diff --git a/xpfe/components/bookmarks/src/nsBookmarksService.cpp b/xpfe/components/bookmarks/src/nsBookmarksService.cpp
index d7a12056d891..28a48a246af4 100644
--- a/xpfe/components/bookmarks/src/nsBookmarksService.cpp
+++ b/xpfe/components/bookmarks/src/nsBookmarksService.cpp
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* -*- Mode: C++; tab-width: 8; indent-tabs-mode: t; c-basic-offset: 8; c-file-style: "stroustrup" -*-
+/* -*- Mode: C++; tab-width: 4; indent-tabs-mode: nil; c-basic-offset: 4 -*-
  *
  * The contents of this file are subject to the Netscape Public
  * License Version 1.1 (the "License"); you may not use this file
@@ -3952,26 +3952,38 @@ nsBookmarksService::Flush()
 nsresult
 nsBookmarksService::GetBookmarksFile(nsFileSpec* aResult)
 {
-	nsresult rv;
+    nsresult rv;
 
-	// Look for bookmarks.html in the current profile
-	// directory. This is as convoluted as it seems because we
-	// want to 1) not break viewer (which has no profiles), and 2)
-	// still deal reasonably (in the short term) when no
-	// bookmarks.html is installed in the profile directory.
-		        
-    nsCOMPtr<nsIFile> bookmarksFile;
-    rv = NS_GetSpecialDirectory(NS_APP_BOOKMARKS_50_FILE, getter_AddRefs(bookmarksFile));
+    // First we see if the user has set a pref for the location of the 
+    // bookmarks file.
+    NS_WITH_SERVICE(nsIPref, prefServ, kPrefCID, &rv);
     if (NS_SUCCEEDED(rv)) {
-  
-        // TODO: When the code which calls this can us nsIFIle
-        // or nsILocalFile, this conversion from nsiFile to
-        // nsFileSpec can go away.
-  
-        nsXPIDLCString pathBuf;
-        rv = bookmarksFile->GetPath(getter_Copies(pathBuf));
-        if (NS_SUCCEEDED(rv))
-            *aResult = (const char *)pathBuf;
+        nsXPIDLCString prefVal;
+        rv = prefServ->CopyCharPref("browser.bookmark_file",
+                                    getter_Copies(prefVal));      
+        if (NS_SUCCEEDED(rv)) {
+            *aResult = prefVal;
+        }
+    }
+
+
+    if (NS_FAILED(rv)) {
+        // Otherwise, we look for bookmarks.html in the current profile
+        // directory using the magic directory service.
+        nsCOMPtr<nsIFile> bookmarksFile;
+        rv = NS_GetSpecialDirectory(NS_APP_BOOKMARKS_50_FILE, 
+                                    getter_AddRefs(bookmarksFile));
+        if (NS_SUCCEEDED(rv)) {
+
+            // XXX: When the code which calls this can us nsIFile
+            // or nsILocalFile, this conversion from nsIFile to
+            // nsFileSpec can go away. Bug 36974.
+
+            nsXPIDLCString pathBuf;
+            rv = bookmarksFile->GetPath(getter_Copies(pathBuf));
+            if (NS_SUCCEEDED(rv))
+                *aResult = pathBuf.get();
+        }
     }
 
 #ifdef DEBUG