Look on your desktop. Do you see a folder called; Old Firefox?

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/recovering-important-data-from-an-old-profile

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/back-and-restore-information-firefox-profiles

Sorry to hear about this problem. Do you not want an answer because you already solved it? If you are still working on the problem:

Restarting Windows was a good idea. Occasionally after system updates Windows starts up without full privileges and Firefox can't access your previous profile correctly. Restarting Windows generally resolves that, if that is the issue.

Setting that aside, the two most likely scenarios are:

(1) A Firefox Refresh occurred but the migration of data from your old profile to your new profile was incomplete, or

(2) Your old profile was locked, so Firefox ignored it and created a new one

Here's how to investigate those two possibilities:

Did Firefox perform a Refresh?

Unless it was interrupted in progress, you should find a folder on your desktop named Old Firefox Data. Inside would be a semi-randomly-named folder with freshly updated files. Do you see anything like that?

If not...

Does the Profile Manager list your immediately previous profile folder?

To check on that, inside Firefox, type or paste about:profiles in the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it.

This page should list all the profiles Firefox is currently aware of. If you see a profile that is not currently set as default that looks promising, scroll down to it and click the Set as default profile button below that profile, then scroll back up and click the Restart normally button. (There are some other buttons, but I think those are still "under construction" so please ignore them.)

Firefox should exit and then start up using the other profile. Is that the right one?

If it's not there...

Did Firefox orphan your old profile folder?

Here's how to check whether there are additional profile folders in the standard location in addition to the one you're using. Start by opening your current Firefox profile folder using either:

* "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Troubleshooting Information
* (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
* type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter/Return

In the first table on the page, click:

* Windows: the "Open Folder" button, to launch a new window listing various files and folders in Windows Explorer.

* Mac: the "Show in Finder" button, to launch a new window listing various files and folders in Finder.

In the Windows Explorer address bar, click the capitalized word Profiles to move up one level in the folder hierarchy. More than one folder here by any chance? Do the files in those folders look like they were last updated around the time of the update?

If you've got any promising looking folders, we can discuss next steps to recover use of them.

Please stop giving me answers; I don't want your help. Privacy settings changed and add-ons (ghostery & better privacy) completely removed? So, FF would remember everything, as by default setting? And people still believe that FF is the most secure browser? I don't know if you can realize this, but this will eventually get users' info compromised, even from other users that use the same machine. And once this happens, FF will be left with no users at all, no matter what you will do to fix the problem. The only reason I am writing to you, is to wake you up. Not to ask for advice. Chrome and Edge are waiting for your share of the browsing pie. If I wanted to harm you, the solution would be simple; I wouldn't have said a word. Also, I tried to re-install FF, yet bookmarks were not deleted no matter what I did. And stop answering. Making people frustrated is one thing, but security is security. A failure in security can not be fixed, or be forgotten. Do you understand? Remember Yahoo. Please don't let FF perish. And don't throw more than 10 years of people's trust in the trash. No other browser has that tradition FCOL, and you are going to waste it.

If you do not want answers, don't post in a support forum. If you want to suggest changes to Firefox, you can use channels more suited to that purpose:

• Input site: https://qsurvey.mozilla.com/s3/FirefoxInput/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/firefox
• Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/firefox/

It sounds like you used the Refresh feature: Refresh Firefox - reset add-ons and settings.

To avoid unwanted data loss, uninstalling/reinstalling Firefox does not usually erase your bookmarks or other browser data. You do have to take extra measures to clear it. Probably best is to do it before uninstalling Firefox, from the Clear Recent History feature and to erase bookmarks, the Library dialog ("Show All Bookmarks").

Yeah, "you posted in the wrong section, bad and idiot FF user". Find any reason to blame me. I had my security neutralized. And instead of working to fix that, not to satisfy me, but to shield FF for all of its community , you just waste time and effort answering me with things that have no usefulness. If this is the wrong section, and you are willing to spend time, take that and move it to the right section; anything else is time wasting. 1 user that got cranky (and needs no answers) VS 1 flaw in FF Security ; which is more important?

I'm just trying to help you spread your message. This support forum is staffed by volunteers and we can't change Firefox.

That said, I don't understand why you think the default settings are insecure. Ghostery and Better Privacy block certain tracking mechanisms, which many people would agree is a good thing. Good enough that Firefox has a built-in tracking protection feature in private browsing windows to support users who want that, as well as control of Flash via the "click to play" ("Ask to Activate") option. That's not to say the extensions aren't valuable, since they are far more configurable.

But where is the "flaw in FF Security" you are concerned about? Perhaps it's a difference in terminology: threats to your privacy due to tracking your browsing habits vs. threats to the security of your computer.

You have to have the last word. If that's important to you, be my guest. I give up.

Volunteers are here to help you optimize your use of the Firefox we have today, whether that involves using built-in feature, add-ons, or "hacks" of various kinds, as well as to help solve functional problems like crashes. I can't tell whether you're back to where you want to be or not, but even if we can't help (re)design the Firefox of the future, we are here for you for support.

"That said, I don't understand why you think the default settings are insecure."

Let me come to your PC and set it as I please, without your permission and without any notification, and then I shall pretend that I am amazed that you don't like that. My settings would be fine, so why would you be upset?

I told you about FF resetting security settings. If that is not a problem, I don't know what is. And please stop answering. I said that "I don't need an answer" and in my last message, I surrendered by saying that "I give up". But that wasn't enough, I guess. Even I am exhausted of the whole thing. Aren't you?

Flavours8 said

Let me come to your PC and set it as I please, without your permission and without any notification, and then I shall pretend that I am amazed that you don't like that. My settings would be fine, so why would you be upset?

No one is asking you to accept that. The Refresh feature sets Firefox back to default settings. If Firefox self-Refreshed, shame on Firefox, that shouldn't happen. If you clicked the button to perform the refresh because Firefox suggested it would speed up the program, I regret that the disclosure was insufficient to understand the full impact of what it would do. There's plenty of room for improvement there.