That is normal and expected behavior. The parent.lock (Windows) or .parentlock (Linux, Mac) file is no longer removed in order to detect startup failures (crashes) and offer to start in Safe mode.

Some reading here:

• 726759 - Profile manager assumes Windows profile is locked if parent.lock exists

(please do not comment in bug reports
https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/page.cgi?id=etiquette.html)

Thank you for that information but let me ask another question. I am used to using FF to open a list of shortcuts on a daily basis. I have been opening them, reading the contents, closing that instance, and immediately opening the next shortcut. Now, I guess since parent.lock is no longer deleted, I very often get a dialog box saying something along the lines that FF is still open. I have to close that box before the next instance of FF will open one of my shortcuts. Is there any thing or any setting I can change for FF to operate as it used to other than waiting longer between trying to use it?

I don't think there is a "standard" amount of time that Firefox needs for shutdown file maintenance, so you may need to experiment. If you wait 10 seconds, does the error go away? How about 8 seconds? Obviously it's annoying if this slows you down, so it would be helpful to look into what might have changed to make shutdown slower.

By the way, what format is your list of shortcuts in?

Firefox tries set set a lock on the parent.lock file and if that fails because another instance still has a lock then Firefox will complain, so like posted above, you need to await a bit longer to start a new instance.

I don't think there is a "standard" amount of time that Firefox needs for shutdown file maintenance, so you may need to experiment. If you wait 10 seconds, does the error go away? How about 8 seconds? Obviously it's annoying if this slows you down, so it would be helpful to look into what might have changed to make shutdown slower. By the way, what format is your list of shortcuts in?

My format are links to WEB sites like this one - https://www.gocomics.com/andycapp > I like to read the comics that are no longer in our local paper. I have always shut one down and immediately opened another. The only way I can do that now is to minimize the FF window instead of closing it and then opening my next link. I did time the amount of it that FF usually takes to shut down and it was around 10 seconds, which is way too long.

Thank you for your post.

Firefox tries set set a lock on the parent.lock file and if that fails because another instance still has a lock then Firefox will complain, so like posted above, you need to await a bit longer to start a new instance.

I don't know what has changed in FF but I never had to wait any time at all before. So waiting for around 10 seconds now seems strange, not to mention ridiculous compared to how it used to work not long ago. Thank you for your reply.

My format are links to WEB sites like this one - https://www.gocomics.com/andycapp > I like to read the comics that are no longer in our local paper. I have always shut one down and immediately opened another. The only way I can do that now is to minimize the FF window instead of closing it and then opening my next link. I did time the amount of it that FF usually takes to shut down and it was around 10 seconds, which is way too long.

Are the links saved in a list somewhere? I was just thinking you could use bookmarks for them, or a web page, instead of external links.

If the shutdown time is taking many more seconds than it did before, one possible reason is a change to how Firefox clears history at shutdown, if you set Firefox to clear history, cookies, or other data at shutdown.