Are you clearing the browser cache via Delete browsing, search and download history on Firefox?

Also automatically starting in Private Browsing mode can cause such issues. You enter Private Browsing mode if you select: Tools > Options > Privacy > History: Firefox will: "Never Remember History" To see all History settings, choose: Tools > Options > Privacy, choose the setting Firefox will: Use custom settings for history UnCheck: [[ ] "Automatically start Firefox in a private browsing session"

'Saving history for 0 days' and 'clearing the cache and cookies upon closing Firefox' have *always* been my choices in the options. Until this version of Mozilla, I haven't had a problem.

My computer at work has the version:

Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-GB; rv:1.9.0.19) Gecko/2010031422 Firefox/3.0.19

and retains the icons through reboot and has the clear history and don't save cookies choices.

So I think the latest version of Mozilla is not helpful and I'd like to revert to the older version!! Except I don't know how to do that.

PS. I seem to have resolved this issue. Thanks to the suggestion by cor-el to customize the history settings, I eventually hit the right combination of ticked items without having to save browsing history or cookies.

I didn't know those additional settings were available in the newer Firefox, having always just selected zero days for history. I think (?) the drop down menu in that privacy options window is new?

Can you post which "Clear Recent History" settings work for you?

OK. This is what's set in Tools>Options>Privacy:

History section: The following boxes are ticked: Remember my browsing history for at least __ days (set at zero)

Accept cookies from sites (Keep until I close Firefox)

Clear history when Firefox closes [Settings] [under settings: All boxes under 'history' are ticked; nothing is ticked in the 'data' group]

Location Bar, drop down menu set at "History and Bookmarks"