How to back up PM to restore it somewhere else ?

[Gnaxx]

Hi all !
Well, I'm sorry to open this thread, but I need some help.
In short, I've got two computers, a pc and a very old laptop. The harddrive of my PC is dying (it was under windows 7). I put it in an external case to plug it through usb to my laptop to save as much data as I can on another drive. It's currently copying files, unfortunately, I don't know how long it will last and how many times I'll be able to turn it on, and that's why I thought I maybe should ask you directly : I did a very quick search but haven't found the precise answer I was looking for.

I'm planning to buy a new harddrive for my pc, and I would like to save all my profile from PM to put it in my future windows 7 install. Priority to bookmarks. After that, if I can save anything else, that would be very good.
What should I do to do things properly ?

A "stupid" question but... can I launch PM from my dying external drive ? Maybe it could be a solution by accessing FEBE ? (I would prefer to avoid launching any application if possible because it's dying )

Thanks in advance, and again, really sorry if it's already in some other threads.

[Moonchild]

This may help:
http://www.palemoon.org/backuptool.shtml

[Gnaxx]

This may help:
http://www.palemoon.org/backuptool.shtml

Well, it would have been perfect, unfortunately I can't launch Palemoon from my external dying drive it seems (I just tried), so the backup tool can't work :/
Thanks for the very fast answer

[Moonchild]

The backup tool doesn't need the browser to work
You can save it anywhere and launch it from anywhere.

If it's an issue though, simply copying your entire profile with any other tool will work.
Default location for all profiles being C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Moonchild Productions\Pale Moon\Profiles\

[Gnaxx]

The backup tool doesn't need the browser to work
You can save it anywhere and launch it from anywhere.

If it's an issue though, simply copying your entire profile with any other tool will work.
Default location for all profiles being C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Moonchild Productions\Pale Moon\Profiles\

Hum... But I've PM installed on this laptop (so on C:\), and on my plugged dying drive (letter I:\)(and this is the one I want to backup). How can I specify which PM it must backup ?
In worst case, I'll simply do a manual copy of the files
Edit : I'll do a manual copy of files while awaiting your answer. By the way, to restore with a manual copy, I will simply have to past the files in the same folder in the new windows ?

[billmcct]

Simply copy and paste the profile anywhere you want it. On a new install of PM copy the profile back to the new install before opening PM for the first time.
I would suggest that you try to clone the dying drive since it's still running. You would then be able to just put the new drive in and boot to it. I use this for my cloning needs: http://www.backup-utility.com/download.html

[Moonchild]

But I've PM installed on this laptop (so on C:\), and on my plugged dying drive (letter I:\)(and this is the one I want to backup).

OK, so to be clear about something here; the copy on I:\ is a portable copy? In that case just copy the folder it's installed in (or just the profile in "user" under that installed location).

If the copy on I:\ is not a portable copy, then your data is on C:\ for it (same location as your C-installed copy), in which case I:\ dying doesn't matter. I'm assuming it is, though.

Please let us know what exactly you have installed if my assumptions here are wrong (C: is an installed copy and I: is a portable copy)

[billmcct]

Hi all !
The harddrive of my PC is dying (it was under windows 7). I put it in an external case to plug it through usb to my laptop to save as much data as I can on another drive.

Indicates an installed version and plugged into USB changes the drive letter. I would still try to clone the drive if it's still running.

[Moonchild]

In that case replace C:\ in my manual copy instruction path with I:\

[Gnaxx]

But I've PM installed on this laptop (so on C:\), and on my plugged dying drive (letter I:\)(and this is the one I want to backup).

OK, so to be clear about something here; the copy on I:\ is a portable copy? In that case just copy the folder it's installed in (or just the profile in "user" under that installed location).

If the copy on I:\ is not a portable copy, then your data is on C:\ for it (same location as your C-installed copy), in which case I:\ dying doesn't matter. I'm assuming it is, though.

Please let us know what exactly you have installed if my assumptions here are wrong (C: is an installed copy and I: is a portable copy)

Sorry, it seems I badly explained myself
It's an installed copy. So there are two totally separated installation, the one I'm currently using on my laptop, and the one on the plugged dying drive which never ran through my laptop (and can't).

In that case replace C:\ in my manual copy instruction path with I:\

Yes, that's what I've done when I was awaiting your answer I've backed up my main profile located here : I:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Moonchild Productions\Pale Moon\Profiles
So my main concern about this is solved ! (if copy went well)
To restore it in my future PM installation on my future windows, I'll simply have to paste the folder in the same path ? (with C:\ instead of I:\ of course) Nothing more is needed ? It's not the default profile.
Thank you very much for the help !

Indicates an installed version and plugged into USB changes the drive letter. I would still try to clone the drive if it's still running.

Thank you too for the help Someone recommended it to me (using clonezilla), unfortunately it's a pretty large drive with lot of data and cloning it may be a bit risky because too long (I'm afraid of the disk dying during the process), but I'm backing up manually folders depending of their level of priority. But thanks for the suggestion

[Moonchild]

To restore it, you should indeed just be able to copy the entire "profiles" folder to the appropriate target in your new installation.

[Gnaxx]

To restore it, you should indeed just be able to copy the entire "profiles" folder to the appropriate target in your new installation.

That's a lot easier than I feared Thank you very much for the help ! I'll be able to test it only in at least a week, but it sounds very easy so there shouldn't be any issue if the new profile with all its bookmarks/plugins is automatically detected
Thank you again !

[Gnaxx]

So, I finally installed my new windows & PM : almost everything went smoothly I only had to edit the file "profiles.ini" into "C:\Users\Kaelmn\AppData\Roaming\Moonchild Productions\Pale Moon" to switch to the profil (folder "neijn66l.Backup profil") I was recovering.
I had to change from

[General]
StartWithLastProfile=1

[Profile0]
Name=default
IsRelative=1
Path=Profiles/9wkltshg.default
Default=1

To

[General]
StartWithLastProfile=1

[Profile0]
Name=default
IsRelative=1
Path=Profiles/9wkltshg.default

[Profile1]
Name=Backup
IsRelative=1
Path=Profiles/neijn66l.Backup profil
Default=1

Thanks again a lot for all the help
Now I've only one issue with adobe flash player, but I'm going to create a thread for that