Firefox Ignores Start On Homepage
On my laptop running Windows 10, I've had Firefox configured to open Google as my homepage. This has worked for years.
Recently, FIrefox initiated an automatic update (56.0.1, 64-bit). After completion, whenever I quit my session, clean my history (with CCleaner, as I always do), then try to use FIrefox again, it opens on a "How Embarrassing" screen that requires me to "Close" tabs from my previous session (which it can no longer find because I've cleaned History). In other words, it's trying to open on Tabs from my previous session instead of my Homepage. When I click "Close", it finally starts up on Google, as it should.
I've read all the relevant threads about this, and can report that none of the "fixes" are working for me:
1. My "Options" >> "General" >> "Startup" >> setting for "When Firefox Starts" is clearly set to "Show your homepage" (which is correctly filled in as "google.com"). This is the same as always.
2. I can find no "user.js" file in the Firefox Profile Folder (Help >> Troubleshooting Information >> Profile Folder >> Open Folder).
3. Using "about:config", I can find no "browser.sessionstore.resume_session_once" variable.
Thus, I'm out of proposed solutions from Mozilla Support, which is why I've created this new Question.
Can anyone help?
Thanks,
Todd
P.S. Here's some further, more detailed info.
Using "about: config", ALL the "browser.sessionstore" variables are set to "default", except the following one:
browser.sessionstore.upgradeBackup.latestBuildID;20171002220106
However, I "Reset" this and tried again, and it made no difference. I think it's just the temp build for the current date.
Finally, here is the "Important Modified Preferences" info from "Copy text to clipboard" on the Firefox "Troubleshooting Information" page (I can't paste the entire clipboard contents because this Question box isn't big enough):
Important Modified Preferences
accessibility.typeaheadfind.flashBar: 0 browser.cache.disk.capacity: 358400 browser.cache.disk.filesystem_reported: 1 browser.cache.disk.smart_size.first_run: false browser.cache.disk.smart_size.use_old_max: false browser.cache.frecency_experiment: 4 browser.places.smartBookmarksVersion: 8 browser.search.suggest.enabled: false browser.sessionstore.upgradeBackup.latestBuildID: 20171002220106 browser.startup.homepage: google.com browser.startup.homepage_override.buildID: 20171002220106 browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone: 56.0.1 browser.tabs.remote.autostart.2: true browser.tabs.warnOnClose: false browser.urlbar.daysBeforeHidingSuggestionsPrompt: 2 browser.urlbar.lastSuggestionsPromptDate: 20170904 browser.urlbar.searchSuggestionsChoice: false browser.urlbar.suggest.searches: false browser.urlbar.timesBeforeHidingSuggestionsHint: 3 dom.apps.reset-permissions: true dom.mozApps.used: true extensions.lastAppVersion: 56.0.1 font.internaluseonly.changed: true gfx.crash-guard.d3d11layers.appVersion: 56.0.1 gfx.crash-guard.d3d11layers.deviceID: 0x0f31 gfx.crash-guard.d3d11layers.driverVersion: 10.18.10.4358 gfx.crash-guard.d3d11layers.feature-d2d: true gfx.crash-guard.d3d11layers.feature-d3d11: true gfx.crash-guard.glcontext.gfx.driver-init.direct3d11-angle: true gfx.crash-guard.glcontext.gfx.driver-init.webgl-angle: true gfx.crash-guard.glcontext.gfx.driver-init.webgl-angle-force-d3d11: false gfx.crash-guard.glcontext.gfx.driver-init.webgl-angle-force-warp: false gfx.crash-guard.glcontext.gfx.driver-init.webgl-angle-try-d3d11: true gfx.crash-guard.status.d3d11layers: 2 gfx.crash-guard.status.d3d11video: 2 gfx.crash-guard.status.d3d9video: 2 gfx.crash-guard.status.glcontext: 2 gfx.direct3d.last_used_feature_level_idx: 0 gfx.driver-init.appVersion: 42.0 gfx.driver-init.deviceID: 0x0f31 gfx.driver-init.driverVersion: 10.18.10.4276 gfx.driver-init.feature-d2d: true gfx.driver-init.feature-d3d11: true gfx.driver-init.status: 2 layers.mlgpu.sanity-test-failed: false media.benchmark.vp9.fps: 75 media.benchmark.vp9.versioncheck: 2 media.gmp-eme-adobe.abi: x86-msvc-x64 media.gmp-eme-adobe.lastUpdate: 1464917066 media.gmp-eme-adobe.version: 17 media.gmp-gmpopenh264.abi: x86_64-msvc-x64 media.gmp-gmpopenh264.lastUpdate: 1508642031 media.gmp-gmpopenh264.version: 1.6 media.gmp-manager.buildID: 20171002220106 media.gmp-manager.lastCheck: 1508642030 media.gmp.storage.version.observed: 1 media.hardware-video-decoding.failed: false media.webrtc.debug.log_file: C:\Users\Todd\AppData\Local\Temp\WebRTC.log media.youtube-ua.override.to: 43 network.auth.allow-subresource-auth: 2 network.cookie.prefsMigrated: true network.predictor.cleaned-up: true places.database.lastMaintenance: 1508608130 places.history.expiration.transient_current_max_pages: 104858 plugin.disable_full_page_plugin_for_types: application/pdf plugin.importedState: true plugins.ctprollout.cohort: test plugins.ctprollout.cohortSample: 0.819673 privacy.sanitize.migrateClearSavedPwdsOnExit: true privacy.sanitize.migrateFx3Prefs: true security.sandbox.content.tempDirSuffix: {437eb914-3d5b-4b40-b426-27c7932169a4} services.sync.declinedEngines: storage.vacuum.last.index: 0 storage.vacuum.last.places.sqlite: 1508608130 ui.osk.debug.keyboardDisplayReason: IKPOS: Touch screen not found.
Chosen solution
i can only relay what numerous other users of ccleaner have told us: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1179966
Read this answer in context 👍 2All Replies (6)
hello, ccleaner can cause this problem when you let it clear firefox session data.
Thanks for the reply, but CCleaner isn't the problem. How do I know?
1. I've always used CCleaner after my Firefox sessions, and have never had a problem opening my next session on my homepage before. And besides:
2. As a test, I didn't use CCleaner after using Firefox. The next time I opened Firefox, it opened on my previous session Tabs, instead of my homepage.
So CCleaner is not the culprit.
Chosen Solution
i can only relay what numerous other users of ccleaner have told us: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1179966
Hi !
Stab in the dark, but would you try and disable your exxtension 'New Tab Homepage 0.5.3 ' and see if that will make a difference ?
Firefox 56 changed the file names and formats for your session history. This seems to have created a new incompatibility with CCleaner. You can manually "hide" all of your session history files from Firefox and see whether that improves your startup experience going forward.
Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either
- "3-bar" menu button > "?" button > Troubleshooting Information
- (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
- type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter
In the first table on the page, click the "Open Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various files and folders in Windows Explorer.
Leaving that window open, switch back to Firefox and Exit, either:
- "3-bar" menu button > "power" button
- (menu bar) File > Exit
Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup, then:
(1) right-click > Rename the sessionstore-backups folder to something like OLDsessionstore-backups
(2) right-click > Rename the sessionstore.jsonlz4 file to something like OLDsessionstore.jsonlz4
(3) If you see a file named sessionstore.js or sessionstore.bak, delete that file
When you start Firefox, it should not find any session history to suggest that you might want to restore.
- PROBLEM NOW SOLVED *****
First, my apologies to "philipp": YOU WERE RIGHT!
Using the link you provided, I opened my CCleaner, went to the "Applications" tab, unchecked the "Sessions" box on "Firefox"...
...and that took care of the problem!
While I'm still not sure why an update to Firefox should affect the workings of CCleaner, I'm just happy I can return to normal operation, with FIrefox opening once again on my homepage.
My thanks to "philipp", especially for giving it a second try after I thought I had eliminated CCleaner as a possible culprit.
And thanks to all who took the time to reply. I'm quite appreciative of, and impressed with, the efficacy of Mozilla Support.
Todd