bookmark

[henrys]

i booked marked about 100 websites
in a couple of months
they have gone
only the ones i bookedmarked to dayare there
how can i get them back
t i a

[Buenchico]

Which browser are you using? It makes a great deal of difference because different browsers store bookmarks in different ways.

In Internet Explorer, your bookmarks are stored in this folder:
C:\\Windows\Favorites.
Each bookmarked site is stored as a separate shortcut, with no back-up copies. If you're using Internet Explorer, take a look in that folder and check the contents. If your bookmarks aren't there it's possible that they might have been lost forever. However, try using System Restore, to see if they reappear.

In Firefox, bookmarks are stored as part of a single HTML page. One of the (many) reasons that Firefox is far better than Internet Explorer is that it backs up that HTML page. If you're using Firefox, run a search for 'bookmarks'. You should find two files called bookmarks.html. One should only be 7KB. (That's the one which Firefox is shipped with). The other one should be your current Bookmarks page. There should also be some files with recent dates on the end of the file names. (They're recent back-ups). If one of them is bigger than your current Bookmarks file, that's the one you want to use. Here's how:
Right-click on the dated file which you want to use. Select 'copy'
Right-click on the current Bookmarks file and select 'Open containing folder'
Within that folder, right-click and select 'Paste.
Right-click on the current (undated) file and select 'Delete'.
Right-click on the other (dated) file and select 'Rename'.
Rename the file to 'bookmarks.html'
Start Firefox and your old bookmarks should have reappeared.

Chris

[henrys]

i using firefox
i typed bookmark into
no result
not to techie minded
could u explain it in a more simple way
thank u very much

[Buenchico]

In 'My Computer', double-click the icon for your hard drive.

Then double-click each of these folders in turn:
Windows
Application Data
Mozilla
Firefox
Profiles

You should now see a folder with a name something like q7u6ocg.default. (The actual name might be different on your PC). Double click on that folder.

Go to 'View' and select 'Details'

You should now see that the folder contains a file called 'bookmarks' and another one called 'bookmarks.bak). (They will probably be the same size). Note how big the file is (e.g. 100 KB).

Now double-click the folder called 'bookmarkbackups'. In there, you'll see copies of your bookmarks as they 've been stored over the last few days. (the file names will include dates). If one of them is bigger than the file size you just noted, that's the back-up file which you need to use. (If there are several files bigger than the current bookmarks file, the one you want will probably be the biggest one). Right-click on the file you've selected, and select 'copy'.

Now click the 'Back' (or 'Up') button, to return to the previous window. Right-click in that Window and select 'Paste'

Now right-click on the file which is just called 'bookmarks' and select 'Delete'.

Right-click on the file you just imported (which will have a date on the end of it). Select 'rename' and change the file name to 'bookmarks'.

Close the window and start Firefox. You old bookmarks should now be back in place.

Chris

[henrys]

hello chris
thanks for allthe info so far
cannot see my computor
clicked start progs
not there
not in control panel
not on desk top
i do not know what happened to it
i did have it
i am sure you can solve this one
thank u very much once again

[Buenchico]

Open Internet Explorer. (Yes, I know you use Firefox for web browsing but here I do want you to use IE). In the address bar, simply type C: and click 'Go'. You'll now see the contents of drive C and you can follow the instructions given above (starting by double-clicking the Windows folder).

Chris

[henrys]

hi
typed c into ie
all that came up was
google finance
and programming

[Buenchico]

Are you sure that you're typing C: (with the colon) in the address bar? (i.e. where you'd normally type www.something.com). It sounds to be as if you're typing it into a search bar. (You're not using IE to browse the web. You don't even need to be online. You're using IE to browse your PC's contents).

Chris

[Buenchico]

PS: You can actually follow those instructions using Firefox. I suggested using IE because the screen would look more familiar to you. (It appears just as if you'd double-clicked 'My Compter'. But if you really cant get it to work in IE, try it in Firefox.

Chris

[henrys]

typed it into fire fox
all programmes about the bbc

[Buenchico]

I still think that you must be typing it in the wrong place.

I've just typed C: into the address bar (not the search bar) in Firefox. I'm taken to a screen which is headed 'Index of file:///C:/', showing the contents of drive C. That's exactly same as having an open widow displaying the contents of your hard drive. From there, you can double-click folders, as above.

Also, remember to type the colon after the letter C (without any space between them). ie. type C: (not just C)

Chris

[henrys]

sorry i cannot do it
i wish i was more computor wise
thanks for your patience

[Buenchico]

One more try, using Explorer rather than Internet Explorer:

Go to Start > Documents > My Documents.

When the window opens, delete the words 'My Documents' from the address bar. Now type C: in the address bar and press the 'Return' key. That should open Drive C, so that you can follow the instructions (by double-clicking folders) as above.

Chris

[Buenchico]

Just a thought:

Ensure that you type a colon, and not a semi-colon, after the letter C. (i.e. ensure that the Shift key is depressed when you press the key to the immediate right of 'L').

Chris

[henrys]

morning sir
did what u said
no adress bar showing

[Buenchico]

You've got some very weird settings on your PC ;-)

Open My Documents, as above.

Click Tools > View > Toolbars > Address bar.

Then change the address to C:

Hit 'Return'.

Follow above instructions.


Chris

[henrys]

helo
when i click the address bar
it does not show the address bar
thank you