Unless it has been extended recently, there is a 60-second limit on shutdown cleanup. If the sessionstore.jsonlz4 file doesn't appear next to sessionCheckpoints.json within 60 seconds, it's not coming. If it is hiding somewhere out of order, you'll discover it when you paste in your older file and try to Rename it to sessionstore.jsonlz4 (Windows won't allow duplicate file names).

thank you. will proceed. it will turn out to be something very simple. elise

... or perhaps something uniquely mine, to bother you with. i did a c: search, and my seagate also. i can't begin to understand these file types so i copied as much visible info to share with you. elise

Hi Elise, your screenshot shows a profile in your "Old Firefox Data" folder, which was created during a Firefox "Refresh" as a backup for future reference. Firefox is no longer actively using that folder. To locate your currently live profile folder, use the steps in this article: Profiles - Where Firefox stores your bookmarks, passwords and other user data. Or the steps in this reply: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1399414#answer-1554255

okay. just wanted you to see what i turned up. will proceed as per your reply. thanks! elise

lots of deposition-interview transcripts to read ... but here's where i am and where i am pausing for now. fog begins to lift ! elise

9:01 AM 12/30/2022 https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profiles-where-firefox-stores-user-data

Note: If you are unable to open or use Firefox, follow the instructions in Finding your profile without opening Firefox. Finding your profile without opening Firefox

Firefox stores your profile folder in this location on your computer by default: C:\Users\<your Windows login username>\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\

PROFILES has 3ijff9g2.default-1515874302088

FOLDER sessionstore-backups has current date but no contents - Firefox is running - Firefox has * CLOSED * [used computer to clock 60 sec] - contents are recovery.jsonlz4 - now 915KB recovery.baklz4 - now 915KB previous.jsonlz4 - yesterday mid-afternoon 927KB upgrade.jsonlz4-20221215175817 - 12/17/2022 9.06PM 2103KB

 SEPARATE FILE 12.30.2022 Created 9.10 AM 912KB
 * sessionstore.jsonlz4 *

You will normally find these files in the sessionstore-backups folder:

• previous.jsonlz4 (cleanBackup: copy of sessionstore.jsonlz4 from previous session that was loaded successfully)
• recovery.jsonlz4 (latest version of sessionstore.jsonlz4 written during runtime)
• recovery.baklz4 (previous version of sessionstore.jsonlz4 written during runtime)
• upgrade.jsonlz4-<build_id> (backup created during an upgrade of Firefox)

You can copy a file from the sessionstore-backups folder to the main profile and rename the file to sessionstore.jsonlz4 to replace the current file with Firefox closed.

• make sure to backup the current sessionstore.jsonlz4

You can look at this tool to inspect a compressed jsonlz4 sessionstore file.

• https://www.jeffersonscher.com/res/scrounger.html

Unless it has been extended recently, there is a 60-second limit on shutdown cleanup. If the sessionstore.jsonlz4 file doesn't appear next to sessionCheckpoints.json within 60 seconds, it's not coming. If it is hiding somewhere out of order, you'll discover it when you paste in your older file and try to Rename it to sessionstore.jsonlz4 (Windows won't allow duplicate file names).

I'm trying to positively identify my "older file" ... is it possible it's one of the files shown in the image below ? i feel like i'm almost ready to copy, paste to active Profile, rename, click my heels three times while chanting "jscher has limitless patience" ...

still not rushing. i miss my older windows and tabs too much to be hasty.

BUT NOW i also need to save my current windows and tabs ... because i've added things. much gratitude!

Do you want to preview the contents of that file using my tool at

https://www.jeffersonscher.com/ffu/scrounger.html

It doesn't send me your tabs, it processes the file within the page.

As for saving what you have now, you can bookmark all the tabs in each window using Ctrl+Shift+D to create a folder for each window's tabs.

howdy. just regained my balance due to avalanche of materials from J6Committee ... i will, again, proceed, under the shelter of your advice ... but slowly. (look how close we are!) thank you very much. later tonight or some time tomorrow.

here i am. i borked support page. elise

here i am. i borked support page. elise

I'm not sure what you mean. The screenshot mentions it's a previous.jsonlz4 file from December 16th, which is several days after the events that started this thread. Does it have what you're looking for? If not, try previewing the file you mentioned earlier, upgrade.jsonlz4-2022120822842. Does that one have your missing tabs? The main goal here is to identify the right file to try to roll back to, or you can use the "Save List" button on the Scrounger page to create a locally saved web page listing the tabs for re-opening at your leisure (by clicking the links).

i was trying to upload the image but i hadn't signed back in, so i lost that attempted reply ergo- borked. i chose 'previous' as a trial run, 'getting-to-know-you' file.

so IF 'upgrade' seems to be 'the one' it gets renamed and moved or moved and renamed to profile, after i completely close my current FF session and identify that session file. to keep all the current windows/tabs, i'll save per your instructions above. (this is getting good.) i am still in 'extremely careful and slow' mode ... thank you ! elise

You can confirm whether it the file you want to use by viewing it in the Scrounger.

I would not move. I would copy/paste. Wouldn't want to end up with no original should Firefox barf on the file.

i would reach for the Macallan's if i had any ... update:

=============

file i'm going to preview from "earlier": upgrade.jsonlz4-20221208122842 - (SAVED LIST) . Session History Extracted from upgrade.jsonlz4-20221208122842 as of 12/14/2022, 9:21:42 AM

=============

i'm voting jeffries. the saved list looks good. i'll try some more tomorrow. elise thanks you playing as a loop

hello. i may not have described the condition that preceded a disruption fouling firefox restore windows and tabs. i had chosen an addon approved by mozilla called tab session manager. a few years ago i had used a similar addon but removed it. perhaps it didn't follow upgrades; i don't recall.

i closed the program and reopened after a pause. i apparently made incorrect settings which caused windows to restore but continue to rapidly add tabs. i removed the addon.

as of yesterday, i have saved current tabs for 16 windows - in 'other bookmarks'. i have scrounger lists saved in my user downloads folder. i feel pretty comfortable using scrounger and its settings.

at this point, and because of the addon, i think i have overused your good volunteer time. the addon caused a problem outside the scope of my original ask for help. here's two links about it: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tab-session-manager/?utm_source=addons.mozilla.org&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=search

https://www.ghacks.net/2019/08/16/tab-session-manager-is-an-add-on-that-saves-your-windows-and-tabs/

i think i should now look at what i do have and see what tabs and windows i can locate. i'm planning to use 'show all history' to see what's there ... hope this makes sense. you've done a great job and i've learned so much. elise

Hi Elise, I don't know what could cause Tab Session Manager to generate pointless new tabs. There is a situation where that can happen, described in the following article, but it's pretty unusual: Firefox repeatedly opens empty tabs or windows after you click on a link.

thanks. i just don't remember exactly; pretty sure i shut down FF completely, then restarted, which is when the chaos happened. not important right now. uploading a pic of results i'm tabling. does show where/when i'd been working, honing in pretty well. i designated emma loop as one of the tabs in the window containing US appeals courts info and more, so i remember thinking: okay i'll just start moving tabs one at a time ... and before that, i was looking for dockets about Sammy Scam. it's all in the close neighborhood so now i can pack up and let my dreams work on the solution, or not. (don't tell, but it's starting to get fun!) have a great weekend. elise

been dilly-dallying about a month, so today i guess i'll review all my harvested instructions and dive in. i have bkmarks backed up, best-likely folder copy-pasted to desktop, know where things likely are ... so why not. this means, of course, i'll be out of FF for some time, longer if worst-case. we'll see! thanks again and again, elise

... and the checkered flag is flying. i have 15 windows with tabs and am closing as 'solved' - it's good enough. familiar with using 'other bookmarks' and [user] downloads to make archive files. have re-read all out previous posts and saved as txt doc to find fast. can't ask for anything more, as i can wiggle out of the mud and go forward. hope you get a rating increase for volunteering on this case! cheers. elise