Ok guys,

I think I have solved the problem (largely thanks to Cor-el - thanks once again). Here is what I did to finally fix the problem, just in case it helps others out there.

I created a new profile, tested it with multiple restarts and then once content it was stable, transferred my bookmarks via export HTML file. So far, so good.

I am now adding my add ons individually, just in case there is a conflict with one of them and doing re-tests of the apps each time.

I believe my problems were caused by some sort of file corruption.

Not really controversial IMHO. App Tabs are like bookmarks, just loaded ones. If I want to remove my history for privacy reasons, that doesn't mean I want to remove all my bookmarks, too. Common sense tells us, that these are two very different things and I can not understand at all, why the developers connected them. This is a real bummer and the reason, why I'm still using FF3 instead of FF4. Just my 2 cents

App tabs and Tab Groups (Panorama) are stored as part of the session data in the file sessionstore.js in the Firefox Profile Folder

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Session_Restore

One of the problems I've noticed is when a new window opens that is closed after the main window. It seems that the main window, with the app tabs, is lost and the session data from the secondary window, without the apptabs, is kept. This makes pop-up windows even more annoying than EVER. But, it also seems like something that could be accounted for and indicates that apptab data is being stored in the wrong place.

Under Ubuntu Linux, I was able to solve this problem (more or less) by simply changing the permissions on sessionstore.js. After setting your tabs as you like them, make the file read-only. Since doing so, I can clear my history to my heart's content and my tabs come back every time. The only thing I have noticed is that, if I navigate to another page within my pinned tabs, they will stay that way upon restarting Firefox, but based on how I use them, I'm okay with that.

Aren't you getting multiple files sessionstore-##.js after making the file read-only

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/sessionstore.js

Nope, still just one.

I can reproduce this behavior with every Firefox 4 installation, in MacOS and WinXP.

It disrupts my work when pinned apps go away. It surprised me to read that pinned tabs are backed by the session store, but not a solid, global store.

Users do not expect to apply walkaround to make this top level UI feature work.

I am adding my frustration with the other users. I have been using FF for some time without a single complaint. This is the first one I have had and it is a major inconvenience. Please fix:

1. Loss of Pinned Tabs 2. No tabs when a new browser (2nd window) is opened

I would hate to back to IE

"It is a bit controversial."

No. It's not controversial. Everyone expects for it to work in the same sensible way that common sense suggests it should. But it doesn't. If you describe the feature to someone who hasn't used it, and limit your description to a sentence or two, they will *always* come to the same conclusion.

How "all or nothing" is clearing history? Well... if you clear history do your bookmarks suddenly disappear? By your silly logic they should!

AppTabs should not be session data. They should, essentially, be stored as a special kind of bookmark. Similar to the way so many FF users currently use bookmarks in a folder in the nav-bar, and then click "open all in tabs"... except these would always open and open with the icon-only view.

Problem solved! Duh.

Solution: (for retaining your Pinned App TABS when using CCleaner) (Note: I’ve only tested this in Windows 7). Firstly, in Firefox, click TOOLS\ADD-ONS, now in the “Search all Add-ons” box (top right of screen) type in “sqlite manager” and press the ENTER key. A list will appear. Select “SQLite Manager 0.7.7” in the list and click INSTALL. No setup is required so close the Add-ons screen now. The following is an essential step if you want your Pinned App Tabs to be retained. In Firefox, click TOOLS\OPTIONS\PRIVACY and select REMEMBER MY BROWSING HISTORY (you can easily set up the CCleaner options to override this setting and clear your history for you, like I have, by simply ticking or unticking the option boxes in CCleaner). After you have finished setting up your basic options in CCleaner (i.e. what to keep and what to clean), while still in CCleaner, select OPTIONS button, select EXCLUDE button, select ADD button, select "Drive or Folder", select BROWSE, now in the box navigate to the following folder. C:\Users\<your username>\ App Data\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<filename>.default - Now at the very bottom of the same box select "File Types" and enter sessionstore.js and select the OK button......Your Done.......Enjoy :) PS: You may find that although your Pinned App TABS problem is now solved, after running CCleaner the underlying page of the Pinned App TAB may not display properly in some instances due to the removal (by CCleaner) of cookies necessary for the correct display of that page. If this happens, Open CCleaner, select OPTIONS button, select EXCLUDE button, select ADD button, select "Drive or Folder", select BROWSE, now in the box navigate to the following folder. C:\Users\<your username>\ App Data\Roaming\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\<filename>.default - Now at the very bottom of the same box select "File Types" and enter cookies.sqlite - Now select the OK button......and again your Done.......Enjoy :)

Had the same problem and on finding this solution I have to say that I don't love how this works. Surely pinned apps should be treated as something different. Now I have to spend time closing every tab every time I close firefox so that I can keep the pinned apps. there. I'm not sure whether this takes saves any time over opening up all the pinned apps every time I restart firefox.

sirrahn - not sure of your system or how you have it set up but for myself personally with regard to the solution I posted I simply click the red X (close button) in the top right hand corner of the Firefox screen. A warning pops up to advise me that I'm about to close 5 tabs, I select "close window" and all the tabs close. You can override this warning so that all tabs will close automatically when you click the red X (close button) without generating the warning. When I start Firefox the next time all my tabs reload automatically and everything works perfectly. If you're using Windows 7 then I suggest downloading CCleaner by Piriform and following the instructions as posted. Cheers...

roddyp: u da man !

wish I had known earlier that FF4 and FF5 are full of crap by some developers who think they know what the user wants without a poll or option. same thing as the RSS button. I quit Chrome for the same reason (their devs think they r smarter than us)...no keyword support

I don't want to clear history - I depend on it.

But I do ask Firefox to show my windows and tabs from last time - but it is not doing it consistently.

I've been having this issue for a while. (In firefox 7) I finally discovered a phantom firefox.exe process running after I had closed the browser. This seems to have the same effect as closing the window with app tabs before a window without app tabs. I killed the process and my app tabs are finally persistent again.

Fine with one, fine with 2, I have to have 5, when I created them again, when I restarted Firefox the apptabs went away, my face is a meme right now.

Do not use 'show my windows and tabs from last time' in the options>general settings. If you do, when you close a window with apps tabs before one without apps tabs (maybe accidentally if a spammy pop up occurred behind without knowing or worse still the window is hidden) then it stands to reason that when you restart FF it will open with the last window that closed (ie no pin apps). Bye bye pin apps.

With FF opening with my homepage every time it preserves the pin apps.

This issue was driving me nuts!