Update...Firefox crashed again at 12:57 am.

After I restarted/restored the sessionstore.js file time stamp is now updated to 12:57am, then 12:58, then 12:59 - it's saving again every 60 seconds, which is what the session store interval variable is set to.

This is the 2nd time, that after a crash it seems to, at least initially, start backing up the session correctly. I wonder how long it will go for this time?

I think I only lost 1 tab this time, since I was opening and deleting tabs on the fly for the last few hours.

Maybe Firefox is crashing because there is a problem with creating the sessionstore.js file.

Which security software (firewall, anti-virus) do you have?

Boot the computer in Windows Safe mode with network support (press F8 on the boot screen) as a test to see if that helps.

I have F-Secure Antivirus, comes with WOW cable/Internet. I also have windows defender, which look like it is active.

F-secure also has builtin firewall software.

I checked and windows vista firewall is turned off.

I will try running in safe mode for a while.

It seems like it updates to the sessionstore file go on for an hour or so, after a restart/restore - then stops.

Firefox creates a new sessionstore.js every 15 seconds, so that makes 4 in a minute and 240 in an hour. If your security software tries to keep track of the file(s) then it is possible that it fails at some point.

Cor-el,

Per suggestion of jscher2000, I had set the interval to 60 seconds with browser.sessionstore.interval in about:config.

I am at the moment running in windows safe mode. Have been for an hour or more.

I have noticed something interesting, maybe this is old news to you, or maybe it is a symptom of my problem, but the sessionstore.js file is not getting updated ever minute, in this particular session.

I have noticed that if I do not open new pages/tabs, the date stamp for sessionstore.js remains unchanged. I have stayed on the same page for 20 minutes, and no timestamp data was updated. But the moment I open a new page/tab, the file gets updated with a timestamp that is current to the latest minute.

Now this seems different, as I recall, from the session last night not running in windows safe mode. In that session i recall the time stamp was updated every minute - regardless to whether I opened a new page/tab. In that session the file eventually stopped getting an updated timestamp - after about 90 minutes - even when I opened new pages. (I will verify my recollection is accurate after I end this windows safe mode session later. Maybe I am confused.)

I will give this session I am in testing under safe mode another hour or so, and see if the timestamp eventually stops updating as I open new windows.

Does it make any sense to you why the timestamp update would function differently in firefox under windows safe mode verus just normally running under windows?

If there is no new data that has to be saved to the sessionstore.js file then there is no need to create a new file. Cookies and some form data may also be stored apart from the currently open tabs and windows and the tab history (back/forward) and closed tabs/windows (undo).

Well I left the pc in safe mode overnight. the sessionstore.js file's timestamp did not get updated overnight(no firefox activity), but when I refreshed some tabs this morning it started having the timestamp updated again. So that was about 12 hours and still kept updating the sessionstore.js file. (I know that when not under safe mode, after sitting overnight, that update quit happening even after I started using Firefox the next morning. It seems that updates only happen for a few hours when running in regular windows Vista mode).

Yes, I see some cookies.sqlite, places.sqlite, places.sqlit-wal, and prefs.js files also being updated (timestamps changing) somewhat in synch with sessionstore.js being updated.

If it's possible that my F-secure antivrus is the culprit, then would there be a particular way to test that? I know I can turn that off, but other than that?

Also, did that mean that f-secure was not running under windows safe mode? Is that something unique to running in safe mode?

I have indentified how I can exclude the file sessionstore.js from being scanned.

I just am not sure that is a safe thing to do?

Do you know?

Hi Matt, in normal operation, Firefox will be adding information about tabs such as the addresses of pages opened in the tab, and the cookies set by those pages. The file is written as a block of data and isn't directly executable. If some external process should happen to contaminate the file, there could be an issue, but since the file is read as data and not run as an executable script, I think the risk is low.

Thanks.

I just noticed that my sessionstore is not being updated again, the last update time was set today (Jan. 26) at 4:31 pm, about 20 minutes ago.

I have another piece of info I just found also. I decided to look for any clues in F-Secure, and found it had a scanning report. Now the date of the scan was Jan 21, at 14:09 (5 days ago) so it is probably not related?

I looked at it, and it listed 1 file listed: C:\Users\admin matt\Downloads\wmpfirefoxplugin.exe

But the date of the scan was Jan 21, at 14:09 (5 days ago).

Another Q. If F-Secure is 'locking' the file. Can I unlock it? What happens if I deleted it - will Firefox recreate it next time I open a page?

Hi Matt, if you delete sessionstore.js while Firefox is running, it might crash. Deleting it between sessions is not a problem.

There might be some kind of internal logging you can turn on in Firefox that might help identify problems that cause Firefox to stop updating sessionstore.js. I'm not familiar with the details, but hopefully another volunteer will have a suggestion.

I don't use F-Secure, so I don't have any comments on whether you're seeing normal logging there.

Well, I had sessionsstore.js excluded from the f-secure virus scan, and it still stopped upadting after about 2 hours (of light use I would add).

So, feels like back to square one almost.

I will keep looking around, and reply if I ever find an answer.

One good thing anyways, I can now keep an eye on that timestamp as I am using Firefox. If I have been active trying to clean up/delete tabs, I will be able to stop if I see the sessionstore file has stopped being updated. And then I can do an End Task from task manage to kill that Firefox session, and then restart and have the tabs be permanently deleted, and from what I see that also get the updates happening again to sessionstore file. So in this manner I can a little better manage my tabs (either opening or deleting them).

You can check which processes have a file handle on a file with the process explorer utility.

• http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896653.aspx

Use Find > Find Handle to see if that file is accessed (locked) by another program.

I downloaded process explorer and am running it.

I am not sure how to use it, but I did open the lower window as the documentation suggested, and I then clicked on the Firefox.exe process in the upper window pane. That shows me many thing related to Firefox.exe in the lower window such as files, threads, keys, etc. But when I look at the files (after sorting the bottom window pane on that 2nd column called names, I see several files from my Firefox profile directory that are associated with Firefox.exe (and I assume those are the files that are currently 'open'/'in use'?) Anyways, I do not see sessionstore.js among that list of 'files'?

Now I have verified that sessionstore.js is actually 'working', that is being updated currently by Firefox when I open new tabs,etc. But still don't see sessionstore.js i that list of files in the lower window of Process Explorer. Am I interpretting what I see incorrectly? Or should I be looking at something else to determine what processes are using sessionstore.js?

Well, I installed Firefox v29 a few days ago.

I no longer see the file sessionstore.js being updated!

I still crash frequently (probably too many tabs open?) - but before v29 I could at least watch the 'timestamp' of sessionstore.js as it was updating - and timestamp changed (file updated) at least for a short while.

At first, there was no sessionstore.js in my profile rigth after I installed v29.

My profile was in this directory: C:\Users\admin matt\AppData\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\yqyrsiy9.default-1349914983418

I thought maybe I should copy the sessionstore.bak and make a sessionstore.js out of it - and I did - but that copy did not get updated either.

I am getting tabs restored after a crash, but they are always the exact same 'snapshot' of tabs I had opened at an earlier date - probably from the last backup before I installed v29 of Firefox.

Help?

Hi Corel,

I read your response: "If there is no new data that has to be saved to the sessionstore.js file then there is no need to create a new file. Cookies and some form data may also be stored apart from the currently open tabs and windows and the tab history (back/forward) and closed tabs/windows (undo). "

I have opened and closed new tabs, which have always before updated the sessionstore.js file (at least up until the point that I ran into the problem, which I believe came from too may tabs open). But even in that situation - the timestamp was at least updated to the time that Firefox was restored at - after a crash and restarting/restoring Firefox.

It's just never getting updated anymore.

I just noticed that the 'date accessed' is sometimes being updated for both sessionstore.js and sessionstore.bak. But neither the 'date modified' nor the "date last saved' are being updated for either file.

When you add the sessionrestore file as the copy did you visit "about:sessionrestore"?

And I am pretty sure no preferences should change after an update, but are the preferences still the same, and does an antivirus require updating an application filter if it has been updated?

I think I know what you are asking me...I saw the screen that presented after I typed about:sessionrestore in the url line.

Yes, I do see that 'restore page' after I crash, and restart firefox. It does have all the tabs present (over 100), and these tabs are the tabs that were from a saved session from a few days ago (just prior to updating to version 29).

If I uncheck a few of the tabs, they won't be restored firefox will open without restoring those unchecked tabs - but after a crash the 'restore page' lists the same pages/tabs to be restored again.

I have had problems with sessionstore.js not updating under v 28, but it seems that then it usually stopped updating after too many tabs were open, or maybe after the file reached a certain size? Maybe the crash was due to something besides these two things, I am not sure. My sessionstore.js, and sessionstore.bak, file sizes had grown to 26,422 KB.