Firefox 28 is the same on both Windows XP and Windows 8.1. However, the new installation will be missing all of your familiar customizations and add-ons.

Maybe as a first step, turn on the classic menu bar if you have not done so already. Right-click a blank area of the tab bar, or the new tab "+" button, and choose Menu Bar. Hopefully that works.

Could you describe the email attachment problem in a little more detail? Are you getting an error message popping up, or a page requiring some kind of approval?

I did figure out that it is the email tile that brings up my email that is the problem. If I go through the Internet to email, I have the usual format.

I had figured out how to get the  menu bar but that only solves a little bit of the problem.

Your emails automatically come up with the listing of your emails on the left side and whatever email they want to display on the right. There is not a way to close out that email, you just have to click on another one to exit. There is no spam, trash, deletions, etc. visible. When you go to an attachment to your email and you want to go back to your email, Firefox does not allow "redirect". It seems you have no control over your mailbox. The only way I could figure out how to get back to my email was to exit the mailbox and reenter. This may be the result of Windows 8.

I appreciate your response.

Hi singinggranny, I'm getting a better idea of what you mean. The "Mail" tile on the new Windows 8 desktop is a dedicated application for your Microsoft mailbox that doesn't use any of your web browsers.

These "modern" applications have a typical way to access their menus: If you have a touch screen, you can place your finger just above the top border of the screen and drag down down an inch or two, or drag up an inch or two from the bottom of the screen. If you do not have a touchscreen, try hovering your mouse at the bottom of the application to see whether that lower bar springs up.

(It's definitely strange trying to enact touchscreen metaphors with a mouse. Not sure Microsoft's choices are the most logical.)

Now I understand what is going on and I guess it was in the back of mind but just having a hard time accepting it. I will go back to what is familiar for the time being.

Thanks for your help and patience with me.