That is a Avast support to fix that since FF didn't cause the problem. Sessions once deleted is gone no recovery for them.

WestEnd said

That is a Avast support to fix that since FF didn't cause the problem. Sessions once deleted is gone no recovery for them.

I thought FF has Session Backups? Like the following (which one do I try to recover? I do notice a Sep 12th Restore Point version with some of these):

jscher2000 said

• Sorry to hear about this problem. Why did Firefox restart -- update? crash?

• If these are not available --

• "3-bar" menu button > Restore Previous Session
• (menu bar) History > Restore Previous Session

-- Firefox might already have restored whatever session file it found. Try these:

• "Library" toolbar button > History > Recently Closed Windows (and within each restored window, Recently Closed Tabs)
• (menu bar) History > Recently Closed Windows (and within each restored window, Recently Closed Tabs)

---

• If that doesn't help...

• Firefox creates numerous session history files, but because session history is only for the immediately previous session, it is unfortunately too easy to lose it. Could you start by making a backup of your existing session history files? Here's how:

• Do not exit Firefox, or if you closed it, don't re-open it.

• (1) To open your profile folder...

• If Firefox is still running:

• You can open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either

• "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > 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" (or "Show in Finder") button.

• If Firefox is closed:

• Type or paste the following into the Windows Run dialog or the system search box and press Enter to launch Windows Explorer:

• %APPDATA%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles

• In that folder, do you see a semi-randomly-named folder? If so, click into it. If you find multiple such folders, find the one that was most recently updated.

• (2) Copy out session history files

• In your profile folder, double-click into the sessionstore-backups folder. Save all files here to a safe location such as your Documents folder.

• (3) What files did you find?

• The kinds of files you may find among your sessionstore files are:

• recovery.jsonlz4: the windows and tabs in your currently live Firefox session (or, if Firefox crashed at the last shutdown and is still closed, your last session)
• recovery.baklz4: a backup copy of recovery.jsonlz4
• previous.jsonlz4: the windows and tabs in your last Firefox session
• upgrade.jsonlz4-build_id: the windows and tabs in the Firefox session that was live at the time of your last update
• various .js files from Firefox 55 or earlier

• Could you take a look at what you have and the date/time of the various files to see whether you think any of them would have the missing tabs?

• To preview the contents of a file, you can drag and drop it onto this page, then click Scrounge URLs: https://www.jeffersonscher.com/res/scrounger.html

• That tool is on my site, so please let me know if it doesn't work for you.

Hi jscher2000,

I found your other post and replied here.

I noticed one of the Session Files* I put in the Scrounger shows my 15 Windows and Tabs! (My main browser window has 762 Tabs, as per Scrounger HTML file I just looked at moments ago.)

So, this 'Link' file will help a lot if I can't get FF to 'revive' my last 'big' Session vs the current one I'm on which has only 1 recovered window, thanks to Avast 'effing' it up.

How do I set this and/or the other files once I close and reopen FF to have this other session comes back prior to the one I'm on now that this Avast disaster left me with?

I also notice in my Windows Explorer, There are Sep 12th 'Restore Point' files also, but it looks like if I can get these current Session-Store Files to come back to life, I wouldn't need to try the Sep 12th Session-Store files, yes/no?

• *recovery.jsonlz4; Size: 1220835; last modified 9/20/2018, 8:55:35 AM

~Pj

If a jsonlz4 backup can't be imported restored because it has the same structural problem as the database, a user can try to fix it using the Check/Repair JSON button on this page: https://www.jeffersonscher.com/res/scrounger_json.html

Have you tried the 1st part ?

Pkshadow said

If a jsonlz4 backup can't be imported restored because it has the same structural problem as the database, a user can try to fix it using the Check/Repair JSON button on this page: https://www.jeffersonscher.com/res/scrounger_json.html Have you tried the 1st part ?

I have copied all Session stuff over to another folder. I don't know if these files are hosed or not.

Do I close FF and copy the files back to where FF may load these and restore my other session prior to where I am now?

~Pj

You can recover a session from a sessionstore file from the sessionstore-backups folder by copying this file to the main level of the profile folder to replace an existing sessionstore.jsonlz4 file. Make sure that Firefox is closed when you replace files.

Firefox 62.0.2 has a fix to deal with the issue caused by Avast/AVG removing a legit language pack Extensions from Firefox that a user installed in Firefox.

62.0.1 is being skipped because the current Android Firefox version is 62.0.1

for reading "Bug 1492459 - Avast/AVG deleting language packs rendering the browser unusable"

The language Packs are used for changing the language of the User Interface or UI. This way you can have one install but be able to change the UI = to one or more other languages

Some people may have installed language pack(s) in an attempt to add languages for the Spell checker when they needed Dictionaries for that.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/use-firefox-interface-other-languages-language-pack https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-use-firefox-spell-checker#w_adding-dictionaries

Hi Pj, I think cor-el gave you the quick answer, but if you were looking for something more step-by-step:

To try swapping in an older session history file so Firefox will load it, the standard "manual swap" method is as follows (assuming Firefox is still running):

(1) From inside Firefox, open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either

• "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > 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 Windows Explorer window listing the various files and folders in your profile.

(2) Leaving that window open, switch back to Firefox and Exit, either:

• "3-bar" menu button > "power" button Exit
• (menu bar) File > Exit

Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup -- a file named sessionstore.jsonlz4 should appear in the folder.

(3) Once Firefox has stopped updating things, while viewing the main level of the profile folder, right-click > Rename sessionstore.jsonlz4 to sessionstoreOLD.jsonlz4

If you see an older sessionstore.js or sessionstore.bak file, move it somewhere else or delete it.

(4) Copy in the other file you want to restore, and rename it with the name appropriate for its format:

• Compressed file such as recovery.jsonlz4 => sessionstore.jsonlz4
• Uncompressed file such as recovery.js => sessionstore.js

(5) Start Firefox and it should read the swapped in sessionstore file and restore whatever was in the substitute file; if you do not have Firefox set to restore your previous windows and tabs automatically, use History > Restore Previous Session

Any luck?

jscher2000 said

Hi Pj, I think cor-el gave you the quick answer, but if you were looking for something more step-by-step: To try swapping in an older session history file so Firefox will load it, the standard "manual swap" method is as follows (assuming Firefox is still running): (1) From inside Firefox, open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either

• "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > 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 Windows Explorer window listing the various files and folders in your profile. (2) Leaving that window open, switch back to Firefox and Exit, either:

• "3-bar" menu button > "power" button Exit
• (menu bar) File > Exit

Pause while Firefox finishes its cleanup -- a file named sessionstore.jsonlz4 should appear in the folder. (3) Once Firefox has stopped updating things, while viewing the main level of the profile folder, right-click > Rename sessionstore.jsonlz4 to sessionstoreOLD.jsonlz4 If you see an older sessionstore.js or sessionstore.bak file, move it somewhere else or delete it. (4) Copy in the other file you want to restore, and rename it with the name appropriate for its format:

• Compressed file such as recovery.jsonlz4 => sessionstore.jsonlz4
• Uncompressed file such as recovery.js => sessionstore.js

(5) Start Firefox and it should read the swapped in sessionstore file and restore whatever was in the substitute file; if you do not have Firefox set to restore your previous windows and tabs automatically, use History > Restore Previous Session Any luck?

The attached is what I have in the FF SessionStore Folder and what I had copied earlier to anther Folder.

If I close FF, and start it up, will the older session recover or will it be lost?

If lost, this where I try to follow your info to get back the earlier session?

I'll eventually get this figured-out. I hope.

~Pj

James said

Firefox 62.0.2 has a fix to deal with the issue caused by Avast/AVG removing a legit language pack Extensions from Firefox that a user installed in Firefox. 62.0.1 is being skipped because the current Android Firefox version is 62.0.1 for reading "Bug 1492459 - Avast/AVG deleting language packs rendering the browser unusable" The language Packs are used for changing the language of the User Interface or UI. This way you can have one install but be able to change the UI = to one or more other languages Some people may have installed language pack(s) in an attempt to add languages for the Spell checker when they needed Dictionaries for that. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/use-firefox-interface-other-languages-language-pack https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/how-do-i-use-firefox-spell-checker#w_adding-dictionaries

All I did was respond to an Avast Pop-up that didn't like the NetFlix AddOn I had. I let Avast do it's thing to get rid of the Addon and Avast messed-up the FF session.

~Pj

jscher2000 said

...while viewing the main level of the profile folder...

I don't see a 'Session-Store' file there.

~Pj

Pj said

jscher2000 said

...while viewing the main level of the profile folder...

I don't see a 'Session-Store' file there.

~Pj

Firefox should create sessionstore.jsonlz4 after you exit out of Firefox. It does not exist during your session. If Firefox does NOT create sessionstore.jsonlz4 while it is shutting down, your Firefox might be set to clear history when it closes.

Thanks everyone.

I tried my idea first by closing and reopening FF. It worked. All my 'regular' Session Windows and Tabs came back along with some excess windows with just one Tab with a link that originally came from one of my 'regular' windows with numerous Tabs. I exited/closed the misc windows and was left what appears to where I left off with my 8 windows before Avast messed-up my session.

Is there way FF can make it easier to automate a recovery from a Menu selection?

Anyway, if this and the manual recovery method didn't work, I was gonna right-click the Session file and bring up the 'Restore Point' of Sep 12th. That would've worked, yes?

~Pj

Pj said

Anyway, if this and the manual recovery method didn't work, I was gonna right-click the Session file and bring up the 'Restore Point' of Sep 12th. That would've worked, yes?

You can use the right-click > Properties > Previous Versions tab to find earlier versions of a file that Windows stashed in a restore point. However, their recency will vary considerably and some are more likely to exist and be usable than others, so it's not possible to say that would have worked.