Perform the suggestions mentioned in the following articles:

• Restore the default home page
• Now do this -> Set more than one website as your home page

Check and tell if its working.

-> Update All your Firefox Plugins

• https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/plugincheck/
• When Downloading Plugins Update setup files, Remove Checkmark from Downloading other Optional Softwares with your Plugins (e.g. Toolbars, McAfee, Google Chrome, etc.)
• Restart Firefox

I did "Restore default" and ran plugin updates; then installed the Java update. But when I restarted FF the Update Now notice remains; it's like I didn't install the Java update. Maybe I need to reboot my computer?

All those old tabs come right back when I clicked "Use current pages".

Perform the suggestions mentioned in the following articles:

• Firefox repeatedly opens empty tabs or windows after you click on a link
• Home page with pipe character opens extra tabs when Firefox starts

Check and tell if its working.

Did you check for problems with the prefs.js and user.js file?

See these articles for some suggestions:

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Firefox+has+just+updated+tab+shows+each+time+you+start+Firefox
• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/How+to+set+the+home+page - Firefox supports multiple home pages separated by '|' symbols
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Preferences_not_saved

It is possible that there is a problem with the files sessionstore.js and sessionstore.bak in the Firefox Profile Folder.

Delete the sessionstore.js [2] file and possible sessionstore-##.js [3] files with a number and sessionstore.bak in the Firefox Profile Folder.

• Help > Troubleshooting Information > Profile Directory: Open Containing Folder
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_folder_-_Firefox

Deleting sessionstore.js will cause App Tabs and Tab Groups and open and closed (undo) tabs to get lost, so you will have to create them again (make a note or bookmark them).

See also:

• [1] http://kb.mozillazine.org/Session_Restore
• [2] http://kb.mozillazine.org/sessionstore.js
• [3] http://kb.mozillazine.org/Multiple_profile_files_created

I'm overwhelmed by this plethora of offerings; that are like scatter shot leading in so many directions that I can't begin to narrow the field or find a usable solution. It's just TMI. I can't image how long it would take me to sort through and study all the links provided here.

In one of those links I discovered that I am missing the Firefox button I saw in the tutorial on creating a homepage.

http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1XOoiWNoaR8hg3nYcDq6TM7kh1AS

It would appear the only solution to my Homepage problem, and others, is to create a new profile. But I have tweaked FF so much over there years and can't begin to remember all of them. My guess it that I'd loose my password list, my add-ons, my bookmarks, all my setting and most of the things I can't even remember.

I noticed that I have a 69 page Prefs.js file dated 1/22/12, a user.js file with one line dated 11/10, a pref-1 dated 2/11 and a sessionstore date 1/24/12.

Is there a way for me to ID, and copy over, tweaks that are in my profile; that are not corrupted, so I will be able to recover things like my passwords, bookmarks, etc.?

You only see the orange Firefox menu button if the menu bar is hidden (View > Toolbars).

See:

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/how-do-i-get-firefox-button

What is the content of the user.file?

Such a file is only in the profile folder if you or another has created it.

You can try to move away prefs.js and user.js to reset all preference settings in case there is a problem with the files.