Firefox Environment Backup Extension
The Firefox Environment Backup Extension -short FEBE - offers a great and easy way to backup all Firefox settings, themes and extensions. I was looking for a way to synchronize all of my settings from my desktop computer to Firefox that was also installed on my notebook.
I first thought that I had to manually backup the profile, extensions and all other settings like cookies and move them from my desktop computer to my notebook. This would be a lot of work and I was hoping for a way to synchronize everything without doing all the manual work.
Update: Please note that you can use Firefox Sync, the web browser's native synchronization feature, to sync data between accounts on the same or different computer systems.
After installing Febe it is important to take a look at the options offered to set the directory that you want the information to be stored in. Here you can also select the elements and items that you want to backup. Febe offers the most comprehensive way to backup every aspect of Firefox, here is a list of possibilities:
Backup Extensions, Themes, Bookmarks, Preferences, Cookies, userChrome.css, userContent.css, usernames and passwords, phishing data, search plugins, browser and form fill history, permissions and user defined backups.
It is furthermore possible to schedule backups and create timestamped backups instead of on-demand ones. The when to backup tab offers plenty of options to schedule backups. You can for instance set them to run automatically on browser start or exit, daily, weekly, or monthly, and configure backup reminders as well that are displayed to you in the browser.
The how to backup tab displays a list of additional preferences that may be interesting to some. It allows you to ignore disabled extensions, so that these do not get included in the copy, to include FEBE in the copy which may be useful if you want to import it on a new computer, maybe one without direct Internet connection, or do disable sounds and notifications.
The advanced tab last but not least provides access to four additional tabs. Here you can import and export Febe preferences, verify the extension directory and the addon manager functionality, set the full path to the Firefox executable and profile, or set custom sounds.
The only thing that is really missing is a way to automatically sync data between several computers.
: The most recent version of FEBE supports an upload to Box.net. While you can do so, there does not appear to be an option to import the data automatically into Firefox.
What to do when recovery is necessary if drive is encrypted?
Note: If you encrypt the drive, you may not make use of the recovery disc that you can create using EaseUs.
You need to gain access to TrueCrypt to make available the contents. If you have another Windows machine, you can extract the backup, move it to a USB Flash drive, and restore the backup using this unencrypted version.
I assume EaseUS Todo Backup Free will allow me to create a VHD or ISO so that, after using my system bootup disk, will allow me to recover my files quickly and easily. Windows restore is so slow.
Use Encrypting File System and just copy the files. Backup your EFS key certificate.
I have great success with Crashplan. It has a feature that allows you to backup to another computer that could be on the same network or across the country. Best of all, that feature isn’t tied to the regular Crashplan subscription. So it’s a win-win for me.
Martin, this is a great tip. I use it quite often, but lately I am looking into softwares that would offer me one click back up of certain folders on my HDD, but copy as it is, instead of XML or other format.
I used a program in the past that backed up everything ‘nicely’ in XML format and when it was time to restore, I could not restore a single file, since then I am using Syncback to back up files ‘as is’, but clicking 10 different profiles is pain, one click would be better, any suggestion?
FBackup offers such option but for only one time back up. For incremental back ups, you got to pay up.
There is this other solution too. It gets things dne quicker. Just pointing it out. Its called Rollback Rx. Naturally its useful only when the underlying hardware is healthy. Say incase you were infected by a virus or were caught unaware because a file was accidently deleted. Rollback offers 256 bit AES which is really all you need unless ofcourse a fanatic terrorist is after your data. Periodic physical backup are just as necessary.