If you use Sync then best is to disconnect Sync temporarily during troubleshooting.

This can be caused by a problem with the places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite databases in the Firefox profile folder.

• use "Verify Integrity" button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page

If errors are reported with "Verify Integrity", close and restart Firefox or reboot and retry.

If "Verify Integrity" cannot repair places.sqlite, rename/remove all places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder with Firefox closed. Firefox will rebuild places.sqlite and restore the bookmarks from a recent JSON backup in the bookmarkbackups folder.

• keep a backup copy of places.sqlite in case a new places.sqlite database has to be created

You lose the history when a new places.sqlite is created.

See also:

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Bookmarks+not+saved#w_fix-the-bookmarks-file
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/fix-bookmarks-and-history-will-not-be-functional

You can use the button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page.

• Help -> More Troubleshooting Information -> Profile Folder/Directory:
  Windows: Open Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder
• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-firefox-stores-user-data

I thought I had posted a reply, but it's not here. Fortunately, I have learned my lesson and am composing my replies in OpenOffice and copying them to here.

So I know I'm doing what you say, and I can follow step by step I have your instructions and then my reply in bold. If you use Sync then best is to disconnect Sync temporarily during troubleshooting. How do I know if I use Sync, I don't even know what it is, no less how to disconnect it.

This can be caused by a problem with the places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite databases in the Firefox profile folder. use "Verify Integrity" button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page If errors are reported with "Verify Integrity", close and restart Firefox or reboot and retry. It says unable to check, don't know if that's an error so I closed and restarted FF. This is what Places Database, Verify Integrity said: > Task: checkIntegrity - Unable to check favicons.sqlite integrity: Error: Error(s) encountered during statement execution: database disk image is malformed > Task: invalidateCaches - The task queue was cleared by an error in another task. > Task: checkCoherence - The task queue was cleared by an error in another task. > Task: expire - The task queue was cleared by an error in another task. > Task: originFrecencyStats - The task queue was cleared by an error in another task. > Task: vacuum - The task queue was cleared by an error in another task. > Task: stats - The task queue was cleared by an error in another task. > Task: _refreshUI - The task queue was cleared by an error in another task. That's as far as I've gone, since I don't know if the above is what is supposed to be happening or not, I'm checking with you. And all the stuff about rename/remove etc. is extremely intimidating.

Then I went to the links: If "Verify Integrity" cannot repair places.sqlite, rename/remove all places.sqlite and favicons.sqlite files in the Firefox profile folder with Firefox closed. Firefox will rebuild places.sqlite and restore the bookmarks from a recent JSON backup in the bookmarkbackups folder. That's just it ? where is the JSON backup, that's what I need/want to backup my bookmarks to an external hard drive?

keep a backup copy of places.sqlite in case a new places.sqlite database has to be created You lose the history when a new places.sqlite is created. See also: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/Bookmarks+not+saved#w_fix-the-bookmarks-file https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/fix-bookmarks-and-history-will-not-be-functional You can use the button on the "Help -> More Troubleshooting Information" (about:support) page to go to the current Firefox profile folder or use the about:profiles page. I went to the FF profile folder and found bookmarks from 2020 (see attached) but not the file that I sent a picture of. Help -> More Troubleshooting Information -> Profile Folder/Directory: Windows: Open Folder; Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-firefox-stores-user-data

Fix the Bookmarks file If your changes to your bookmarks do not appear when you restart Firefox, the issue may be that your bookmarks file is write-protected. A write-protected file can't be changed, which prevents Firefox from saving any changes you have made. Allow Firefox to save bookmark changes: 1. Open your profile folder: Click the menu button , click Help and select More Troubleshooting Information. The Troubleshooting Information tab will open. Under the Application Basics section next to Profile Folder, click Open Folder. Your profile folder will open. Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox. 2. Close Firefox completely: Click the Firefox menu and select Exit. 3. Right-click the file places.sqlite, and select Properties to open the Properties window. 4. In the Properties window, select the General tab. Near the bottom of the window, verify that Read-only is NOT selected.

Do you see this error message when you start Firefox? The bookmarks and history system will not be functional because one of Firefox's files is in use by another application. Some security software can cause this problem.

No, I've never seen this error message.

Don't know which pictures you have, so I'm sending them again with new ones. Hopefully, they will give you clues to what it's doing.

Alrighty Mr. Cor-EL, excuse my snarkiness!

Here is what you do not understand: The uninformed end-user wishes to have a "ready-to-use" Tool, ( Maybe under the three-line menu on the right-most top corner of the screen, where it says "More Tools"?)

This Tool would say: "Backup important settings, shortcuts, bookmarks".

The way it would work, I imagine, is like a batch-file under DOS 3.3 or DOS 6.22, WHICH YOU WOULD compose and integrate into the menu structure of Firefox. It would automatically select and check the files to be backed up, and then it would ask the user to provide or agree to a SIMPLE and EASY to find spot, or address, or location (whatever you call it) on the computer, such as DESKTOP, or C:\FirefoxBackup. And once the user would click OK, there would be a reminder, such as "You saved your backup info in the following location": "and then it would ACTUALLY provide that info", and then it would say: "Please write this down in your computer notebook, before you forget. (Any college-lined paper-based note-book would be working well)." Finally it would provide a FFlog.txt file, to show what was backed up, and what was skipped due to file corruption or weird, unwanted file locks no one knows to get rid of.

Likewise, the MENU - MORE TOOLS would also have an item that says "Restore backed up settings". Why doesn't it? Firefox is on version 89.0.2 (64-bit), so maybe at some point useful functions could be put into the menu?

The point is, your customers are not geniuses, and you would do well to recognize what it is that would solve certain problems and provide fixes that would make Firefox better.

If you think I am really grumpy, that is not so. I am just being PRACTICAL. Imagine, for example, if your car's transmission went out, and you bring it to the mechanics shop, asking for it to be fixed. Instead of fixing it, the mechanic provides a difficult to follow, hard to understand lecture on how to fix transmissions. But the customer just wants it to be fixed. Can you understand this comparison?

Is there a remote possibility that I am right on this?

A message like "The task queue was cleared by an error in another task" is a clear indication that something is wrong with the places.sqlite database.

Normally it should be possible to export the bookmarks to JSON or HTML without problems using the steps you wrote above, but in cases like you experience where places.sqlite is corrupted only what works is to delete places.sqlite and let Firefox create a new places database.

Firefox rebuilds the bookmarks by using the most recent compressed .jsonlz4 backup in the bookmarkbackups folder. You will lose the history since there is no backup of the history.

To Astonished_Firefox_User

I'm not sure about everything you said, but in the end you have more than a remote possibility of being right. You are absolutely right. I just want it fixed. And Cor-el IS NOT, HAS NOT helped me. And I don't think you are grumpy, but I sure am! More than grumpy, feeling ignored and treated like I'm stupid when I can't follow the very difficult to impossible instructions. I love your analogy with the car and the mechanic. The worst part is that it used to backup and delete but now it doesn't and I don't understand why they would make it more difficult, no impossible. And no one has given me the instructions I can understand and follow without fearing I'm going to really louse things up.

Thank you, Bernadine

To cor-el Top 10 Contributor Moderator

I don't have the slightest idea what you said. It astonishes me that you ignore me and the only way I can even get a reply, even a non-responsive reply to my problem, is for someone else to write in and give you grief. And then instead of taking in their advice, as far as I can tell, you argue against it. That's really considerate and helpful. And arrogant.

AND THE PROBLEM ESCALATES. I went through all of my bookmarks, (took me days to do it) and wrote them down on about 30 pages of docs. As I was going through them I made sure they were still good and things that I wanted, and organized them in a better way. I was able to easily move the links around and make new folders as I wanted. For some reason I can't decipher, I was able to delete a few of the links BUT I still have a To Delete folder, let me just say I gave up counting when I got to 300 links and folders to delete.

It's been 3 weeks since I last asked for help, so I don't have much hope now that you will do anything more than ignore me.

I did have an excellent experience regarding computer help that gave me back some good feeling about me and my abilities. I had a question about my computer and if it would run a program. I tried to understand what their requirements meant and if my computer would work with it but I couldn't make sense of all the specs. So I wrote to them and gave them the best info I knew how to convey. Someone answered and said they would need more info and gave me simple, easy to follow, instructions of how to find and send them the info. I followed them. 1. 2. 3...., however many instructions and sent them off. At the end of the questions and replies, I had my answer. The person on the other end, unlike this "Support" was considerate and treated me with respect. They replied promptly, and when it was more than a day, they apologized for taking so long. (No less the 3 weeks since I last wrote for help and then your reply isn't to me, but someone who was kind enough to advocate for me and for others with this problem.) They gave me instructions I could understand, and if I didn't understand, they worded it so I could. I had worked very hard to figure things out and they said, “Thank you for this thorough and well researched message.” “Much appreciate all your research and that you have "came prepared" and "did your homework".” “think you're doing great and the fact that you have managed to pinpoint the possible compatibility issues.” And then they said, if I have more questions, please email. And I believe them, I have confidence they will help me in the way I need.

After reading their words, I felt so good. And I want you to know I worked just as hard, no much, much harder trying to give you an idea what is wrong with FF then to understand this and what to do. And I don't feel good, just the opposite, I tried so hard I went to the point of an anxiety attack. Had to give up. And that doesn't matter to you. It seems like your answers are scripts, once given, you're done. I'm supposed to know what to do, and tough if I don't, too bad, so what? I have no confidence in this Support and I don't think you give a "bleep."

And that's a terrible, horrible way to treat your customers, Bernadine

And I want to leave me on a good note, so, again thank you Astonished_Firefox_User, I appreciate your words. Bernadine