Yeah, reset is definitely a last resort. :( Maybe it will fix itself (after all, it seems to have broken itself to begin with).
In the meantime, I'd recommend the temporary fix with the add-on and also recommend another add on Session Manager which allows you to export sessions, meaning you could save those tab groups and reload them after a reset/re-installation (I think, I'd test that first just to be sure).
no subject
In the meantime, I'd recommend the temporary fix with the add-on and also recommend another add on Session Manager which allows you to export sessions, meaning you could save those tab groups and reload them after a reset/re-installation (I think, I'd test that first just to be sure).