If you are not able to find your AOL Favorite Places, please try the solutions listed below to resolve the issue. After trying the first solution, check whether you can view your Favorite Places on the AOL® service. If the issue persists, continue using the suggested solutions until the problem is fixed.
You may wish to print or save a copy of these instructions as this page may not remain visible as you go through the suggested steps.
Information you need
You will need to know the version of the Microsoft® Windows® operating system and AOL® software installed on your computer. You will also need to know the version of AOL® Connectivity Service (ACS) that your AOL software (AOL® 9.0 or higher) uses to connect to the Internet. You can find this information by following the instructions given in the online help articles mentioned below:
Note: If you are using AOL 9.0 VR or higher versions of the AOL software, you have ACS 4 installed on your computer.
Solutions
Restart your computer
If you haven't recently restarted your computer or you don't restart your computer very often, we recommend that you restart the computer to clear the internal memory (RAM). For instructions to restart your computer, refer to our online help article Restart the computer.
Sign on as a guest
To sign on as a guest
1. Select Guest from the Select Screen Name or Screen Name drop-down menu on the AOL Sign On screen, and then click Sign On.
2. On the Guest Sign-On window
- Type your screen name in the Enter Screen Name box.
- Type your password in the Enter Password box.
3. Click OK.
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Restore AOL Saved PFC
After uninstalling the AOL software, your Personal Filing Cabinet (PFC) files will be automatically stored on the desktop in a folder named AOL Saved PFC. Restoring your PFC helps to fix issues related to accessing your e-mail and Favorite Places. Follow the instructions given in the help article How do I restore my AOL Saved PFC?
Manually restore your Favorite Places
To restore your Favorite Places in Windows 7
1. Close the AOL software if it is open.
2. Click Start. In the Search box, type the screen name whose Favorite Places information is missing.
3. Click See more results.
4. Select the appropriate screen name that has no extension after it.
Note: Make sure that you do not select the screen name file that is damaged or has data missing from it. If you are not sure which file this is, look at the Date Modified column. The screen name file with the most recent date belongs to the copy of the AOL software that was most recently used on your computer. This will be the screen name file that is damaged or has data missing from it. Do not select this file.
5. Click the Edit menu, and then click Copy.
6. Click Start. In the Search box, type sinf, and then tap the Enter key on your keyboard. If prompted by the User Account Control window, click Yes.
Note: If you are unable to access AOL System Information, go to our online help article Open Data Folder to find out how to manually open the Data Folder. Click the Back to previous page button of that online help article to return to this article, and then continue from Step 8.
7. Click the AOL Software tab, and then click Open Data Folder.
8. Double-click the Organize folder.
9. Click the Edit menu, and then click Paste.
10. Click Yes if prompted to confirm the file replacement.
11. Close all open windows.
12. Sign on to the AOL service and check whether you can view your Address Book or Filing Cabinet.
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To restore your Favorite Places in Windows Vista®
1. Click Start, and then click Search.
2. In the Search Results window, click Advanced Search.
3. Click the Location drop-down menu to open it, and then choose Local Hard Drives (C:) from the list.
4. In the Name box, type the screen name whose Favorite Places are missing. Check the box next to Include non-indexed, hidden, and system files, and then click Search.
5. Once the search is complete, click the Name column to sort the results by name.
6. Select the appropriate screen name that has no extension after it.
Note: Make sure that you do not select the screen name file that is damaged or has data missing from it. If you are not sure which file this is, look at the Date Modified column. The screen name file with the most recent date belongs to the copy of the AOL software that was most recently used on your computer. This will be the screen name file that is damaged or has data missing from it. Do not select this file.
7. On the toolbar, click the Organize menu, and then click Copy.
8. Click Start, select All Programs or Programs, select AOL, and then click AOL System Information. If prompted by the User Account Control window, click Continue.
Note: If you are unable to access AOL System Information, go to our online help article Open Data Folder to find out how to manually open the Data Folder. Click the Back to previous page button of that online help article to return to this article, and then continue from Step 11.
9. Click the AOL Software tab.
10. Click Open Data Folder.
11. Double-click the Organize folder.
12. Click the Organize menu, and then click Paste.
13. Click Yes if prompted to confirm the file replacement.
To restore your Favorite Places in Windows XP
1. Click Start, and then click Search.
2. In the Search Results window, click the All files and folders link.
3. Click Tools, and then click Folder Options.
5. Click the View tab.
6. Select the Show hidden files and folders option, and then click OK.
7. Type the screen name whose Favorite Places information is damaged or missing, and then click Search.
8. Once the search is complete, click the Name column to sort the results by name.
9. Select the appropriate screen name that has no extension after it.
Note: Make sure that you do not select the screen name file that is damaged or has data missing from it. If you are not sure which file this is, look at the Date Modified column. The screen name file with the most recent date belongs to the copy of the AOL software that was most recently used on your computer. This will be the screen name file that is damaged or has data missing from it. Do not select this file.
10. On the toolbar, click Edit, and then click Copy.
11. Click Start, select All Programs or Programs, select AOL, and then click AOL System Information. If a warning box appears, click OK.
Note: If you are unable to access AOL System Information, go to our online help article Open Data Folder to find out how to manually open the Data Folder. Click the Back to previous page button of that online help article to return to this article, and then continue from Step 14.
12. Click the AOL Software tab.
13. Click Open Data Folder.
14. Double-click the Organize folder.
15. Click the Edit menu, and then click Paste.
16. Click Yes if prompted to confirm the file replacement.
To restore your Favorite Places in Windows 2000/Me/98
1. Click Start, click Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
2. Click Tools, and then click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Select the Show hidden files and folders option, and then click OK.
5. Type the screen name whose Favorite Places information is damaged or missing, and then click Search.
6. Once the search is complete, click the Name column to sort the results by name.
7. Select the appropriate screen name that has no extension after it.
Note: Make sure that you do not select the screen name file that is damaged or has data missing from it. If you are not sure which file this is, look at the Date Modified column. The screen name file with the most recent date belongs to the copy of the AOL software that was most recently used on your computer. This will be the screen name file that is damaged or has data missing from it. Do not select this file.
8. On the toolbar, click Edit, and then click Copy.
9. Click Start, select Programs, select America Online or AOL, and then click AOL System Information. If a warning box appears, click OK.
Note: If you are unable to access AOL System Information, go to our online help article Open Data Folder to find out how to manually open the Data Folder. Click the Back to previous page button of that online help article to return to this article, and then continue from Step 12.
10. Click the AOL tab.
11. Click Open Data Folder.
12. Double-click the Organize folder.
13. Click the Edit menu, and then click Paste.
14. Click Yes if prompted to confirm the file replacement.
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Activate tunneling with AOL Keyword: Browser Fix
If tunneling is not turned on, the Web browser may not work correctly within the AOL software. To know how to activate tunneling, please refer to our online help article Activate tunneling with AOL Keyword: Browser Fix.
Run Quick Restore
Note: If you are using AOL Desktop, skip to the next solution. If you are using AOL 8.0 Plus or lower, go to Clear AOL artwork database.
The Quick Restore feature allows you to reset the AOL software to the default state by deleting all the updates downloaded in the past. It can help resolve issues that you may have with your AOL software without having to reinstall the software. Once Quick Restore is completed, you will receive a series of TOD updates to update your AOL software. To know more about TOD updates, read our online help article AOL TOD update.
Please click the link corresponding to the version of ACS installed on your computer for instructions on how to run Quick Restore.
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Upgrade your AOL software
The following steps will install a new copy of the AOL software and copy your existing data (such as your screen names, Personal Filing Cabinet, Favorite Places, software settings, and AOL downloads) from the last used copy of the AOL software.
Important: If you have saved your AOL password on the AOL software, ensure that you remember your password before you perform the steps given below as upgrading your AOL software will delete your saved password. If you don’t remember your password, we recommend that you change your password before proceeding any further. You will also need to remember the answer to your Account Security Question (ASQ) to be able to change your password. You can change your ASQ if you don’t remember the answer to it. For instructions on how to change your password or ASQ, refer to the following online help articles:
Note: Follow the instructions given below to install the AOL 9.5 software. If you are using Windows 2000/Me/98, skip to Install AOL 9.0 VR since AOL 9.5 is not compatible with Windows 2000/Me/98.
To install AOL 9.5
1. Go to http://daol.aol.com/software.
Note: If you have any difficulties while downloading, please refer to our online help article Unable to download AOL 9.5.
2. Under AOL 9.5, click Download Now.
3. Click Run.
4. Click Run again.
Note: If prompted by the User Account Control window, click Yes or Continue.
5. Click I Agree, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
To install the AOL 9.0 VR software
1. On the Internet, go to http://daol.aol.com/software.
2. Click AOL 9.5 details.
3. Click the Windows Me/98 SE users please click here link.
4. Click Download Now.
5. Click Run.
6. Click Run again.
7. Close all open applications, and then click OK.
8. Click I Agree, and then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
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