Think of the Reset feature as a partial migration of your settings to a new settings (Profile) folder. This article lists what is copied over and what is lost: Refresh Firefox - reset add-ons and settings.

Firefox finds most plugins through a registry scan or a program folder. It is rare that they are installed directly into a profile folder. The odds are that you won't lose a single one, and if you do, you probably will be able to migrate it manually from an "Old Settings" folder that Firefox will deposit on your desktop during the Reset process.

Regarding search engine plugins, if they were the ones installed with Firefox, you might make a backup of your settings and then reinstall Firefox "over" your current installation. This article describes what to back up: Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles. (You can copy your entire Firefox profile folder somewhere outside of the Mozilla folder.)

Does that help?

If you reset Firefox then a new profile is created and some of your data (bookmarks, passwords, cookies, form data) is automatically imported and your current profile will be moved to the desktop (Old Firefox Data).

You can recover more data from the old profile (be cautious with doing that).

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Recovering+important+data+from+an+old+profile

Custom installed search engines will be installed in the searchplugins folder.
The default search plugins are in the searchplugins folder in the Firefox installation folder, so if they are still in that folder then deleting the search.json file and a possible leftover file search.sqlite from previous Firefox version should bring those back.
If the default search engines are gone from the searchplugins folder in the Firefox program folder then you will have to reinstall Firefox.
A new Firefox profile won't help in this case, only a reinstall can bring them back.

• (32 bit Windows) C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\
• (64 bit Windows) C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\

Thanks, It appears I may now not have any choice but to use the new reset feature in firefox 17.0.1 as I sadly determined the spell check function is also not working (it is cheched) in addition to the missing default original core search engines. Plus some functionality of adding own search engines not in the Firefox list of search plugins, etc., does not work. When it worked, I could open a search enging in firefox, and it would appear at bottom of list in search bar; then I could add it permanently. This doesn't work. I can only add custom search engines from Firefox's lists.

Hopefully, the re-set will fix that as well as the original default search engines, Google, Yahoo, Bing which are gone. I care more about them then the custom additional ones I added.

I assume after the reset, depending on what is missing (still different input on this, as many say the bookmarks will be in the revised Firefox, etc.), that I can easily move the date in old firefox saved by firefox to the fixed reset version. Are there instructions to do this? Is it easy or difficult. I do have a permanent backup drive, plus I'm writing down all my settings anyway, not the bookmarks as there are hundreds and hundreds.

Unfortunately, Reset cannot restore deleted search engine plugins, but hopefully it can solve the problem of not being able to add new ones.

With respect to the standard search engine plugins, because those install into the Firefox program folder, you need to re-run the installer to get those back. You do not need to uninstall to do that, just download and run the installer. (I still recommend a backup as noted above.)

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/fx/#desktop

I assume you read the article linked above on what is saved and lost when you use the Reset feature. Your old settings folder will be moved to your desktop so you can recover things that are not migrated automatically. Make sure not to delete that folder accidentally.

Yes, I read the article numerous times and found it slightly confusing. Please understand that what I lost were the default search engine - Google, then Bing & Yahoo. I believe the original instalation makes google the default. I can't even add these manually, that is the problem if they can't be auto restored. I am not going to do an entirely new installation; that is a last resort.

Also, I recently discovered that the Firefox spell check also doesn't work despite that it is checked.

It is obvious I have some currupt files that sadly occured when I did a system restore to a month ago, then tried to update Firefox back to 17.0.1. Something happened or I clicked on something which corrupted select files on spell check and the search defaults and search functionality problems like not mannually being able to add google or any search engines that are not in the add-on search lists provided by Firefox. They don't include Google, Yahoo or Bing; but I did find an english google for foreigners that works, but it's not the default google.

I could also try manually fixing the search problem by deleting select files; but how could I mannually fix the spell check problem. Given both, it seems like the reset is the best way to go.

I have back-ups.

thanks for you help.

I am not going to do an entirely new installation; that is a last resort.

When the Firefox installer detects an existing installation, it switches to doing an upgrade. You do NOT need to uninstall. Although I recommend making a backup first, it really is an easy 3-minute operation to run the installer again.

You might also want to do a Reset, but a Reset doesn't address the default search engine plugin issue.

Instead of using the new reset botton in firefox 17.0.1 I tried doing a few things manually to fix the search engine box; I was told to delete select files in profile; they didn't work.

So I tried manually in Firefox with right clicks, etc., that didn't work.

I then used Mycroft project, and added google, yahoo, bing, etc., again.

I added google, yahoo, bing, ebay using the Mycroft project as removing search.sqlite and search.json didn't work.

Now, how do I fix the spell checker; it's checked, check my spelling as I type, but dosen't work, not active. I have latest Firefox 17.0.1. Help. I heard there are some value paramters, 0, 1, etc, but couldn't find them. Also, I couldn't find in 17.0.1 any more detailed paramters under check my spelling as I type - which I said yes to, made active. Need manual solution or file solution to get the spell checker to work as I need it in twitter, or hootsuite when typing with firefox as my browser. I recall, it use to work fine.

You can only restore lost default search engines if they are present in the searchplugins folder in the Firefox program folder.
If they are gone there then only a reinstall of Firefox will bring them back or a possible install from the Mycroft website.
If they are there then deleting the search.json and search.sqlite files should bring them back.
You may need to reset search prefs on the about:config page as well in case some have been changed.

• (32 bit Windows) C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\
• (64 bit Windows) C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/about:config

You can see which dictionary is selected if you right-click in a text area and open the Languages submenu.

• Open the "Add Dictionaries" link to install a dictionary if you do not have one.
• Make sure that [X] "Check Spelling" in the right-click context menu is check-marked.

You can enable or disable spell checking globally:

• Tools > Options > Advanced : General: Browsing: "Check my spelling as I type"

You can look here for dictionaries:

• https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/language-tools/

If there are still problems:

Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem (switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance).

• Do not click the Reset button on the Safe mode start window or otherwise make changes.

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Safe+Mode
• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes

Ok before I received your email; I experimented on my own and simply added the US dictionary from the add ons language tools. I couldn't tell if it loaded several times. Finally it's working now, so the dictionary must have gotten deleted in unactivated.

Problem, however, I didn't understand your command below, couldn't get it to work to see that dictionary is loaded (it does work now)

From you, can't get this to work, don't understand "You can see which dictionary is selected if you right-click in a text area and open the Languages sub menu. I see us undo add to dictionary, undo, check spelling (checked), languages - its English, so I guess it's working, then it has add dictionaries.

"Open the "Add Dictionaries" link to install a dictionary if you do not have one. Make sure that [X] "Check Spelling" in the right-click context menu is check-marked."

All your other suggestions are brilliant; while I added Google, bing, etc., manually using mycroft project, I may use your suggestion to reset search prefs on the about:config page as well in case some have been changed. I will do that next.

It's all working now, but some of it rigged, like using mycroft but it does add the search engine, and I moved Google, bing, yahoo upfront with the other custom ones. Yes, deleting search.sqlite and search.json didn't work; somehow these original defaults from Firefox got deleted, just don't know how, but it occurred in a system restore.

The point is to open the Languages sub-menu and make sure that the en-US dictionary has a check-mark to indicate that it is selected.
If no dictionary is selected then spell checking won't work.

yes, I did find it, slightly different than explained as there are many different systems. I found it right here and previously in my reply.

I have a bullet (same as check) in front of .English (US) so I have it now.

thanks.

If you have a problem with the spell checker than make sure that you have a dictionary installed and selected. Not all locales come with a dictionary, so if you do not have the en-US locale or unintentionally switched locales then you need to (re)install the proper dictionary.

You can see which dictionary is selected if you right-click in a text area and open the Languages sub-menu.
At least one dictionary should be installed and have a check mark to indicate that it is selected.

• Open the "Add Dictionaries" link to install a dictionary if you do not have one.
• Make sure that [X] "Check Spelling" in the right-click context menu is check-marked.

You can enable or disable spell checking globally:

• Tools > Options > Advanced : General: Browsing: "Check my spelling as I type"

You can look here for dictionaries:

• https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/language-tools/

Everything is OK, I live in the U.S., somehow the dictionary from the default version got disengaged. I reloaded the U.S. dictionary, and the spell check is working.

The options box was always checked - check my spelling as I type, but it no longer contained the dictionary. This happened in same incident where I lost the default search engines on Firefox 17.0.1.

It's all fixed now. I will do further testing on the search engine situation per your recommendations. I loaded Google, yahoo, bing back in using Mycroft project.

Again, thanks.

You're welcome