Saving 'Mozilla Firefox' Add Ons for future use

One problem with Mozilla Firefox is that it doesn't provide executable files for installing
various extensions like Toolbars, Plugins & Buttons. So this post is for all the people who don't have a 24/7 Internet connection & their ISP charges them by hours or minutes. They obviously want to spend less time on-line. Whenever you want to install an extension in Mozilla, you have to click the Get Extension Link found on Tools->Add-ons sub menu. This opens a new web-page & you click the desired link of an extension. Mozilla then downloads & installs that extension automatically. Now you don't know where that extension has been installed. If you accidentally uninstall that plug-in or format that system partition, you will lose the extension(s) & you will have to follow the entire downloading process again & it'll not be very economical for users like me who have to pay for every minute or hour spent on-line. This will definitely annoy you as this problem is not associated with Internet Explorer where you get executable files that can be saved to your hard drive & installed by running that executable file. Remember downloading Google or Yahoo Toolbar? They ask you to either run or save the ".exe" file. You save & run the executable to install those Toolbars & Plug-ins. But this is not possible with Mozilla as there are no executables available for saving on Hard Drive.

So How to take Backups of your favorite Plug-ins & Toolbars you downloaded for Mozilla Firefox?
I'll tell you.

Whenever Extensions are installed, their files are copied in a Folder called "extensions". This
folder is situated in D: or C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Application
Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\********.default

Change the Drive letter if your Windows XP is installed on different partition. Also the Folder
"user name" may vary because its name is the same you provided while installing Windows XP.
Check User Accounts & find the Folder of your name. In my case the Path is D:\Documents and Settings\Shashank\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\i4zsm9qt.default
Shashank is the User name. So Make sure you open the correct folder & then find Application Data folder. O.K. The last Folder is ********.default. Letters before .default are variable. So don't be scared if you don't find the "i4zsm9qt.default" folder. Just open the folder with name ending with .default. That's it. Inside this folder there will be a folder called "extensions".
All your Plug-ins & Toolbars are copied here.
Just Copy the folder "extensions" & Paste to a safe location.

In case you uninstall extensions or Format the partition & you need your favorite extensions,
Just copy the contents of this source “extensions” folder to original target “extensions” folder.
Open your Mozilla Firefox & you'll see your extensions installed again without connecting to internet!

Caution: - Before doing this please select the option "Show hidden files or folders" under the Tools Menu->Folder Options->View from Windows Explorer. Do this every time you install a new extension.
EnZoY!

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