422447 - sometimes seamonkey starts with an empty profile for no reason

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(SeaMonkey :: Startup & Profiles, defect)

Description

[Flex]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; de; rv:1.8.1.12) Gecko/20080201 Firefox/2.0.0.12
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; de-AT; rv:1.8.1.2) Gecko/20070222 SeaMonkey/1.1.1

Sorry I could not reproduce it but it now already happened on two different Computers, one using NTFS, the other one FAT32.

Problem is that Seamonkey sometimes creates a new default profile and will be started with the new profile which is empty of cours. The old profile will still be there with a name like "default", the new profile will have a name like "Standard Profile" or "Standard Profil" (in German).

Generally you get your old data back by starting the Profile manager and launching Seamonkey again with the correct file.

But I already had two cases where the old profile was also empty. In that case the Folder with E-Mails etc. were still there but they were not loaded, Bookmarks were deleted. I solved the problem by copying back an early backup I made with MozBackup and then overwriting the old Mail data with the new data.

Reproducible: Didn't try

Steps to Reproduce:
1.
2.
3.

Comment 1

[Flex]

I have a copy of the data files after and before that happened, maybe I can figure out the diffence if this problem still is valid in Seamonkey 1.1.8.

Comment 2

[Flex]

Also I now figured out why mail settings were missing:
All entries like
user_pref("mail.identity.xxxxx
were lost in the prefs.js

Comment 3

[Serge Gautherie (:sgautherie)]

(I have read other bug reports similar to this one, but none had a clue on why/how it happens.)

Can you reproduce with SeaMonkey v1.1.9 ?

Comment 4

[Flex]

I did not try it yet, but I figured out that it happens more often on an instable system. If the computer crashes more often, this will happen more often. Seems that the prefs.js and bookmark.html will be easily lost or corrupted when the computer crashes.

Comment 5

[Robert Kaiser]

That leads me to an idea: may it also happen when the computer is being shut down with SeaMonkey not yet being closed? This case might explain why it seems to happen for Joe User even in cases where he doesn't know something's wrong.
I hope things are better with the new toolkit in 2.x, but if there's some easy way to make xpfe behave better, it would be a great help for 1.1.x

Comment 6

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Sounds that many problems are involved in your report.
 a. New(unwanted) profile entry/profile directory creation
    (due to lock of last used profile, or due to access failure to profile)
 b. Corruption of prefs.js
 c. Loss of prefs.js
 d. Loss or curruption of other files such as bookmarks.html
AFAIR, above problems are already reported bug, as Serge Gautherie says.

Bug 415910 probably explains loss of prefs.js case.
I think Bug 415910 can explains corruption of prefs.js case when system crash or power failure.
Bug 212316 can probably explain above problems when no normal shutdown/termination of Mozilla family. (not system crash nor power failure)
See also Bug 105843 for not-updated _cache_* control files case when (1) no normal termination of Mozilla family, (2) system crash, (3) power failure.

To Martin(bug opener):

I use Mozilla family since Mozilla M17, and I experienced loss of prefs.js several times during Mozilla era (mainly on MS Win 98SE), and it was relieved by backups.number_of_prefs_copies. (also a few times of loss of booksmarks.html. Recovery from backup was required when bookmarks.html case.)
After transfer to Seamonkey(backups.number_of_prefs_copies was removed), I experienced BSOD several times on MS Win-2K & MS Win-XP while running Seamonkey(Browser and Mail&News are up), but "loss of prefs.js" occurred only once. (no experience of corruption of prefs.js nor loss of bookmarks.html)

Why you can experience problem like above a./b./c./d. many times?
"Shutdown of Mozilla" (and other applications) before termination of MS Win or power-off off PC is not your standard procedure?
Very frequent system crash? Very frequent stop of power supply?
Someone frequently pulls off power cable of your PC while you are using your PC?

(In reply to comment #4)
> an instable system
Instable system for production run or instable system/PC for daily use?

Comment 7

[Flex]

To Wada:
I also think even one loss of prefs.js is too much, since I started with the internet I used a lot of different mail clients but none of them lost it's settings so easily like Seamonkey does. Also I have to mention that that time with Windows 95 etc. Computer crashed far more often than nowadays and I still didn't lose any settings with other clients.

Why the problem happens so often? I'm not using Seamonkey myself, but I recommended it to some of my friends. Unfortunatley some of them called me more than one time because Seamonkey lost its preferences. I do not know how they handle Seamonky but I noticed that it happens more often on computes where they also claimet that Windows often crashes. I'll ask them next time.

With instable system I mean a computer where Windows oft crashes. Some have luck and XP never crashes and some others always have problems with that.

Comment 8

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

FYI. Bug 392956 is Thunderbird version.

Comment 9

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

For Firefox, see Bug 193749 (please read Bug 193749 Comment #123, and please don't comment to the bug as Whiteboard: of the bug says). I believe this is why "bookmarkbackups directory" was/is needed for Firefox.

Comment 10

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

To Martin(bug opener):

I've met Bug 193638 today.
> Bug 193638 : (startup) corrupt or lost pref.js / startup configuration error
See dependency tree for Bug 193638, and see many many many DUP'ed bugs to it, even though Keyword: filed of the bug says "Bug 193638 is meta bug".
I think many "no reason" cases are involved, in addition to many many crash/freeze/power-failure cases.

Comment 11

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Bug 193638 is meta bug(tracking bug) for lost/corrupted/missing prefs.js. 
> Bug 193638 corrupt or lost pref.js / startup configuration error (tracking bug)
When you find a bug for specific problem, add the bug to Dependency tree for Bug 193638, please.

Comment 12

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

(Brief summary)
There are three kinds of issue, which are already reported by other bugs.
  (A) Loss of prefs.js file
  (B) Corruption(partial data) of prefs.js file
  (C) Doubled default profile (fortunately, not real data loss)

See Bug 392956 Comment #15 (and #13, #14) for case (C).

Comment 13

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

I've found meta Bug 123929.
> Bug 123929 (profile-corrupt) Prevent and repair profile corruption (tracking bug)

Comment 14

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

FYI.
Bug 480466 may be one of causes.
According to Bug 480466 Comment #6, termination is scheduled twice(If MS Win, File/Exit case instead of "X button of last window"). Second one may kill "running prefs.js saving task" by first termination request.
Is it the reason of "profile loss/corruption"(or default&Default User) reports, even after fix of Bug 212316, even though very very normal, ordinal, never-dangerous situation?

Comment 15

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

FYI.
Bug 420358 is possibly one of causes on Linux and/or in special environment.
See Bug 420358 Comment #5 & Bug 420358 Comment #6.

Comment 16

[WADA:World Anti-bad-Duping Agency]

Termination is usually done by one of next.
  (a) File/Exit (Ctrl+Q)
  (b) X button at top/right of window, or File/Close(Ctrl+W)
If (a), Bug 480466 exists(not Mac OS X only issue. See Bug 480466 Comment #6. It can interfere normal shutdown process. (first shutdown process can be killed by second shutdown process). Bug 480466 is already fixed but fixed by Gecko 1.9.3. 
If (b), Bug 403837 and Bug 459376 may be relevant. It doesn't seem to invoke normal
shutdown process. If termination while busy(e.g. while downloading of many mails), something wrong can happen during termination..

Comment 17

[Wayne Mery (:wsmwk)]

Martin wrote "I tried SM 2 beta and it seems to be better.

Unfortunately since SM 2 was in the Beta version for ages and since
Seamonkey always is behind Firefox and Thunderbird I now don't install
it anymore on computers of friends, so I don't know how good it is on
unstable computers."

so I think we close this WFM