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how do I fix my firefox browser when all drop downs disappear and a near empty box appears from top

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When I open Firefox 38.0.5 on my iMac it seems to largely freeze up with 5 seconds or so of opening. Almost all dropdowns (except "firefox" allowing me to quit still) disappear and a strange box appears from the top (see screenshot, blank grey bar, a checkbox, and a question mark, nothing else). I would like to save my favorites if possible. Any help?

When I open Firefox 38.0.5 on my iMac it seems to largely freeze up with 5 seconds or so of opening. Almost all dropdowns (except "firefox" allowing me to quit still) disappear and a strange box appears from the top (see screenshot, blank grey bar, a checkbox, and a question mark, nothing else). I would like to save my favorites if possible. Any help?

All Replies (3)

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screenshot didn't load first time.

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Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.

  • Switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance
  • Do NOT click the Reset button on the Safe Mode start window

You can check if there is an update for your graphics display driver and check for hardware acceleration related issues.

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On Windows, that dialog is caused by an AOL extension. Try removing it after starting Firefox in its Safe Mode.