Problems duplicating Profiles

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sirzur
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Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by sirzur »

I have been trying to duplicate a firefox profile without success. I have tried on the latest version as well as beta version 54.0b5.

My steps are as follows
1. Close firefox
2. Run firefox with command "firefox.exe -p"
3. Created a new profile
4. Opened firefox with new profile
5. Copied an existing firefox profile directory content into the new profile directory content
6. Opened firefox with new profile - but it seems that whatever I do, the open tabs and sessions of the existing profile is not copied across

The profile directory is in "C:\ Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles"

Is there anything else is needed to duplicate a profile?
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Reflective
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by Reflective »

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the-edmeister
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by the-edmeister »

sirzur wrote:I have been trying to duplicate a firefox profile without success. I have tried on the latest version as well as beta version 54.0b5.

My steps are as follows
1. Close firefox
2. Run firefox with command "firefox.exe -p"
3. Created a new profile
4. Opened firefox with new profile
5. Copied an existing firefox profile directory content into the new profile directory content

6. Opened firefox with new profile - but it seems that whatever I do, the open tabs and sessions of the existing profile is not copied across

The profile directory is in "C:\ Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles"

Is there anything else is needed to duplicate a profile?
I trust that you closed Firefox before copying anything into that new Profile.
Also, the Profile that you are copying from should be closed, too.
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sirzur
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by sirzur »

Sorry, I should have been more detailed in my OP. I did not have any firefox browser open (all closed) when I copied the profiles.

In terms of the knowledge base, that was exactly what I did. In fact I followed the steps pretty much as is, except because I was only trying to duplicate a profile with only a few tabs open, I copied all the files rather than selectively copying the files

If someone could try duplicating a profile and telling me whether they are successful, I would appreciate it.

I have since tried in on earlier esr versions (45.8.0esr, 45.9.0esr, 52.1.1esr, 52.0.2esr) all without success

I am using the 64bit versions as well
Brummelchen
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by Brummelchen »

enable to view all files in explorer options (hidden and system)!
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therube
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by therube »

6. Opened firefox with new profile - but it seems that whatever I do, the open tabs and sessions of the existing profile is not copied across
When you copy the Profile, are you copying the entire Profile - including subdirectories?

If I wanted an exact copy of a Profile, I would do just that.

If my Profile is named, "/sirzur/", I might copy then paste sirzur, such that I end up with a new directory named, "/sirzur - Copy/" (or similar).
Then I'd rename it, sirzur2 or sirzur52 or similar...
Then I'd use the -profile switch to open that particular profile location.
C:\firefox\firefox.exe -profile c:\profiles\sirzur52

With that, there should be (almost) no reason that the Profile should not open - including your saved session restore tabs.

Now, if you are in fact using FF 45 as your base, it could be possible (& I wouldn't know offhand), that the session files (&/or backups thereof) changed - either in name &/or format, between FF 45 & whatever version you are attempting to open with, & that might cause an issue on attempted restore.
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RobertJ
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by RobertJ »

.
therube,

That works for me on Mac as long as I edit the profiles.ini; wouldn't you also need to edit the profiles.ini on WIN to include the new profile?

.
FF 92.0 - TB 78.13 - Mac OSX 10.13.6
Brummelchen
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by Brummelchen »

editing profiles.ini according new profiles/content is easiest way, but TO has created a new profile with firefox and copied content from old to new with explorer - as i wrote i think he had not catched all files.
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RobertJ
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by RobertJ »

Brummelchen wrote:editing profiles.ini according new profiles/content is easiest way, but TO has created a new profile with firefox and copied content from old to new with explorer - as i wrote i think he had not catched all files.

I agree. I use that method on Mac and have never had an issue.

.
FF 92.0 - TB 78.13 - Mac OSX 10.13.6
Brummelchen
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by Brummelchen »

anyhow this is recommended i got 70/70 in explorer (limited view to hidden/system files) and 70/70 in xyplorer (all files), but this wasnt my user folder, next try...
34/34 in both for a fresh profile. :?:
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L.A.R. Grizzly
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by L.A.R. Grizzly »

sirzur wrote:The profile directory is in "C:\ Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles"
Is there anything else is needed to duplicate a profile?
On Win7 the path would be:

C:\ Users\[USERNAME]\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles

Is it the same on Win10? Maybe that's what your running into.

AppData\Local\ is the cache folder.
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sirzur
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by sirzur »

In answer to some questions,

I am copying all files including directories and subdirectories. I have tried overriding all files in the profile directory (no success) as well as deleting all files and directories in the new profile and then copying all files and directories from the old profile (also no success)

The way I create a new profile, I let the profile manager decide the location and name of the profile folder, but of course take note of the name and location of the directory. I can see the new profile folder being created after I start firefox browser with the new profile.

Also to access the new profile, I use a shortcut (which I have used successfully for other profiles) ""C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -P sirzur -no-remote". I have also tried accessing it in the profile manager dialog box ie. highlight the new profile, then click button to start firefox - did not work

My File Explorer has "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" enabled in the Folder option

I am using Windows 10 so thanks for the information on the location of Windows 7 profile directory. In any case in the profile manager, when the mouse is hovered over any profile, the folder location pops up

By the way, when I perform the steps, a new profile does show up. I can then do anything in the new profile. It is just that when I copy from another profile to the new profile, the new profile starts afresh as if the old profile information is not available to it
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therube
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by therube »

RobertJ wrote: That works for me on Mac as long as I edit the profiles.ini; wouldn't you also need to edit the profiles.ini on WIN to include the new profile?
The -profile switch ignores profiles.ini, instead only using the location pointed to by the switch itself.

I use a (command line) batch file to open a new (or existing) profile in the current directory.
So so long as I'm where I'm wanting to be (the directory I'm wanting to be), I can start Mozilla "anywhere".

MOZHERE.BAT

Code: Select all

:: MOZpHERE (aka MOZ_HERE) open Mozilla with arbitrary PROFILE, HERE (in current directory)

@echo off
echo "Open MOZILLA starting with a (new or otherwise) PROFILE in: "
PWD
pause

set MOZ_NO_REMOTE=1
if exist "C:\SeaMonkey\seamonkey.exe" start "" "C:\SeaMonkey\seamonkey.exe" -profile  .  -no-remote
set MOZ_NO_REMOTE=0
"-profile ." says the Profile location I want to open is "." aka "here" aka "current working directory".

So if I am at:

C:\TMP\>
MOZHERE.BAT will open (SeaMonkey.exe) with its' Profile located at C:\TMP\.
Doesn't matter what is in C:\TMP\, be it empty, be it an existing Profile, be it data totally unrelated to anything Mozilla, SeaMonkey will open, & that directory will be populated with, or open using existing (if it exits) Profile data.

C:\TMP\1\>
MOZHERE.BAT will open (SeaMonkey.exe) with its' Profile located at C:\TMP\1\ ...

C:\TMP\2\>
MOZHERE.BAT will open (SeaMonkey.exe) with its' Profile located at C:\TMP\2\ ...

C:\dev\locate\everything\1.4.1.873b\hereeheree\>
MOZHERE.BAT will open (SeaMonkey.exe) with its' Profile located at C:\dev\locate\everything\1.4.1.873b\hereeheree\ ...


Likewise, if I take an existing Profile,
C:\applabubbles\userme\mydata\753735.sirzur,
& I copy that, in its entirety, to,
C:\TMP\sirzur-test_extensions-heh-57\,
& then {pathto}\firefox.exe -profile C:\TMP\sirzur-test_extensions-heh-57\,
I would expect firefox to open loading exactly as it did from the Profile, C:\applabubbles\userme\mydata\753735.sirzur.

Now you can use Profile Manager to accomplish the same (instead of using the -profile switch, or batch file, or...) & that too should open identically as the original.

(I just happen to find starting from a command prompt more convenient.)


It sounds like sirzur is doing it correctly, though he is not getting his expected results... ?



(Oh, & yes I know that, set MOZ_NO_REMOTE=1 ... & -no-remote ... are redundant. But one existed before the other, so I started with one, added the other when it became available, & so both "exist". Don't even actually know if MOZ_NO_REMOTE is still viable, but in any case, it hurts nothing.)
Last edited by therube on May 19th, 2017, 8:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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therube
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by therube »

I use a shortcut (which I have used successfully for other profiles) ""C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -P sirzur -no-remote"
That is stating to use the Profile, "sirzur" (as defined in profiles.ini).
So you would need to change sirzur to "thenewprofilename" created when you created that new Profile.
So something like, ""C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" -P thenewprofilename -no-remote"
I have also tried accessing it in the profile manager dialog box ie. highlight the new profile, then click button to start firefox - did not work
That's got me confused. Explain further?
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sirzur
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Re: Problems duplicating Profiles

Post by sirzur »

In answer to therube,

When I created a profile using the profile manager (ie from firefox.exe-p), the creation process request a name of the new profile. In reference to the shortcut, I would have created a new profile with the name "sirzur" - without the commas of course. I assume that the profile creation process will automatically place an entry into profiles.ini, if that is the shortcut reference

With reference to the profile manager dialog box - again after creating the new profile, I closed the browser and run "firefox.exe -p" again which brings up the dialog box. I then used the up and down arrow to highlight the new profile name. At the bottom of the dialog box, there is a button "Start Firefox". I clicked that to start Firefox in the highlighted profile

By the way, I cannot seem to find the profile.ini file anywhere. Where should it be located?
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