Normally -- and occasionally this fails -- Firefox creates a new settings folder and automatically brings in your bookmarks, saved passwords, and your last session open windows and tabs. (Assuming it's not a private browsing session, of course.)

In the situation where that step fails, it usually is possible to manually copy one or more files from a folder that will be added to your desktop named "Old Firefox Data". However, if there is a problem, please come back and ask for step-by-step directions because it can be a little confusing with several different files available to copy.

In rare cases, some users with low disk space reported that they didn't get an Old Firefox Data folder; the whole Refresh process just died. Hopefully you have at least 10% free disk space so that isn't a concern.

Also, if you ever are concerned that you might lose a set of especially important tabs, you can bookmark them as a group for future reference. Simply right-click any of the tabs in that window and choose Bookmark All Tabs. Firefox will ask you for a folder name for the bookmarks (I suggest including the date, too, for your own reference). That way, if something glitches and your session can't be restored, you'll have links to those pages in your bookmarks.

One possible reason for Firefox to run slowly is a bad add-on or malware infection. Here's my suggested procedure for tracking down and cleaning up bad add-ons. I know it seems long, but it's not that bad.

(1) Open the Windows Control Panel, Uninstall a Program (XP: Add/Remove Programs). After the list loads, click the "Installed on" column heading to group the infections, I mean, additions, by date. (XP: Try sorting by last used.) This can help in smoking out undisclosed bundle items that snuck in with some software you agreed to install. Be suspicious of everything you do not recognize/remember, as malware often uses important or innocent sounding names to discourage you from removing it. Take out as much trash as possible here.

(2) Open Firefox's Add-ons page using either:

• Ctrl+Shift+a
• "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons
• in the Windows "Run" dialog, type or paste
  firefox.exe "about:addons"

In the left column, click Plugins. Set nonessential and unrecognized plugins to "Never Activate".

In the left column, click Extensions. Then, if in doubt, disable (or Remove, if possible) unrecognized and unwanted extensions.

Often a link will appear above at least one disabled extension to restart Firefox. You can complete your work on the tab and click one of the links as the last step.

Any improvement?

(3) You can search for remaining issues with the scanning/cleaning tools listed in our support article: Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware. These on-demand scanners are free and take considerable time to run. If they finish quickly and especially if they require payment, you may have a serious infection. I suggest the specialized forums listed in the article in that case.

Success?

Start Firefox in Safe Mode {web Link} by holding down the <Shift>
(Mac Options) key, and then starting Firefox. Is the problem still there?

These add-ons can be a great help by backing up and restoring Firefox

FEBE (Firefox Environment Backup Extension) {web link} FEBE allows you to quickly and easily backup your Firefox extensions, history, passwords, and more. In fact, it goes beyond just backing up -- It will actually rebuild your saved files individually into installable .xpi files. It will also make backup of files that you choose.

OPIE {web link} Import/Export extension preferences