Firefox will not open with my previous session
[I am posting this question using IE.]
Last night when I quit Firefox I closed the browser without noticing an ad in a new browser window had opened. Thus, my last browser open was the ad page.
So when I open the browser now, it tells me "Firefox is having trouble recovering your windows and tabs. This is usually caused by a recently opened web page." The only option is to restore "Advertisement".
I have done a complete search on my computer. The only other sessionstore files (sessionstore-nn.js) are located in a differently named profile folder dating back to May, 2012.
In my current profile folder I have sessionstore.js and sessionstore.bak.
The sessionstore.js file represents Firefox opening with NO old tabs; it is 1 KB in size.
The sessionstore.bak file represents my "last" browsing session; it is 11,952 KB.
I close Firefox (Mozilla home page) by clicking on File, Exit.
In the Profile folder I rename sessionstore.js (1 KB) to sessionstore.js.bak. In other attempts I have rename it sessionstore.tmp, sessionstore.old, etc.
I then rename sessionstore.bak (11,952 KB) to sessionstore.js.
When I restart Firefox (V 24.0) I get the same error message, "Firefox is having trouble recovering your windows and tabs. This is usually caused by a recently opened web page." The only option is to restore "Advertisement".
Restore Previous Session is grayed out; there is no button on the home page to restore a previous session.
So, is the sessionstore.bak (11,952 KB) *really* just the advertising page? If so, where is the sessionstore file that contains my actual previous browsing session? (More tabs that you can imagine.)
What should I try next to get Firefox to open with my "lost" browsing session?
All Replies (18)
To try and stop this Ad webpage from opening itself in future here's something you can try.
Tools - Options - Security Then click on 'Exceptions' next to 'Warn me when sites try to install ad-ons'.
I found two 'exceptions' that Mozilla had put in itself, that seemed to relate to ads. I removed them and since then - no ad webpages opening up by themselves.
Hope this helps
To recover your 'lost' tabs, simply go to History - recently closed tabs ;)
This was not a Mozilla ad that popped up.
As with "Restore previous session", "Recently closed tabs" and "Recently closed windows" are all greyed out.
Mine weren't promoting Mozilla ads either, when I had this problem, but clearly they were promoted through Mozilla - just like you find with Google or Yahoo. Once I removed the exceptions I mentioned above, the ad webpages stopped opening.
Seems like your settings are removing all history when you close your browser window.
Check Tools - Options - Privacy - First check the settings for history on that page as well as 'Clear History when Firefox closes - Exceptions
Modified by Teddy Bear
If they are regular webpages that you open each day, you can make these your homepage, and set Firefox to open these instead of restore last tabs.
Tools - Options - General
Modified by Teddy Bear
When I click on Tools - Options - Privacy, Firefox will Remember History.
I do not see an option to 'Clear History when Firefox closes - Exceptions'.
There i* a line below History which states: 'You may want to *clear your recent history* or *remove individual cookies*'. The text enclosed within the asterisks indicates a link.
I have not clicked on 'clear your recent history'. Please see the attached image.
I couldn't see any image you included.
Sorry for any confusion, because I'm using Firefox to write to you, I couldn;t look at the actual Options window while I was writing.
I've included an image for you to see what I mean - provided the 'Clear History When Firefox Closes' tab is ticked, you will see settings on the side which you can adjust to your preferences.
If it's not ticked then it won't be relevant.
Hope this helps.
I have reattached my image. There are significant differences in the two Privacy tabs.
My guess there has been some changes between V24 and previous versions.
Come to think of it, that may be why I am having such a difficult time restore my previous browser session.
Perhaps someone from Mozilla will eventually read this thread ...
Yes I see. I'm glad I haven't updated mine yet - still on v23.
Perhaps a system restore is called for?
Somehow a setting got changed and Mozilla upgraded automatically. I normally wait a release before upgrading.
Regarding a system restore, I will hold off on that until I get a response from Mozilla.
Did you restore the session with the ad? Once you restore that window, the Recently Closed Windows should become available.
If that doesn't work, there are some other threads here on how to "mine" your sessionstore.bak file to extract the URLs.
- Using Firefox's Browser Console (formerly known as Error Console): https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/969046#answer-471950
- Using Firefox developer tool "Scratchpad": http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=622036&start=60&p=12098147#p12098147
- Using a third party website: https://firefox-session-restore.herokuapp.com/
jscher2000:
I restored the session with the ad. It opens as a smaller window, without any menus displayed, thus preventing me from accessing Recently Open Windows. See attached image.
I will try your other suggestions and report back. Brad
jscher2000:
OK, here is the result from your second suggestion:
Using Firefox developer tool "Scratchpad": http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=622036&start=60&p=12098147#p12098147
Instructions:
1. open about:config 2. set devtools.chrome.enabled to true 3. tools > web developer > scratchpad 4. environment > browser 5. edit > paste (i.e. copy and paste code below) 6. execute > run
I selected the sessionstore.bak file. It extracted one link, that of the ad window:
Session Store Link Extractor
^ window 1 tab 1 entries 1
I then tried the third suggestion:
Using a third party website: https://firefox-session-restore.herokuapp.com/
I used notepad to open the sessionstore.bak file. It *looks* like many (if not all) of my tabs are displayed. Apparently I can only attach an image, otherwise I would attach the sessionstore.bak file..
I copy and paste the contents into the app window. The CPU immediately pegs out. Mozilla operates intermittently (Not Responding). When I click in Submit, eventually the app comes back with an error message, "An error occurred. Please reload the page and try again."
Needless to say, no matter how many times I try the error reoccurs.
Now I'll go try your first recommended solution and report back.
jscher2000:
Here is the result from your first suggestion:
Using Firefox's Browser Console (formerly known as Error Console): https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/969046#answer-471950
As with suggestion #2, it returns just the one tab, for the advertisement in the 2nd window.
session contents Window 1 Tab 1
So, I don't know what to think at this point. I am going to paste the contents of my sessionstore.bak file in the next message, in the hopes that is will illuminate more information is in the file that the tab info for the advertisement.
To open a normal window with full menu when you're viewing the ad, press Ctrl+n.
If the "closed" windows and tabs aren't discovered in the huge file, the script probably needs updating. I can't work on that right now, but I should be able to look at it tonight.
See also this post in the mozillaZine forum thread.