Is there an easy way to back up my installation of Firefox, saving all my extensions, plugins and settings?
Try Moz Backup. It does warn that not all extensions will work, though I had no problems.
I usually just back up my profile directory. On the new computer, I’ll delete the existing one and then restore my backup there.
The directory is:
C:\Documents and Settings\YOUR_USERNAME\Application Data\Mozilla
Or simply: %appdata%\mozilla
I think that gets everything, extensions included. This didn’t use to work in the past (it’d require multiple restarts), but I think version 1.5 fixed it?
You could install and use Portable Firefox, which keeps everything Firefox-related in one handy directory in the first place. I have FF installed on a USB drive, so that I can 1) use it at work, where non-standard apps mysteriously disappear from time to time, and B) I can bring my browser, settings, bookmarks, passwords, and even sessions anywhere I go. It’s really handy.
Troy, this might be a strange question, but would you happen to know of any USB drives that can be write-protected with a hardware switch (like the old 3.5" floppies)? I’d love to use Portable Firefox myself, but I don’t want rogue computers tampering with my USB drive…
I don’t, but I’m sure they’re out there.
I have an older 128MB EasyDisk USB key with a write-protect switch. I don’t know if it’s available on current products.