Tip for storing dormant accounts

[pod]

This is great way I have found to store accounts that I wont be using in the near future. It will safely store everything needed so months down the road, or even years you can have it all back on your system in a few minutes. Cookies are a good thing and when you go back months down the road to ebay and paypal with a fresh windows user and a blank slate it can spark ID requests.

This is for windows [any version] and Firefox. [Any version]

Once you have done all your normal ebay/paypal setup steps and have no use for the accounts for awhile its nice to be able to delete the windows user account off machine. But when you do that you also lose everything else that was there when you setup ebay/PayPal.

This will save everything in Firefox. Preferences, cookies, form fills, passwords, ect. Everything that they like to see when you log in.

Setup your accounts as you normally do. I name my windows user the same as the eBay ID. IE: "John Doe"

In Firefox setup your browser the way you prefer. I like to have bookmark menu tabs for IP chicken, eBay, PayPal, and gmail all setup. Even one for the forum here if you need some quick research.

Create a folder on your system on hard drive. Call it whatever you like. IE C:\eBay stuff\

And create a sub folder for each user

C:\eBay stuff\John Doe

Download mozbackup - Download it to the ebay folder so it will be accessible from other users if needed. It should be usable for every user, but just have it where you can get at it if needed.

MozBackup - Backup tool for Firefox and Thunderbird

When you run mozbackup it will ask if you want to backup a profile or restore. Pick backup > next
Then select browse and navigate to your ebay\user folder you created
Change file name to user name. "John Doe.pcv" > Save > Next
You can password protect file on next option if you wish.
It will select all your Firefox data by default. Leave it as is > Next
Let it do its magic > Finish

Now copy whatever files you need into that user folder as well. Make notes of ebay/paypal logins, passwords, info, macs if you use them, ect. Anything you will need when its time to bring account back to life. Whatever you normally do to keep track of the dormant accounts should go in each user folder.

You can now delete that user account off windows altogether. Months down the road or even years all you need to do create a new user account in windows, install Firefox, run mozbackup and restore that users backup. In a few minutes Firefox will be exactly like it was when you backed it up. Everything is there. Cookies, auto fill, passwords. Everything. As far as eBay knows you just haven't logged if for awhile. It will see the cookies it left for you when you were last there. They like that. Your user name and password will still be in Firefox like nothing was ever removed.

Important: This just saves Firefox stuff. Nothing from windows. But 90% of what you need is in Firefox anyway

You can store dozens of Firefox user profiles on a CD or thumb drive for use way down the road

You can even take these backups from one computer to another or one version of windows to another. I restored 4 user settings on a fresh install to a new computer in minutes. And it was like nothing had changed. All my bookmarks and preferences were instantly right back where I left off. Could not even tell it was a new computer

This is so fast and hassle free there is no reason you couldn't restore, login for awhile, shop, back up and delete every few weeks if you want the account to have some activity

Cheers

[rsot]

Solid reporting pod - cheers. I like the option of Firefox storing field info - i don't like storing passwords period but good.

[mcweed234]

what about flash cookies, does this backup flash cookies?

[pod]

It doesn't grab the flash cookies. But the are automatically rebuilt when you first log in on restore.

[Gman91189]

but dont u have to keep logging into the ac****s once in a while to keep the ebay bots from suspending accounts etc..?

[pod]

Its a good idea to have the account have some activity for awhile before you use it, yes. But this is just to clear it off the computer for down the road. Using an account that hasn't been logged into for a long time is not good. But you can slowly bring it back to life when needed. This is actually fast and easy enough you could restore an account, shop around a bit, back it back up and put it away on a regular basis ti have some activity logged.

This is really only needed if you have dozens of accounts and need to clear space is all.

[rsot]

Pod is resurrected.

[invader_adam]

Pod that's a great post! Thanks for the info. When you say the flash objects are restored does this mean they are they same as before? I was looking to transfer my accounts which have years of history from pc to my lappy and this seems like the way2go :-)

[pod]

The flash object is created when you first log in. Its nothing to sweat. With the cookies in place you're all good

[rsot]

pod you doing alright?

[invader_adam]

Thanks pod

[jrvs]

thanks pod

[NoneOther]

Great post. Ideal if your a Windows user.

For Mac users unfortunately there are no programs like this. However you can still achieve the same result by copying your Firefox folder from your Library folder

In Finder from the menu bar click

Go> Go to Folder> then type

Users/"your user name"/Library then search for Application Support> Firefox

Copy the Firefox folder to wherever you want to keep it safe.

To restore it back just copy this folder over any new install of Firefox when you set up a new user profile again.

Hope that helps

[GrannyT]

This advise couldn't have come at a better time for me - Thanks Pod