Completely ersased Firestorm from my computer - I thought ?

[cunomar]

Win10 . I uninstalled via add/remove programs . Then searched for anything saved named Firestorm and deleted it .

Restarted my laptop , disk cleanup , defragment , then re-installed .

I can't remember the exact wording of the install process but delete keys - yes and overwrite - yes .

Only to find my login details still saved and nothing of my SL has changed at all , even TP and chat history is still there ?

I removed the Linden viewer long ago , I don't have any other .

Is this not weird ?

[cunomar]

I have never used the backup feature , when a new version comes out i just install it then remove the old version ............................ something i learned to do by messing up backup instructions and losing all my chat and TP history . Exactly what i tried to do this time because i'm sick of trying to fix stuff i don't understand .

At least ifs returned to new i will be trying to fix stuff that i must have worked out in the past - eventually .

[SarahKB7 Koskinen]

On W10, there is a sneaky FirestormX64 folder that contains avatar account  data "hidden" along this path:

This PC > Windows 10 (C:) > Users > (Your PC account name) > App Data > Roaming >  FirestormX64

Deleting the FirestormX64 folder, which contains your avatar account name, should remove records of login account names, passwords and login/logout screenshots.

 

As for the backup feature, I would save a copy of your last backup just in case you wish to reinstall Firestorm and create a new backup path folder to restore your Firestorm settings, which can save a lot of time.

Edited November 18, 2021 by SarahKB7 Koskinen

[cunomar]

Will that empty my inventory as well ?

[SarahKB7 Koskinen]

No, your inventory is in SL's servers and not on your personal PC, which is why every single item in your inventory has a unique UUID (Universally Unique ID) code, which all viewers "fetch" from.

Edited November 18, 2021 by SarahKB7 Koskinen

[cunomar]

So i don't need to back anything up then i hope , it will probably take me a couple of hours to find the "path"

 

[SarahKB7 Koskinen]

I would definitely keep a copy of your last Firestorm settings saved somewhere, just in case you choose to reinstall it again and to restore its settings to how you like them.

Edited November 18, 2021 by SarahKB7 Koskinen

[cunomar]

Firestorm "improved" something about 2 weeks ago and its been driving me nuts since ,relogging for an hour trying to make myself or my surroundings rez , and now having kind of sorted it by fiddling with every setting in preferences because 3 relogs usually gets things working albeit with everything below the belt that i put on the screen being permanently blurred .

I've had no such problems for 3 years .

[Jaylinbridges]

18 minutes ago, cunomar said:

So i don't need to back anything up then i hope , it will probably take me a couple of hours to find the "path"

If you don't use Backup, you will lose some settings in Preferences that are local to your computer.

Passwords and account names for instance are local and not stored on the SL servers, and most of your GUI settings for Firestorm should be backup up.

To avoid losing your logs and transcript history, eg chat and IM history, put those in another folder your create.  Removing Firestorm will not remove your history then.  Same reason you need to use Firestorm Backup, so you don't lose your local Firestorm settings.

When you uninstall Firestorm, you do not delete all of your personal Firestorm settings.  There is no reason to do this, unless you want to re-enter all your personal data, and Preferences again. That should never be necessary.

You should also uninstall your old Firestorm before installing the latest version.  Then use Firestorm Restore to add back your local settings.

This is what my Network&FIles looks like.  Note I install my Cache AND my IM/Chat logs in different locations:

My Backup Path is E:\Firestorm Backup also not on my C drive where Firestorm is installed.

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by Jaylinbridges

[cunomar]

Ok , if i could just hit restore here I would . I have only one account , no alts or nothing so if i understand correctly the only thing i will lose if i don't backup is chatlogs and TP history neither of which are important .

https://gyazo.com/61694c0688727eafb187f76406ff9917

I then spend the rest of the week sorting stupid stuff like turning towards people and hitting them with a lazer beam if i click to read their profile yeah ?

[SarahKB7 Koskinen]

Your Backup path appears to be blank at present, (that rectangular window at the top). Click the "Set" button to create a backup settings folder pathway if you haven't got one yet.

If you have no settings saved, create a new folder in your PC's main account name folder, then name it something unforgettable like "Firestorm Settings Backup" and make the Firestorm's Backup "Set" as this new folder. And don't delete it!

Edited November 18, 2021 by SarahKB7 Koskinen

[cunomar]

The settings are set to drive the user nuts , its them i want rid of . Back to basics fixing things i at least might have some vague memory of fixing before .

[Jaylinbridges]

4 minutes ago, cunomar said:

Ok , if i could just hit restore here I would . I have only one account , no alts or nothing so if i understand correctly the only thing i will lose if i don't backup is chatlogs and TP history neither of which are important .

Once you get your preferences as you want them, Make a Backup path and use Backup.  Since you have never used backup, you need to do this first.

It's only if you do a clean install of Firestorm should you first change your chatlogs and history so you don't lose them

Normally upgrading Firestorm to a newer version does not lose anything. Just follow Firestorms instructions for upgrading to a newer version.

I think you meant SL and Linden Lab making some changes, not Firestorm.  Firestorm the viewer only changes when they issue a new public version, which is not often.

 

[cunomar]

Let me rephrase the question

What is the quickest and simplest way to return Firestorm to its default settings ?

 

It probably baffles you computer people but i don't even have windows backed up , every time windows update stops my printer worker i just restore to factory settings erasing everything .

Edited November 18, 2021 by cunomar

[SarahKB7 Koskinen]

Uninstall and clean reinstall.

You can uninstall through the Windows Start button, scoll down to "F" for Firestorm, click it's folder to open it, then click the "Uninstall Firestorm-Releasex64"

Edited November 18, 2021 by SarahKB7 Koskinen

[cunomar]

I just did that and nothing changed which is what prompted me to ask , "is this not weird" in my first post

[Jaylinbridges]

24 minutes ago, cunomar said:

What is the quickest and simplest way to return Firestorm to its default settings ?

What Sarah said

But you need to then follow the Clean Install instructions from Firestorm.  And uninstall any older versions first so it really is a clean install.

You will lose all your Preference settings, account settings, and history and chat logs if you do this, unless you first save them to a different folder.

Instructions for a Clean Install of FIrestorm - Follow all the steps in that order.  

https://wiki.firestormviewer.org/fs_clean_install

If you have system files hidden in Win10, you can still find the folders to delete if you can still log into Firestorm.  Otherwise you must unhide the system folders in Win10 and delete the correct folder using windows file manager.  The clean install instructions tells you how to do all of this.  Just Nine Steps, the last being to Restore your settings, or you will be stuck with all default settings to start.

The folder to delete for a clean install is Firestorm_X64 btw.

 

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by Jaylinbridges

[SarahKB7 Koskinen]

Then perhaps try to find that sneaky hidden folder from my first reply. It may or may not still be present on your PC.

This PC > Windows 10 (C:) > Users > (Your PC account name) > App Data > Roaming >  FirestormX64

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by SarahKB7 Koskinen

[Phil Deakins]

1 hour ago, SarahKB7 Koskinen said:

On W10, there is a sneaky FirestormX64 folder that contains avatar account  data "hidden" along this path:

This PC > Windows 10 (C:) > Users > (Your PC account name) > App Data > Roaming >  FirestormX64

So, when told to uninstall, Firestorm doesn't remove that folder? I HATE programmes leaving bits behind, and not doing what the computer owner tells them to do, as though they have a right to occupy bits of your computer, which they don't, of course. I can't imagine why the Firestorm people think that, when a computer's owner tells it to uninstall, they are free to leave bits on the hard drive.

Edited November 18, 2021 by Phil Deakins

[Jaylinbridges]

1 hour ago, Phil Deakins said:

I can't imagine why the Firestorm people think that, when a computer's owner tells it to uninstall, they are free to leave bits on the hard drive.

Because as part of installing a new version of Firestorm, which everyone is forced to do eventually,  you uninstall the older version, but NOT all the hundreds of settings and GUI in Preferences, which you need for the new version.  The OP is not trying to get rid of Firestorm, but fix a problem likely caused by a corrupted xml file.  A simple upgrade to a new version can be done in 5 minutes.  A clean install that wipes all the personalized settings that now must be replaced again can take hours.  Firestorm also provides an option to remove more configuration files during the Uninstall.  They could I guess provide an installer with two settings: Normal upgrade, and Wipe everything off the hard drive first.  Instead they provide clear instructions on how to do both.  Firestorm assumes users will read the instructions.  

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by Jaylinbridges

[Ansariel Hiller]

3 hours ago, Phil Deakins said:

So, when told to uninstall, Firestorm doesn't remove that folder? I HATE programmes leaving bits behind, and not doing what the computer owner tells them to do, as though they have a right to occupy bits of your computer, which they don't, of course. I can't imagine why the Firestorm people think that, when a computer's owner tells it to uninstall, they are free to leave bits on the hard drive.

Because a) this is inherited behavior and b) you might want to keep your chat logs, right? If actually reading the details shown in the (un)installer during the uninstallation process, you might notice a message saying "This uninstall will NOT delete your Firestorm chat logs and other private files. If you want to do that yourself, delete the Firestorm folder within your user Application data folder."

[Phil Deakins]

I'm sorry but, when someone uninstalls a programme, it is wrong to leave anything behind. The OP chose to uninstall Firestorm. Firestorm could not know that she was going to install the newest version. She asked for it to be unistalled - taken out -  so everything should have gone. There is no excuse or reason for leaving data behind. It is not Firestorm's computer, and they are not free to decide what's in it.

If their method of updating is to first uninstall the existing version, then they're method is wrong if it means that a person can't simply , and completely, uninstall the programme.

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by Phil Deakins

[Coffee Pancake]

It's more than our lives are worth to delete a users chat logs.

Even if it's explicitly stated in the uninstaller.

Even if we make them say "YES DO IT" 5 times.

 

That would be like uninstalling blender and it deleting all your .blend files.

[Solar Legion]

This is not new or unusual behavior. You want the personal/private files (chat logs and such) gone? Delete them yourself.

[Ardy Lay]

Imagine the reactions if the uninstaller for Microsoft Office applications were to hunt down and erase all documents they created when uninstalling the applications.

Perhaps I should add that many people think this is what happens because they believe their documents are contained WITHIN the applications and they have no idea how to find the files containing their documents without having the application do it for them.

Edited November 18, 2021 by Ardy Lay