FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ... Fixed

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sean97
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Joined: December 24th, 2007, 2:45 pm

FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ... Fixed

Post by sean97 »

It appears FF 102.0 is clearing disk cache despite "Delete cookies and site data when FF is closed," being unchecked.

About:config shows "browser.cache.disk.parent_directory" set to a slave drive and "browser.cache.disk.enable" is true.
These are settings I've used for at least the past two years.

When I exit FF, I can see the files in the "entries" folder are being deleted. This also happens in Troubleshoot Mode.
Running Win7 with all updates and no FF extensions.
Last edited by sean97 on June 30th, 2022, 4:37 pm, edited 2 times in total.
redwolfe_98
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ...

Post by redwolfe_98 »

sean97 wrote:It appears FF 102.0 is clearing disk cache despite "Delete cookies and site data when FF is closed," being unchecked
on my computer, with FF 102, i am noticing a couple of new bugs, one of which is that "delete cookies and site data when firefox is closed" does not show as being enabled when it should, based on my settings. the checkbox, there, shows as being unchecked when it should show as being checked.

another bug is, in "clear history when firefox closes," it is showing "remove cookies" as being enabled when it shouldn't, based on my settings. the checkbox, there, is showing as being checked when it shouldn't be checked.

fortunately, for now, the cookies that i have saved are not being removed when firefox closes. however, since the checkbox, there, for removing cookies, always shows as being enabled, it could be confusing. i imagine that you could set it to "remove cookies when firefox closes" and that it actually would remove them.
sean97 wrote:When I exit FF, I can see the files in the "entries" folder are being deleted
i don't know what the "entries" folder is.
Last edited by redwolfe_98 on June 29th, 2022, 10:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
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MarkRH
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ...

Post by MarkRH »

Mine seems to be working fine. All my cookies are still there and my disk cache is full at 1046135 KiB and I do not have the options checked to clear cookies or cache when closing Firefox. So, it has not changed its behavior since the previous versions in my case.
sean97
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ...

Post by sean97 »

On my system, FF puts the disk cache files in a folder FF names as "cache2".
This has sub folders which FF creates with the names "doomed" and "entries".
The entries folder contains the actual cache files.

The cache files which FF saves have names like ...
AACFEB7C5BC8A5EEE6707EEF13C3CA064EAEAEB0
0AC7F1088C0E1308DD52A47C42123EBDC8F31320
83A99355D666AF19FA1373C02C05F1274D40C493
etc.

When I exit FF, all the cache files accumulated during the browsing session are deleted.
They should only be deleted when the option "Delete cookies and site data when FF is closed"
is checked, and it is not checked.
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jscher2000
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ...

Post by jscher2000 »

It looks like the checkmark from

Cookies and Site Data: "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed"

was finally migrated to

History: Use custom settings for History: "Clear history when Firefox closes"

which has been a longstanding goal (to unify all the shut-down sanitation settings).

HOWEVER, that may have enabled other default clearance options accessible behind the Settings button.

**EDIT**

Actually, if you weren't using Clear history when Firefox closes, cache is the only category enabled for clearing besides cookies and offline site data.

https://searchfox.org/mozilla-release/s ... ice.cpp#52
sean97
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ... Fix?

Post by sean97 »

I've gone into History / Clear Recent History and saw all the history boxes were checked including Cache.
I unchecked all the history boxes except Cookies.
Exiting FF still deletes all the cache files and the entries folder.

I see under Tools / Settings / Privacy & Security / History that all the boxes were checked.
Unchecking the "Clear history ..." box allows FF to close without deleting the cache files and the entries folder.
redwolfe_98
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ... Fix?

Post by redwolfe_98 »

sean97 wrote:FF still deletes all the cache files and the entries folder
obviously things are screwed up in the settings. refer to my earlier post in this thread.

try switching the setting for "delete cookies and site data when firefox is closed" back and forth to make sure that it is set the way that you want it. either way, the checkbox, there, is going to show as being unchecked, whether you enabled it or disabled it.

again, i noticed a similar problem with the settings for "clear history when firefox closes" where the checkbox for clearing cookies always shows as being checked. it might also be a good idea to switch the settings there, too, back and forth, to ensure that they are set to the way that you want them. (i did that, just now, on my own computer)

as far as i can tell, despite the fact that "delete cookies and site data when firefox is closed" shows as being disabled and "clear history when firefox closes" shows as being set to remove cookies, it seems that my history and caches are being cleared while my "allowed" cookies, in "exceptions" for "delete cookies and site data when firefox is closed," are being saved. so things seem to be working as they are suppose to, based on the settings that i have tried to apply, again, despite the fact that the settings are showing the opposite of what they are suppose to be set to.
Last edited by redwolfe_98 on June 29th, 2022, 10:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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TheVisitor
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ... Fix?

Post by TheVisitor »

There should be a drop-box just above the 'clear history' button that says" Firefox will: Remember History, Never Remember, or Use Custom settings.
I have it set to Remember, and in the Clear History once you click the button all check-boxes are checked Except for 'site history and offline data'.

I don't see any issue here with history going away, just checked and I have history clear back to 2018...
sean97
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ... Fix?

Post by sean97 »

redwolfe_98
I agree with your observation that these settings seem to be screwed up.
I've spent the past hour playing with them with no particular consistency or success.
I'm beginning to wonder if there may also be some setting cross talk between running FF on a privileged account vs a non privileged account.
Adding to the confusion ...
History / Clear Recent History has boxes to clear various things including cookies and cache;
Tools / Settings / Privacy & Security has box to delete cookies;
Tools / Settings / Privacy & Security / History has box to Clear history when FF closes;
Checking this Clear history box enables a Settings box which repeats the boxes in the History / Clear Recent History path.
I don't understand which of these things enables / disables / toggles / resets the other; if at all.
Settings I have set do not seem to persist across FF sessions.
The only setting I may have been able to "set" is the one not to delete cache files.
Last edited by sean97 on June 29th, 2022, 10:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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jscher2000
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ... Fix?

Post by jscher2000 »

redwolfe_98 wrote:try switching the setting for "delete cookies and site data when firefox is closed" back and forth to make sure that it is set the way that you want it. either way, the checkbox, there, is going to show as being unchecked, whether you enabled it or disabled it.
Pretend that checkbox is not there. If you do check it and exit Firefox, then at the next startup, Firefox will clear that checkbox and enable clearing cookies and offline website data AND cache through the "Clear history when Firefox closes" setting. At that point, you can un-check cache so it isn't cleared going forward.
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jscher2000
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ... Fix?

Post by jscher2000 »

sean97 wrote:Adding to the confusion ...
History / Clear Recent History has boxes to clear various things including cookies and cache;
Tools / Settings / Privacy & Security has box to delete cookies;
Tools / Settings / Privacy & Security / History has box to Clear history when FF closes;
Checking this Clear history box enables a Settings box which repeats the boxes in the History / Clear Recent History path.
I don't understand which of these things enables / disables / toggles / resets the other; if at all.
Clear Recent History is an immediate on-demand data purge. Clear history when Firefox closes only runs when Firefox closes. You can check different boxes in these two dialogs; they do not connect to one another.
sean97
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ... Fix?

Post by sean97 »

jscher2000
OK. After reading your last two posts, I understand better what's going on.
redwolfe_98
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ... Fix?

Post by redwolfe_98 »

jscher2000 wrote:
redwolfe_98 wrote:try switching the setting for "delete cookies and site data when firefox is closed" back and forth to make sure that it is set the way that you want it. either way, the checkbox, there, is going to show as being unchecked, whether you enabled it or disabled it.
Pretend that checkbox is not there. If you do check it and exit Firefox, then at the next startup, Firefox will clear that checkbox and enable clearing cookies and offline website data AND cache through the "Clear history when Firefox closes" setting. At that point, you can un-check cache so it isn't cleared going forward.
jscher2000, thank you for your reply. now, i finally understand..

everything is good, now. :)
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jscher2000
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Re: FF 102.0 clearing disk cache ... Fix?

Post by jscher2000 »

I just learned that Firefox 103 will resolve the issue of the disappearing checkmark. If you check the box for "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed" it will both set cookies, offline website data, and cache to be cleared at shutdown (the "Clear history when Firefox is closed" => Settings... checkboxes) AND retain the checkmark in the Cookies and Site Data section. Unchecking the box in the Cookies and Site Data section will remove cookies, offline website data, and cache from the list of what is cleared at shutdown.

I think that will cut down on the frustration of the checkbox being unchecked after startup, but it still clears the cache. And if you un-check Cache, the checkmark is removed from "Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed". Sigh.
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