I've broken Firefox - how can I un-break it?

pacman

I use Firefox as my browser of choice and on my windows XP box I've managed to break a small amount of the functionality.

When reading a forum and I click on "mark this forum read" I now get a full screen window saying marked as read (as opposed to the not broken system, which is just a small pop-up).

How do I get my small windows back ? - I've tried various combinations of shift/closing but all to no avail.


You help appreciated.

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The future is in our hands.
Which way to the future?
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Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

That happened to me once with Opera on my iMac. Try flushing your cache. I'll bet the problem goes away.

-Phil

pacman

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) said...
That happened to me once with Opera on my iMac. Try flushing your cache. I'll bet the problem goes away.

-Phil

Thanks for that - unfortunately it didn't fix the problem.

Anyone got any other stuff I should try?

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=================
The future is in our hands.
Which way to the future?
=================

kwinn

Have you tried clicking on the "restore" icon between the minimize and close icons in the upper right corner of the popup window before closing it?

pacman

kwinn said...
Have you tried clicking on the "restore" icon between the minimize and close icons in the upper right corner of the popup window before closing it?

The window is self closing after a second or two (most of the time). but I have tried the Restore button, Shift+Restore, Ctrl+Restore,etc etc (well you get the idea). I _think_ I've tried most combinations (with the exception of the one that works).. Heck I've even tried harsh language.....

It's not really a window - it's more another instance of Firefox..

So, anyone got some more ideas for me to try?

Thanks in advance

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=================
The future is in our hands.
Which way to the future?
=================

CounterRotatingProps

Pacman,

you haven't likely broken anything - it's probably just like Kwinn says --- it's a setting: window sizes are usually saved on close. Then the application (Firefox) just uses that size setting the next time around. You probably hit the middle button ("maximize")·and made it big before it auto-closed. You just need to set it back to small ("restore down")

1. mark forum read as normal
2. when the 'big window' pops up, quickly see if it has the three buttons in the top right corner, and click the middle one, then the red X --- this might be all you need. If not:
3. Do it again and this time see if you can grab the bottom right corner and resize it back, then close.

> Heck I've even tried harsh language.....

that doesn't work for computers - only for old, about to be abandoned cars [noparse]:)[/noparse])

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kwinn

CounterRotatingProps has the gist of what I was trying to say. You need to resize the window to the small size you want, then you need to log off the forum and possibly even exit Firefox for the new size to be saved. Once you restart Firefox and log in to the forum it should be the smaller size you want ( I hope ).

pacman

kwinn said...
CounterRotatingProps has the gist of what I was trying to say. You need to resize the window to the small size you want, then you need to log off the forum and possibly even exit Firefox for the new size to be saved. Once you restart Firefox and log in to the forum it should be the smaller size you want ( I hope ).

Indeed this is what I've tried.

I have :- Resized and closed, restarted Firefox, Resized and closed whilst holding shift, Resized and closed whilst holding Ctrl, Resized and closed whilst holding shift and Ctrl, Closed Firefox whilst holding shift, grabbed windows edges and resized (and closed - with various combinations of shift/ctrl). Done all the above again with my tongue sticking out of my mouth at a jaunty angle, done all of the above with 'language' added to mix {I didn't realise it only worked on cars...I was sure it has worked on PC's before). Closed firefox, held shift when clicking "mark all read'. Closed via the "X", closed using file/exit.......

I honestly thought I has tried all the open/close/logoff/shutdown/resize options I could think of.

I'll go through them again tonight and hope that somewhere I get success - and then I will post my results.


I _really_ do appreciate you help on this. If someone does have another solution - {resize + Shift "X" + Stand on one foot + whilst facing East + speak in Gaelic all at the same time } - that _will_ work I would still love to hear from you...

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=================
The future is in our hands.
Which way to the future?
=================

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

CounterRotatingProps said...
Heck I've even tried harsh language.....that doesn't work for computers - only for old, about to be abandoned cars

And sometimes, not even for old cars, as was the case with a particularly recalcitrant Ford Pinto I scrapped many years ago. Man, did I hate that piece-of-Smile car! But having the last word was soooo satisfying:



pacman,

I fired up Firefox and tried maximizing the window in question. (You really have to be quick!) But the setting didn't stick: next time it came up small again. Thumbing through all the options, I did not see a setting that could cause it to pop up maximized, either.

-Phil

Post Edited (Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)) : 11/5/2009 7:16:51 AM GMT

pacman

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) said...


pacman,

I fired up Firefox and tried maximizing the window in question. (You really have to be quick!) But the setting didn't stick: next time it came up small again. Thumbing through all the options, I did not see a setting that could cause it to pop up maximized, either.

-Phil

Gland to see it isn't me.

But I _think_ I found a fix. Open your favourite forum, make the window the size you want the new pop-up to be. Shift + File/Exit.

Open Firefox again. Notice how small the window is... navigate to forum, then scroll about till you see the 'mark all read' link. Get ready. Click link - then quickly, use Shift 'X' to close the new pop-up. Open original (minimised) firefox back to full screen. Use Shift + file/Exit again.

Close and repeat. Keep fingers crossed....

Thanks heaps to all who offered suggestions.

PS: Phil - I'm actually more concerned by the fact that you car looks like it had a wooden rear bumper......

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=================
The future is in our hands.
Which way to the future?
=================

kwinn

At one time wooden bumpers were fairly popular on custom pickups and cars (oldies of course).

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

The wooden bumper was the consequence of a high insurance deductible. The original bumper got creased in a rear-ender and, rather than pay the deductible to have it fixed, I did it myself with the sandwiched 2x4s you see in the photo. But that was just the tip of the iceberg of my misadventures with that lousy car. It started the day I bought it second-hand from a lady in Seattle (for $800). When I asked why she was selling it, she said, "It reminds me too much of my ex-husband." That should've been a sign!

-Phil

kwinn

I also owned a Pinto for a while. I bought it to replace a company car when I started in business, and it was well used at that time. It served me well for about a year but driving it was more than a bit nerve wracking. It was pretty well rusted out and I could feel the floor boards flexing under the drivers seat every time I went over a bump. I was afraid the seat would go through the floor every time I went over the "dipsy doodle" on the Gardiner Expressway heading in to Toronto.

Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)

Mine was rusted all the way through in the back seat. But for the floormat covering the hole, it would've been a Flintstones car!

One of my biggest problems was with the distributor. No matter how much I tightened the holding screw, the gap would constantly go out of adjustment. My worst experience was during a drive from eastern Washington when the gap closed on the Mercer Island bridge in Seattle during rush hour on a rainy Friday evening. When the traffic helicopters report a "stalled vehicle blocking a lane of traffic", I was that guy. Fortunately, a cop pulled up behind me and, while he stood in the rain holding a flashlight, I popped the distributor cap and readjusted the points, thereby avoiding a wrecker call. (I always carried a timing light/dwell meter with me, just in case.) Ever since that wretched Pinto (may it's ugly corpse rust in peace) I've owned diesels: no more points or timing to adjust!

-Phil