Resolved Firefox's Location bar is missing on each FF startup

Here's a weird one: every time I open or restart Firefox (3.6.8), the Location bar is missing. Everything else is normal. I can get it back by right-clicking on the menu bar, clicking Customize... and then dragging the Location icon from the "Customize Toolbar" box up to the place on the toolbar from which it disappeared. But why should this happen? Is it a known bug? Can it be prevented?

It's very annoying to plug or type a URL into what I think is the Location bar, but which is really the Search bar (which then takes me to Google). Thanks!

Frank D

P.S. I tried the new FF version 4 and I really don't like it, so there's no chance of my upgrading to it anytime soon.

 

The navigation bar can be turned on or off by working with View|Toolbar|Navigation Bar. If it does not have a check mark next to it, just click on that line. It should come right up. I have never heard of being a bug. But, on the other hand the View setting removes the entire toolbar. Are you saying that only the Location Bar is missing? If so, and you click on the left of the Search Bar, do you see arrows pointing in both directions I can make the Location Bar disappear if I move the Search Bar to the left, and viceversa. But, someone would have had to do this, intentionally. I don't have a Location Bar in my Customize. You may have to see, first, what is in View|Toolbars, then Customize, and then, see if Navigation Bar is still checked. You may have to uninstall, and then reinstall your Firefox, if no joy.
Yes, I agree with you, I don't like 4.0, either.

 

Westside, the Navigation bar is turned on. It's checked and it's visible. There's no problem with the Navigation bar itself. The problem is with the Location item, which shows the "http://" at the left of the Navigation bar.
So, Yes, only the Location bar is missing. Yes, the Back and Forward arrows are there and the Search bar is there. Only the Location (or the URL or Address) bar disappears.

You won't see the Location bar item in the Customize box, because when it's properly in the Navigation bar, it doesn't appear in the Customize box (that is, it doesn't appear in both places at the same time -- it's one or the other). My Navigation bar is always checked and always appears where it's supposed to. It's only the Location bar item that disappears from the Navigation bar and goes into the Customize box at startup. As I said, it's weird!
Well, I'll think about reinstalling Firefox if it becomes a hangup, but right now, it's just an annoyance. Thanks!

Frank

 

Hi frank,

Did you try this:
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Back+and+forward+or+other+toolbar+items+are+missing

also see:
http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Toolbar+keeps+resetting

 

Goddez, I followed the instructions at the second link.

The bad news: I lost all the customizations I had made to the Navigation and Menu bars. It reverted to square one. The good news: It looks like the Location bar is firmly back where it belongs.

Thanks for your help!

Frank

P.S. Just for the record: System Restore has no effect on Firefox (as you might expect, but it was worth a try).

 

Hi Frank,

Your most welcome and I am glad this worked for you. Thank you for the update. I figured since you were headed for or considering a re-installation of Firefox anyway the resetting of the toolbar wasn't going to be a problem.

Please remember to mark this post as resolved:
To do so see https://www.windowsbbs.com/?help/Guide/

 

Goddez, I'm afraid I spoke too soon. Right after booting up Windows 7 this morning, I found the Location bar again missing from the Navigation toolbar. As before, it was easily restored by using the Customize function, but -- the bug is still there.

I don't anticipate a fix for this problem, it being so minor, so I'll just drop the subject.

Frank

 

Hi Frank,

If your tired of dealing with this or just find it so trivial as to wish not to invest more time, I can understand and respect this. If you wish to pursue this until it's figured out, I am more than willing to keep plucking away at it.

I sure hate to leave a posted problem with out a permanent fix but realize that, unlike myself, some users "have a life" and spare time is a prime, rare and scarce factor.

 

Frank D,
did you try the suggestion in the first link, i.e.

?

 

Thanks, Goddez! No, I'm not tired of dealing with the apparent bug, I just didn't want others, like you and Westside, to spend your valuable time trying to find a cure for something that (now) seems relatively trivial. Since you indicate that you wouldn't mind keeping on looking for a solution, I'm willing to work with you in finding one. I think of my time as well spent when trying to get good things to work even better.

Frank

 

Yes, I did. I rejiggered all my icons and it worked for the day, but unfortunately the next day the same bug showed up again.

Frank

 

Hi again,

Oh good. I am glad you've decided to stick with this. The problem is, it is 4 o'clock in the morning for me and I have to get some sleep. Please check back into this post, later in the day, and I will get to it as soon as I am able. In the mean time you mentioned customizing the navigation toolbar previously. How and what have you customized (added, moved or rearranged)?

Consider an add-on or extension:
http://support.mozilla.com/ko/questions/746290?s=tabs&as=s

How about considering a corrupted localstore.rdf: (this would keep the settings from sticking)
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Corrupt_localstore.rdf

 

Goddez,

What I've done to the navigation bar is: move the Back/Forward icon, the Reload icon, the Stop Loading icon, and the Home Page icon up to the Menu Bar, at the right of the Help menu item.

I've added the following add-on icons at the right of the four icons mentioned: Display your bookmarks, Clear Cache, Enable/Disable Flashblock, Capture entire Page and Edit, and Read It Later.

On the Navigation Toolbar are the following, left-to-right: Web of Trust icon, Translate this page icon, the Location bar, the Search bar, Resurrect this page icon, and the AdBlock Plus icon.

To answer your two final questions, I've been using these same addons with previous versions of Firefox, in the same locations, and never had this glitch before, and Yes I already replaced the localstore.rdf file, as instructed previously. Please be aware that this is a new, Windows 7 64-bit PC that I've had for less than a month. My previous experiences (without the glitch) were on an older PC with Windows XP 32-bit, but Firefox and my addons were the same. Hope this helps.

Frank

 

Frank,
you have done a great job. You may be correct in assuming that your issue is due to the fact that you have a 64-bit PC (I doubt that a 32-bit Win7 would give such problems.
We will see. And, thanks for persevering.

 

Sorry Frank, for repeating the suggestion of a localstore.rdf problem. I wasn't sure if you had actually deleted the *.rdf file while in "firefox safemode" or just reset your toolbar via customize options. Two different things or fixes, while both will reset or restore the default navigation toolbar components one will not fix, by deletion and rebuild, of the localstore.rdf file.


This may be painful but how about resetting the navigation bar again and holding back on some of those customizing tweaks such as moving buttons that are usual found on navigation toolbar to the menu bar plus others? Keep it as close to default as you can stand. Just make one or two gentle tweaks, no rearranging, and see if those stick. Start with the basic and be patient. Gradually add one or two tweaks and test run the location bar for a reboot or two, or day or two.

I will keep looking for the permanent fix, if any, I have found that this was a "known firefox bug" for some in past versions but was supposedly fixed.

Just saying to myself, "Sure seems like AVG antvirus, has difficulty working well and playing with others" for some users. Seems like Firefox and Avg have locked horns often. Sorry AVG fans.

 

Goddez,
Thanks for the follow-up and looking into known bugs. I'll reset my Navigation toolbar and rough it for a day or two. Then, if everything goes well, as you suggest I'll start to tweak it again, seeing if the glitch recurs. I'll let you know if and when.

I use Avast! antivirus, so that wouldn't be a factor in this case.

Frank

P.S. Curiosity: I reset my Navigation toolbar to its clean, pure state (nothing but the Back/Forward, Reload, Stop loading and Home icons, and the Location bar and Search bar in sight). Then I shut down and restarted Firefox and huh? between the Home icon and Location bar, there's the WOT icon. I have it as an add-on but I certainly didn't put it there on the Navigation toolbar. I wonder if that's standard behavior for WOT.

 

Goddez, it's gone again. After about 2 hours, restarting Firefox, I see that the Location box is gone from the Navigation toolbar. The Search box has stretched to the left, filling up the space.

Frank

 

Wow! I don't know what to say about that. Are you sure this isn't a plugin or extension problem? Don't go on the assumption that these are the same extentions and plugins you have always used. They may well be but other things have changed. Versions and updates for one, 32bit to 64bit for another.

This is definitely a head scratcher. Does the location bar disappear if used in firefox safemode as it has in regular?

 

Goddez,
I'll try safe mode, but it's kind of yucky to operate in it. I think I know the medicine I'm going to have to take: get rid of my extensions and replace them one by one to try to single out the bad actor -- if there is one. I'll give it a try and let you know.

By the way, I just closed and reopened Firefox and the Location box is gone again.

All right, here goes.

Frank

 

OK, about 1/2 hour later.

I opened Firefox in Safe Mode and disabled all my add-ons (about 44 total) and plug-ins, then restarted Firefox. I re-enabled all of them one by one, restarting Firefox after each one.

Result: no problem! The Location box was there on the Navigation toolbar every time and still is there after the last operation!

I don't know what happened, but maybe that "housecleaning" did the trick. Let's hope it stays. I'll keep you posted.

Frank