Strange focus bug in Firefox (chrome vs content)

26
2013-07
  • Marius

    Here is a strange bug I'm experiencing in Firefox: I can only use either the chrome, or the content, not both at the same time!

    For example, I can click on tabs and the toolbar icons, focus the search bar and write in it as well as the address bar, but if I try to click on anything in the content (eg a link or a textfield to write something), then nothing happens. The mouse pointer doesn't change either, it just stays a pointer when I hover over things, and the links I hover don't react either.

    But if I alt-tab to another program (or click on it in the taskbar), then back to Firefox, then I can use the area that I click on. So if I click somewhere on the webpage to get focus back to Firefox, then I can click on links and write things (like this text), but I cannot click on tabs or refresh or anything else in the chrome. I can't even click on the minimize, restore and close icons! To get focus back on the chrome I have to alt-tab to another program, and then click on the chrome to get back to Firefox to be able to use the chrome again.

    I've tried closing and starting it again, but the bug is still there. I have experienced this before, but I don't remember what I did to fix it. This bug seems to occur sometimes when I wake up the computer from standby, but I leave by computer in standby all the time, so that is not the only factor.

    • Answers
  • admintech

    This is a simple fix, try re-installing the app. I know not the answer your looking for, but obviously something has changed or become corrupted, so re-install and see if the problem still occurs

  • Alex Barrett

    Try creating a new profile and see if the issue still occurs. If it does, it's likely a problem with your Firefox installation and you should attempt a clean install.

  • Marius

    I restarted windows, and now the problem is gone, which is good, but a bit strange. I have no idea why it occurred, or why it got fixed when I restarted windows.


    • Related Question

    debug - Strange firefox bug
  • jack.spicer

    whenever i type any address and click go, it gives some strange error.

    for example , when i type "www.google.com" it freezes for sometime and gives me error as follow:

    File Not Found

    Firefox can't find the file at jar:file:///C:/Program Files/Mozilla Firefox/chrome/en-US.jar!/locale/browser-region/region.propertieswww.google.com

    • Could the item have been renamed, removed, or relocated?
    • Is there a spelling, capitalization, or other typographical error in the address?
    • Do you have sufficient access permissions to the requested item?

    so can't open any site in firefox , can anyone tell me whats the problem

    this problem has been observed by all the firefox versions installed in my pc i.e. 3.0.11, 3.5 and 3.5.1

    edited after 1st 2 answers:

    there is one more problem of freezing. whenever i click on any link or click any button in browser it freezes for atleast 15 seconds.


    • Related Answers
  • Jeff Atwood

    I think the interesting part of this error is that he's typing in a web address and Firefox is prepending

    file:///C:/Program Files/Mozilla Firefox/chrome/en-US.jar!/locale/browser-region/region.properties

    to the address. If the above solutions don't fix the issue I would completely remove FF, delete the folder under Program Files to be sure and reinstall.

  • ephilip

    Try disabling all of your add-ons. (Like the Ask toolbar.) Then restart the browser and see if the problem still exists. I've noticed sometimes that firefox won't load a web page for me, but when I disable the StumbleUpon toolbar, it works just fine.

  • mark

    This thread suggests the problem might be with Ask.com toolbar add-on which apparently can come when you install the COMODO firewall

  • nik

    Do you have the Ask toolbar installed?
    If so, retry after removing it.

    In some cases, you may also need to reset preference settings related to the toolbar after disabling or uninstalling it.

    In particular, toolbars that include an Internet search feature (such as the Ask.com Toolbar) change the default search provider by modifying the Keyword.URL preference.

  • Ciaran

    I get a similar problem when using certain proxies. It freezes and will sometimes come up after a short-ish wait. Then pages seem to load a lot quicker.

    I would try resetting Firefox to its default configuration (i.e. no proxies, no extensions, security at default levels). I realize though that you've tried this with several versions. Maybe each time you're importing the proxy settings from IE?

    Maybe something has changed on the proxy end of things?

  • Area 51

    i face similar problem like whenever i use ctrl+enter to complete url i get this error: Firefox can't find the file at jar:file:///C:/Program Files/Mozilla Firefox/chrome/en-US.jar!/locale/browser-region/region.properties

    any help?