Windows Backup has corrupted Internet Explorer Favorites!

[PurpleHelen]

Can Anyone help with this problem? I am running Windows 7 and Internet Explorer 8 on my HP Pavillion.   I recently carried out a backup to an external hard drive (WD Passport) using Windows Backup - it seemed to go OK, but when I opened Internet Explorer browser, all my 702 favorites had vanished!  Worse still, I can't even create a new favorite with "Add to Favorites" anymore.

I know the files are still there as I can see the in Computer C:\Users\Helen\Favorites but for some reason IE8 has stopped recognising them (and stopped letting me create new ones).

Ironically, if I open Firefox, it has picked up the favourites from IE8!

This is really annoying - has anyone any suggestions how to fix it?  I have even tried looking in the Registry (as recommended on  a Microsoft forum) but the shell folders path for favorites seems to be correct (C:\Users\Helen\Favorites)

I have Googled all sorts of sites but failed to find a solution - HELP!

[Hanspuppa · Accepted solution]

Hello PurpleHelen, You might try using a Windows Restore point back to a time before the issues appeared.

if this does not resolve the issue, you might try exporting your Favorites from FireFox to a location on your hard drive, and then open Internet Explorer and try to import these Favorites from the FireFox exports.

Just something to try.

[PurpleHelen]

Hanspuppa - you are a star!  I've just done a system restore to 3 days ago and it has worked perfectly!!  I had been given all sorts of complicated suggestions on various forums (including tinkering with the Registry - Yikes!), none of which had worked, but this is the most obvious (if only I had thought of it) and most sensible - and it works.

Many, many thanks!

Best regards

Helen

[Hanspuppa]

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PurpleHelen wrote: I've just done a system restore to 3 days ago and it has worked perfectly!!  I had been given all sorts of complicated suggestions on various forums (including tinkering with the Registry - Yikes!), none of which had worked, but this is the most obvious (if only I had thought of it) and most sensible - and it works. Many, many thanks!

Best regards, Helen

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Hello PurpleHelen, That's really great news. I'm happy you got control of your system again.

Tinkering around in the Registry is not recommended at all, unless you know exactly what you are doing.

If just one wrong edit is made, the system can become unusable. In earlier days, I made this mistake several times before I learned how to edit the registry, and wound up having to do fresh installs of the operating system.

I have made registry edits many times since, but I would not recommend this for others that are not familiar with how the registry works.