Xmarks User Manual An easy to understand guide on how to use Xmarks.

Errors

Quick Select
  1. Error: Unknown error 400
  2. Error: Found Corrupt Bookmark Data
  3. Automatic fix (easy)
  4. Manual fix
  5. Error: Excluded Password Error

Error: Unknown error 400

If you receive this error during your first synchronization with Xmarks, it may mean that your bookmark file has a recoverable corruption in it. This problem may have been present but dormant in your bookmarks for quite a while.

One likely fix for this problem is to perform an upload from the affected computer to the Xmarks server. You can do so by going to the Xmarks icon > Xmarks Settings > Advanced tab > Upload Bookmarks. This will overwrite the Xmarks server with the bookmarks on this computer, though, so make sure that any bookmarks on the Xmarks server are represented on other computers of yours--you can view your Xmarks server bookmarks by visiting http://my.xmarks.com/

Once you've uploaded your bookmarks from one computer, you can then safely merge that upload with the bookmarks on other computers when they next synchronize--if you'd like to initiate a manual sync, you can do so via Xmarks icon > Synchronize Now.

Another possible tack for repairing this problem yourself can be found below (Found Corrupt Bookmark Data).

Another possibility is that a firewall or anti-malware software is interfering with Xmarks's ability to contact the synchronization server--we've seen more than one instance of this with Threatfire.

 

Error: Found Corrupt Bookmark Data

NOTE: This page was only relevant for VERY early versions of Xmarks running under Firefox 2; chances are it's not relevant to any problem you're experiencing currently.

If you receive this message, it means that Xmarks has detected a problem in the internal structure of your bookmarks that will prevent your bookmarks from being synced.

Automatic fix (easy)

The easiest way to fix this problem is to install the most recent version of Xmarks (2.0.39+), which automatically deals with this issue. Upgrade your Xmarks version here.

Manual fix

As an alternative, you can manually clean-up your bookmark structure by exporting and then re-importing your bookmarks as follows:

  1. Export your bookmarks. Open the Firefox bookmark manager by selecting Organize Bookmarks from the Firefox Bookmarks menu. Then select File / Export and choose a file to which you can export your bookmarks.
  2. Delete your current bookmarks. In the right-hand pane of the bookmark manager, select all your bookmarks (ctrl-a on Windows, cmd-a on Mac OSX) and de-select (Ctrl-click on Windows, cmd-click on Mac?) your "Bookmarks Toolbar" folder (this folder cannot be deleted while it is set as your toolbar folder). Click the delete icon in the top row of the bookmark manager to delete all of your bookmarks. Go into your "Bookmarks Toolbar" folder and delete all of the bookmarks inside in the same manner.
  3. Import your bookmarks. Select File / Import. If offered a choice, indicate that you want to import from a file. Select the file that you exported to in step 1 above.
  4. Fix your toolbar. Select your newly imported "Bookmarks Toolbar" folder in the right-hand pane. Then select Edit / Set as toolbar folder in the menu. Then, delete the old (now empty) "Bookmarks Toolbar" folder.
  5. Upload your fixed bookmarks. Open the Xmarks Settings dialog (from the Firefox Tools menu, click Xmarks / Settings...). On the Advanced page, click "Upload Now."

This process should repair the corruption in your bookmark file and allow you to sync properly.

 

Error: Excluded Password Error

This error will occur in the following situation:

  1. You create a Sync Profile and assign it to a computer, e.g. create "Work" and assign it to my office desktop.
  2. Then you exclude a password or bookmark from it, e.g. "www.paypal.com".
  3. Then when you're at work, you log into that excluded site and save the password or add the bookmark, e.g. log into "www.paypal.com" and click on "save password" while on the office desktop.

At this point you should see an "Excluded Password Error". The problem is that you told this computer to exclude "paypal.com" via the Sync Profiles, but later decided to either save that password or add that site anyways. Until you resolve this issue, Xmarks will not sync.

To resolve this problem, do one of the following:

  1. Xmarks icon > Xmarks Settings > Advanced tab > Download Bookmarks.
  2. Or, visit my.xmarks.com and edit the Sync Profile assigned to this computer to include that password.

 

 

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