Extensions still lost on windows reinstall/profile transfer.
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zalex108 last edited byHi,
Read about that some time ago, but thought it was fixed.No recent changes on my side to verify or isolate about versions or steps.
"You cannot know the meaning of your life until you are connected to the power that created you". · Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi
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burnout426 Volunteer last edited by burnout426
The old thread about this is at https://forums.opera.com/topic/32640/opera-portable-stopped-saving-extensions-between-pcs. It was a fix for USB/Standalone installations. I'm not sure if the fix was specific to them or all installations. Can you confirm that things still work fine when transferring a USB installation or is it broken again?
Then we can go from there.
Also, what version of Opera and What to and from OS?
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A Former User last edited by
@burnout426 It's possible that there's a dependency on the operating system. After fixing DNA-78473, when transferring the profile from one Win 7 to another Win 7, I have no problems with extensions. But I've seen complaints about the loss of extensions on Win 10 LTSB/LTSC.
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burnout426 Volunteer last edited by
I asked around. The fix mentioned earlier is only for USB installs. The protection mechanism (to protect from malware) for regular installs is still in place and done on purpose. So, it's expected that you'll lose your extensions.
@johnd78 said in Extensions still lost on windows reinstall/profile transfer.:
when transferring the profile from one Win 7 to another Win 7, I have no problems with extensions.
I wonder if you transfer from the same exact OS version and edition and to an account with the exact same username and password (and account type maybe), that Opera allows it because hashes are the same. Not sure what the exact requirements are, but it sounds like the transfer of extensions is very limited. I guess one can test to figure out the requirements.
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A Former User last edited by
@burnout426 I saved the profile to a USB flash drive on my computer with Win 7 and used it on different computers with Win 7, no problems with the extensions. I just checked it out.
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burnout426 Volunteer last edited by burnout426
@johnd78 That's good (for us at least). I guess that might be considered a bug by Opera though.
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A Former User last edited by
@burnout426 said in Extensions still lost on windows reinstall/profile transfer.:
I asked around. The fix mentioned earlier is only for USB installs. The protection mechanism (to protect from malware) for regular installs is still in place and done on purpose.
I have tested. You are right. Now, when transferring a profile to another OS, the extensions are saved only for Stand-alone installation (USB). The latest version, where the extensions are saved when transferring the profile for a regular installation, is Opera 58. Tested on Win 7 x64.
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sgunhouse Moderator Volunteer last edited by
@burnout426 said in Extensions still lost on windows reinstall/profile transfer.:
I wonder if you transfer from the same exact OS version and edition and to an account with the exact same username and password (and account type maybe), that Opera allows it because hashes are the same. Not sure what the exact requirements are, but it sounds like the transfer of extensions is very limited. I guess one can test to figure out the requirements.
That wouldn't be sufficient for passwords and cookies, so it shouldn't work for this either. Opera (or Chromium in general) doesn't work on the basis of Windows username/password but on some sort of key tied to the account. If someone knew where to find this key it might be possible to transfer it, but I certainly don't know. where to look for it. Otherwise it's basically a long random number and the odds of a clean install ending up with the same key are basically 0.
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A Former User last edited by
@sgunhouse I believe that certain Opera functions are tied to the SID of a Windows user account. Due to the uniqueness of SIDs you can't outwit the system by simply creating an account with the same name and password again. At least that's my understanding.
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blackbird71 last edited byIt's indeed a security thing. Windows automatically generates a unique SID for each user account (which includes components based on the unique installation of Windows on a system). That unique SID can be hashed against data files/folders to control the access to that data based on requiring a correct user account and same Windows installation. That functionality is part of the Windows CryptoAPI service that can be invoked by application software on a system. The result is that sensitive data in a browser user's account (such as passwords and extension data) can only be accessed by that same user account and its SID if an application is designed to employ the CAPI for such purposes... and the chromium engine is so designed, unless the browser's user interface layers resting upon that engine make alternate provision in some manner.
Consequently, sensitive browser user data (like passwords and data stored by/within extensions) can only be accessed in a system using the unique SID with which they were created - hence, they can't be gotten at from other user accounts or other Windows installations (including a reinstall of Windows on the same hardware). This makes transferring such SID-hashed data impossible between user accounts and systems. In the case of a standalone installation, the SID need not be used to hash the data access since a standalone installation isn't technically "installed" into a unique user account and its SID.
