fully restore jw library after reinstall
UPDATE 05-20-2024:
I just successfully completed a complete restore on a 3rd device. It appears that copying the complete hidden user profile folder system will prevent the time of re-downloading everything again for JWL.
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UPDATE 05-14-2024:
I have now successfully fully restored JWL on two devices, each device had a different user profile. For Elders and MS, this includes all added publications from jwhub. The only time involved is the time it takes to copy the folders back to the hidden profile Watchtower folder.
**********************************************************************************************************
After upgrading to Windows 11, you miss Widows 10 and want to go back, but the thought of downloading all those jpubs again, and setting up JW Library, ARG!. Maybe it was a different reason, but whatever the reason you find yourself having to reinstall JWL. I am sure many of us at one time have had to reinstall JWL and no one enjoys that. I myself had always dreamed of a method of installing everything, every jpub at once, but alas it did not seem possible UNTIL NOW!
Please read this section carefully.
This will NOT work if your copy of JWL is corrupted, perhaps a bad download or a bad Microsoft update has damaged JWL and JWL is not working correctly. If your JWL is not working correctly, this will not work, you will have to do a complete reinstall.
This method will work if you are doing a clean install of Windows 10 or Windows 11, or if you are setting up JWL on another Windows device and want an exact clone of your current JWL on the second or third Windows device.
Please follow these steps and print them out if need be.
Let's suppose we are either going to do a clean install of Windows or set up on a second Windows device.
1) Before starting the clean install of Windows backup your current system.
2) Backup JWL using the backup method within JWL.
3) Transfer the backups to a USB key to ensure they are not lost.
4) Now in your computer file windows, choose to show hidden folders and files, including system folders.
5) Once you have hidden folders set to visible go to this path "C:\Users\YOURNAME\AppData\Local\Packages\WatchtowerBibleandTractSo.45909CDBADF3C_5rz59y55nfz3e"
the part that says "YOURNAME" will actually be the username you used when setting up the device. This part "45909CDBADF3C_5rz59y55nfz3e" will NOT be the same on your device or from device to device that you use. Those numbers and letters will be different on every install of JWL. So don't try to match them. Look for Packages\WatchtowerBibleTractSo.
6) Now on your backup USB drive create a folder named "JWL Backup"
7) Open that Packages\Watchtower folder and you will see this inside.
I just successfully completed a complete restore on a 3rd device. It appears that copying the complete hidden user profile folder system will prevent the time of re-downloading everything again for JWL.
**********************************************************************************************************
UPDATE 05-14-2024:
I have now successfully fully restored JWL on two devices, each device had a different user profile. For Elders and MS, this includes all added publications from jwhub. The only time involved is the time it takes to copy the folders back to the hidden profile Watchtower folder.
**********************************************************************************************************
After upgrading to Windows 11, you miss Widows 10 and want to go back, but the thought of downloading all those jpubs again, and setting up JW Library, ARG!. Maybe it was a different reason, but whatever the reason you find yourself having to reinstall JWL. I am sure many of us at one time have had to reinstall JWL and no one enjoys that. I myself had always dreamed of a method of installing everything, every jpub at once, but alas it did not seem possible UNTIL NOW!
Please read this section carefully.
This will NOT work if your copy of JWL is corrupted, perhaps a bad download or a bad Microsoft update has damaged JWL and JWL is not working correctly. If your JWL is not working correctly, this will not work, you will have to do a complete reinstall.
This method will work if you are doing a clean install of Windows 10 or Windows 11, or if you are setting up JWL on another Windows device and want an exact clone of your current JWL on the second or third Windows device.
Please follow these steps and print them out if need be.
Let's suppose we are either going to do a clean install of Windows or set up on a second Windows device.
1) Before starting the clean install of Windows backup your current system.
2) Backup JWL using the backup method within JWL.
3) Transfer the backups to a USB key to ensure they are not lost.
4) Now in your computer file windows, choose to show hidden folders and files, including system folders.
5) Once you have hidden folders set to visible go to this path "C:\Users\YOURNAME\AppData\Local\Packages\WatchtowerBibleandTractSo.45909CDBADF3C_5rz59y55nfz3e"
the part that says "YOURNAME" will actually be the username you used when setting up the device. This part "45909CDBADF3C_5rz59y55nfz3e" will NOT be the same on your device or from device to device that you use. Those numbers and letters will be different on every install of JWL. So don't try to match them. Look for Packages\WatchtowerBibleTractSo.
6) Now on your backup USB drive create a folder named "JWL Backup"
7) Open that Packages\Watchtower folder and you will see this inside.
8) Highlight and copy every one of those folders, depending on what you have downloaded and your notes this could be 30GB large so give it time to copy.
9) Paste these into the folder you made called JWL Backup on your USB Drive.
10) Once this is done, start the reinstall of Windows or move to the second device you want to clone your JWL to. So let's move to a second device.
11) On our second device Install JWL, once installed OPEN it, it is important that you open it so all the system folders can be created. Then set the save path for your videos and audio. Here it where it can get sticky. If the save path is not the same, it might create a new save path. In my case on all my devices I use the same username "Gregory" and I have the same save path, a second drive named D:\ etc. If you save on the same drive all will be okay. But ensure the Username is the same on all devices.
12) After JWL has been opened, close JWL.
13) Find the same path, remember turn on hidden system folders. Also remember all those letter and numbers after Watchtower.....will not be the exact same.
14) OPEN the WatchtoweBibleTractSo folder so you can see the inside of the folder and you see some of the folders like in the image above, your folder may have less because you have not restored the entire contents yet.
15) Go to the JWL Backup folder on your USB drive and copy and past it into the open folder.
16) When asked to replace any existing folders choose YES on all of them.
17) Allow time, this may take 30+ minutes.
18) After it is complete open JWL, it should be restored, everything should be there, jpubs, personal settings, personal notes, videos etc. Everything should be restored.
9) Paste these into the folder you made called JWL Backup on your USB Drive.
10) Once this is done, start the reinstall of Windows or move to the second device you want to clone your JWL to. So let's move to a second device.
11) On our second device Install JWL, once installed OPEN it, it is important that you open it so all the system folders can be created. Then set the save path for your videos and audio. Here it where it can get sticky. If the save path is not the same, it might create a new save path. In my case on all my devices I use the same username "Gregory" and I have the same save path, a second drive named D:\ etc. If you save on the same drive all will be okay. But ensure the Username is the same on all devices.
12) After JWL has been opened, close JWL.
13) Find the same path, remember turn on hidden system folders. Also remember all those letter and numbers after Watchtower.....will not be the exact same.
14) OPEN the WatchtoweBibleTractSo folder so you can see the inside of the folder and you see some of the folders like in the image above, your folder may have less because you have not restored the entire contents yet.
15) Go to the JWL Backup folder on your USB drive and copy and past it into the open folder.
16) When asked to replace any existing folders choose YES on all of them.
17) Allow time, this may take 30+ minutes.
18) After it is complete open JWL, it should be restored, everything should be there, jpubs, personal settings, personal notes, videos etc. Everything should be restored.