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New tab page was fine for MONTHS, had an image I uploaded. Today, I got a 'safe' mode whatever, and my image is gone. How do I restore it, so my image comes up?

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  • Last reply by ignatz713

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I had set up my new tab page with an image I uploaded. It worked fine for months, if not years.

Today, I got a 'crash' that asked me to start Firefox in 'safe' mode or 'restore'. I chose 'restore'.

Thereupon, my image was gone from my new tab page. I cannot find how to restore it, and add ons that supposedly allow me to add my own image are not helpful. At least, I cannot figure them out.

Can you provide help on a computer for dummies level?

I had set up my new tab page with an image I uploaded. It worked fine for months, if not years. Today, I got a 'crash' that asked me to start Firefox in 'safe' mode or 'restore'. I chose 'restore'. Thereupon, my image was gone from my new tab page. I cannot find how to restore it, and add ons that supposedly allow me to add my own image are not helpful. At least, I cannot figure them out. Can you provide help on a computer for dummies level?

Chosen solution

If you have deleted the "Old Firefox Data" folder that you do not have the possibility to restore data from your previous profile.

If it is an image that you have stored on your computer then you can open this image in a Firefox tab (Firefox > New Tab > Open File).
That will give you the file:// URL in the location bar and you can use a copy and paste to set this file as the new tab page.

You can set the browser.newtab.url pref on the about:config page and set the value of this pref to that URL to make that the new tab page.

You can open the about:config page via the location bar like you open a web page.

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All Replies (6)

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Sounds that you have reset Firefox and created a new profile.

You can try to create a new profile or reset Firefox.

When you reset Firefox then a new profile is created and some personal data (bookmarks, history, cookies, passwords, form data) is automatically imported and the current profile folder will be moved to the desktop to an "Old Firefox Data" folder.
Installed extensions and other customizations (toolbars, prefs) that you have made are lost and need to be redone.

It is possible to recover more data from the old profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over the problem.

You can try to restore the prefs.js file and copy this file from the "Old Firefox Data" folder on the desktop shortcut to the current Firefox program folder.

You can use this button to go to the Firefox profile folder:

  • Help > Troubleshooting Information > Profile Directory: Show Folder (Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder)
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Thank you, cor-el. This sounds like exactly what happened:

When you reset Firefox then a new profile is created and some personal data (bookmarks, history, cookies, passwords, form data) is automatically imported and the current profile folder will be moved to the desktop to an "Old Firefox Data" folder. Installed extensions and other customizations (toolbars, prefs) that you have made are lost and need to be redone.

Only I didn't reset Firefox. I opened it and was told to choose 'safe' or 'restore'.

I don't think I can accomplish what you suggest, but can you let me know just how to set a background image on a new tab page, one uploaded from my pictures? That is all I would really like to do.

Thanks.

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Do you have this "Old Firefox Data" folder on the desktop?

If not the something else happened.

Is this an image that you previously have saved on your computer or an image that you found on internet?

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The Old Firefox Data folder was put on my desktop, but I deleted it.

The image is one I have stored on my computer.

Google at one point decided, autocratically, that they were going to prevent personal background images, but I managed (I don't know how) to once again upload it and it came up everytime I opened a new tab.

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Chosen Solution

If you have deleted the "Old Firefox Data" folder that you do not have the possibility to restore data from your previous profile.

If it is an image that you have stored on your computer then you can open this image in a Firefox tab (Firefox > New Tab > Open File).
That will give you the file:// URL in the location bar and you can use a copy and paste to set this file as the new tab page.

You can set the browser.newtab.url pref on the about:config page and set the value of this pref to that URL to make that the new tab page.

You can open the about:config page via the location bar like you open a web page.

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Wow, thank you cor-el. I, me!, actually did it. It wasn't as easy as setting the previous image, and I still wonder why Firefox decided to change things on me, but at least I know how to set (and un-set) it via about:config.

Thanks again.