sessionstore.js is not created
After I've installed Firefox 29.01, my tabs and windows from the previous season is not restored. In addition "ctrl+shift+T" hotkey is not bringing back the closed tabs.
Under Options/General "Show my tabs and windows from last time" is selected. Options/Privacy/History is set to "Remember History" Under about:config, "browser.sessionstore.restore_on_demand" is set to "true"
I tried to uninstall and reinstall Firefox 29.01 and 30 beta 6. Same results. I installed no extensions during these trials.
When I check my profile folder, I see that sessionstore.js or sessionstore.bak are not created, neither while Firefox is running nor after I exit. I have tried with a new profile as well. Same problem with both profiles.
All Replies (17)
Are other files in the Firefox profile folder updated and get a recent time stamp?
Do you have any numbered files in the profile folder?
You can try a clean reinstall and delete the Firefox program before (re)installing a fresh copy of the current Firefox release.
- Download the full Firefox installer and save the file to the desktop
http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all.html
If possible uninstall your current Firefox version to cleanup the Windows registry and settings in security software.
- Do NOT remove "personal data" when you uninstall your current Firefox version, because this will remove all profile folders and you lose personal data like bookmarks and passwords including data in profiles created by other Firefox versions.
Remove the Firefox program before installing that newly downloaded copy of the Firefox installer.
- (32 bit Windows) "C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\"
- (64 bit Windows) "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\"
- It is important to delete the Firefox program to remove all the files and make sure that there are no problems with files that were leftover after uninstalling.
- http://kb.mozillazine.org/Uninstalling_Firefox
Your bookmarks and other personal data are stored in the Firefox profile folder and won't be affected by an uninstall and (re)install, but make sure that "remove personal data" is NOT selected when you uninstall Firefox.
Just a drive by comment, as I am not even using Windows at the moment.
I was under the impression the lock file only exists whilst the profile is used, but the process is platform dependant and called "parent.lock" in Windows.
However maybe the use of the files has changed because I found this
- Bug 726759 - Profile manager assumes Windows profile is locked if parent.lock exists #c2
I changed the behaviour of profile locks in bug 294260 to be able to detect startup crashes. The timestamp of the existing parent.lock file during startup is compared to a preference value to see if the last startup was successful.
On my (OS=ubuntu) Mozilla Firefox profiles they seem to contain a broken link named lock regardless of them being open or closed.
@cor-el
Most files seem to have been updated recently and around the same time.
There are no numbered files or duplicates in the folder, per the screen shot I submitted earlier in this thread. Though some may be missing per guigs2 comments.
I have reinstalled 5 times, cleaned up the registry, removed left over directories in program files and even wiped the entire machine starting straight from the windows disk. I did windows updates, and then installed firefox. Same behavior.
I remove parent.lock file, but it is recreated when I start FF. I attached my profile folder and about:cache screenshots.
By the way, I submitted a bug (Bug 1014214 - sessionstore.js is not created) at bugzilla, and one of the answers claims to solve the problem. I could not reproduce the same result but I quote the provided solution below. Maybe someone with more experience can explain it more clearly:
"The important thing is: since 29.0.1, the user account starting Firefox, must be initialized first (user must log on and log off at least once), but it is very inconvenient when you want super-dummy user with no permission to run unsecure applications like web browsers! Steps to reproduce (W8.1 x64 Enterprise - probably old W8 and x86 versions would have the same problem): 1) Install Firefox 29.0.1 or 30 2) Create new user - Open 'cmd' as administrator and run: net user x x /add ... it will create user 'x' with password 'x' or you can use GUI for that 3) Run firefox as user 'x' - Open 'cmd' as administrator and run: runas /noprofile /user:x "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" (or rightclick on firefox with shift and select 'Run ad different user') 4) Set the thing on general tab for open tabs from previous session ..... 5) Close Firefox and run again as user 'x' => the tabs are NOT reopened (but it remembers everything else, i.e. visited pages in URL bar) 6) Log in and log out as user 'x' to windows (just log in and log out, for example go to start screen and click on top right username and log as 'x' user) 7) Assuming you are back in your account, now try to run Firefox as user 'x' and open some tabs, close firefox and run again as user 'x' => voila ... the tabs ARE reopened and everything seems to working from now on .....
I assume the problem is in update of session restore introduced in 29.0.1 according to firefox 'what's new' log. Firefox probably try to find some environment key in registry which doesn't exists until the user is physically and fully logged to windows."
It shouldn't be necessary to run Firefox as Administrator be be able to use Firefox. If you need to do that then something else is wrong.
It is possible that your security software (firewall, anti-virus) blocks or restricts Firefox or the plugin-container process without informing you, possibly after detecting changes (update) to the Firefox program.
Remove all rules for Firefox and the plugin-container from the permissions list in the firewall and let your firewall ask again for permission to get full, unrestricted, access to internet for Firefox and the plugin-container process and the updater process.
See:
@tavanbos Thats interesting, I won't be in the office to test the machine in question until Monday but I will give that a go. Its a Windows 8.1 Enterprise x64 install (8.1 from disk). I doubt I logged out and in again before starting installing firefox, worth a look. Windows 8 user profiles seem to cause problems across the board.
@cor-el I appreciate the input but run as administrator and the windows firewall are unrelated. Running as an administrator would not change the firewall rules and the firewall does not dictate local file access for a local process. http and https goes through fine, theres no other third party security software on the machine installed yet. All the other files update, change, recreate as I said before. Nothing here indicates this is a firewall issue or the process is being inherently blocked by security.
I'll update on monday when I can play around with the profiles a bit.
@tavanbos I can confirm that procedure works. Starting firefox in another account following that procedure has firefox remember tabs. This doesn't fix the issue, if you have this problem, the account currently logged in can never get sessionstore to create. It does indicate that this problem is a bug and an issue with windows 8 profiles with firefox.
I am currently in a windows 8.1 enterprise x64 environment and I've tried this with both local and domain accounts.
After deploying Firefox 31.0 (we where still on 20.x) to our users I received some support questions from users that there (pinned) tabs where not restored after they restarted the browsers for some reason.
I tried all kinds of things, but in the end I think I found a solution.
The problem (I created a new user profile,) I pinned a few tabs, opened a few more tabs and set: Options - General - Startup - When Firefox Starts: "Show my windows and tabs from last time", closed the browser, started the browser and all tabs where gone. When I look in the profile folder I can't find a sessionstore.js or sessionstore.bak.
Solution It seems you can trigger the creation of the sessionstore.js by entering a value in the field: Options - General - Startup - Home Page. In combination with the setting: Options - General - Startup - When Firefox Starts: "Show my windows and tabs from last time". After a restart of Firefox the sessionstore.js is created.
Update 9-9-2014: Added combination with setting to "Solution"
Okulungisiwe ngu Wim van Iersel
Hi Wim van Iersel, This is a rather older thread, and I sure appreciate the information. I would just like to add that in version 33 beta there are some improvements to corrupt sessionstore.js as well. Please check it out and note if you seen any improvements for pinned tabs.
I will take a look at Firefox 33, when the final version is released. My problem wasn't about a corrupt sessionstore.js, but the fact that FF simply doesn't create one at the moment you would except. I just hope it helps some people experiencing the same problems.
Do you know the bugzilla numbers?
A more likely cause would be the usage of "Clear history when Firefox closes" to clear the history, so check that as well.
"Show my windows and tabs from last time" shouldn't make this happen as that is meant to do the opposite and keep all tabs from the previous session.
@cor-el: I double checked this, but the default setting is: Options - Privacy - History (group) - Firefox will: "Remember history"
This about having a tick on "Clear history when Firefox closes" under the history settings. If that setting is enabled and also the History item is ticked if you click the Settings button then this an happen.
@Wim van Iersel Thank you that was helpful. Despite this being an old thread it was never resolved. I've been testing everything since 31, including beta, nightly and aurora builds. None of them have fixed the issue to date of this post. Yes my settings have been correct...
Additional info on the issue was posted under https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1014214 also without a full resolution.
@quoloth Thanks for the bug number I've posted my findings there as well.
@cro-el The setting you are talking about does indeed also clear the (pinned) tabs. But that is by design.
It would be nice for the users if these conflicting settings (keep my tabs and don't store/clear history) where pointed out in some way to the users. By disabling or graying out the options. But that is something for different thread.