and folders, rather than the Windows Address Book]

hear is the location of the WAB

D:\Documents and Settings\[yourUserProfileName]\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book\[username].wab

You would have had to "show hidden files and folders" to have copied anything in the …Local Settings directory….if you did not do so, then you did not copy everthing, and if you did a Full Install and not a Repair Install, then they're gone.

hope you did !

Tallon41

IE stores them in :

D:\Documents and Settings\[YourUserProfileName\Favorites

Note that you would substitute the appropriate drive letter for "D" - most often, it would be C drive. Also, you do not need to import and export favorites. You can simply copy and paste the contents into your new Favorites folder. However, using the Import/Export wizards will walk you through the process.

Note that you would substitute the appropriate drive letter for "D" - most often, it would be C drive. Also, you do not need to import and export favorites. You can simply copy and paste the contents into your new Favorites folder. However, using the Import/Export wizards will walk you through the process.

Thak you for noting that I need to change that…however, It would NOT be C: It would be the path to wherever tvhevh stored the backed-up files on the external drive.

Well I guess it's too late but Tvhev you should of just exported your bookmarks from FireFox to your flash drive and then imported them back after the upgrade. When you export it's just one small html file (about 50kb) so you didn't have to copy all the FF files. And FF stores its data in ways that you sometimes can't just pick out what you want, as for IE everything is separate and easier to find. I have no idea where the file for Bookmarks is so you probably won't be getting them back, unless someone else here can find where they are.

And…

IE stores them in :

D:\Documents and Settings\[YourUserProfileName\Favorites

Note that you would substitute the appropriate drive letter for "D" - most often, it would be C drive. Also, you do not need to import and export favorites. You can simply copy and paste the contents into your new Favorites folder. However, using the Import/Export wizards will walk you through the process.

I'm not sure if I understand this but you're basically saying just copy the Bookmarks file from the complete backup to the FF folder he has on his upgraded computer. Well the problem is there is no Folder or File called Bookmarks, besides Bookmarks.html in a folder called Default, which is blank as it represents the default bookmarks, it doesn't store them there.

Edit: Ah you were talking about IE, my mistake

All: I went and checked in the locations listed–nothing at all there. I guess the filkes didn't copy over like I thought they would. Not gonna let that happen again….. Thanks for the help–TvH

I'm not sure if I understand this but you're basically saying just copy the Bookmarks file from the complete backup to the FF folder he has on his upgraded computer.

No. The favorites folder is for IE not for FF, and IT can be directly copied to the one on the C drive.

I provided no solution or location for FF bookmarks.

Tallon41

@ tvhevh : they would only be there if you had copied your entire profile and not just your "documents" folder.

I'm not sure if I understand this but you're basically saying just copy the Bookmarks file from the complete backup to the FF folder he has on his upgraded computer.

No. The favorites folder is for IE not for FF, and IT can be directly copied to the one on the C drive.

I provided no solution or location for FF bookmarks.

Tallon41

@ tvhevh : they would only be there if you had copied your entire profile and not just your "documents" folder.

If you saw my quote I was talking to Digerati about the FF bookmarks. And I know the favorites folder is for IE but he also wanted to get the Bookmarks for FF so I was letting him know there is no specific folder for FF Bookmarks unlike in IE. The only way to transfer bookmarks with FF is to export them.

Thak you for noting that I need to change that…however, It would NOT be C: It would be the path to wherever tvhevh stored the backed-up files on the external drive.

My mistake - he did say external drive - so yes, it would be the path to the external drive. Sorry for any confusion.

If you saw my quote I was talking to Digerati about the FF bookmarks. And I know the favorites folder is for IE but he also wanted to get the Bookmarks for FF so I was letting him know there is no specific folder for FF Bookmarks unlike in IE. The only way to transfer bookmarks with FF is to export them.

?
And if you read what you quoted, it was re: IE favorites, no mention of FF Bookmarks was made in either his post or my post he "quoted" in his; which you chose to include in your response.


Curious. Why then "quote" and not just "reply", if your point has absolutely nothing to do with the "quoted" topic ?

Tallon41

Well when I quoted I didn't mean to include his quote of you, that had nothing to do with my point. But yes now I see you were still talking about the IE favorites, my mistake.