Make sure your plug-ins are up to date. Next try clearing cache and cookies and if those don't work please try Safe mode

I have done all except safe mode. I have 2 reasons for this, the first is that I do not know how to get there unless the computer has a problem. The second is I am not sure I would want to use my computer in safe mode as there are things that cannot be done in that mode. Anyone else have other thoughts? Thanks

It is not your computer, it is just the browser. Click on Safe mode and you'll see it's completely different.

Ok, I did that. However the only thing it changed is that the under tab is gone. Other than that it hasn't changed anything. I can log in to my hotmail account, but the messages do not show. The same kind of thing happens with yahoo. I can log in, and there I can see my messages but the screen after I log in doesn't show as it has. Everything is jumbled. This is exactly as it was after the chat session. I am considering uninstalling firefox, running my security soft ware and then reinstalling. Is there the possibility this may help?

I will be investigating and respond to you shortly

I have talked with my Daughter in Law, one of the people who talked me into trying firefox, and she thinks there is a glitch in my computer. So what I have decided to do is to uninstall firefox, run the microsoft updates, then reinstall firefox. Ever since it was installed, I turned firefox off using the "x" on the top, it doesn't always turn off, and a screen comes up saying that it didn't. When I click on the "ok" button it turns off. Also, when it was installed none of the favorites from IE transferred, and so I have been doing it manually. Sigh, all that work will be lost. Ah well. I am hoping that uninstalling and then reinstalling will make it so I can use it. I much prefer firefox to IE. WHEN IT WORKS.  :) Thanks for all your thoughts.

The following may not completely eliminate having to terminate Firefox through the Windows Task Manager but it will come very close.

Plug-in and tasks started by Firefox may continue after attempting to close Firefox The "X" in the upper right-hand corner closes the Window (same as Ctrl+Shift+W) but even if it is the last Firefox window, it does not necessarily close Firefox .

The only proper way to exit Firefox is to use Exit through the File menu, not the "X" in the upper right corner of last Firefox window. In the Beta that would be Alt+F then X

• Firefox hangs | Troubleshooting | Firefox Support
  http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Firefox%20hangs#w_hang-at-exit

Use the Windows Task Manger to remove all running firefox.exe in the "Processes" tab of the Windows Task Manager, then restart Firefox.

very infrequent -- If Firefox will still not start, remove the parent.lock file from the profile which is created each time Firefox is started to prevent other Firefox tasks from running, see
http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_in_use#Remove_the_profile_lock_file

Avoiding Problems with close/restart choose either extension

Use to close and restart Firefox after enabling or disabling an extension, switching to a new theme, or modifying configuration files, then you don't have to worry about delay or have to look in the Task Manager to see if Firefox is closed yet.

• "Restartless Restart" extension for Firefox 4.0+ only (2 KB download ) --

uses keyboard shortcut "Ctrl+Alt+R" or a file menu option.
https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/249342/

You can import bookmarks, cookies, from Internet Explorer via File > Import > Internet Explorer > ...

Your new question is at https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/questions/866860

Thanks, My husband is a computer nerd, and I have saved this to show him. Hopefully he will be able to work on my computer on Sat. He did the import, but we were not able to find them once I opened firefox. Perhaps because I am running Vista. I will make sure I close firefox the correct way, and hope that we can somehow get IM to either load or break the link. My Daughter in Law doesn't know how to break the link between hotmail and IM. she also suggested that uninstalling IM and firefox might break the connection. Then if we reinstall firefox first then IM that this might help. I think we installed firefox 6 when we reinstalled firefox. I have sent a message to the help of hotmail. My husband says that he unlinked them, and in IE this is so, it just didn't work in firefox. I appreciate your help! Oh yes, somthing that might help figure out what the problem is. When I log into yahoo, the screen comes up oddly. There is a notice at the top saying that automatic page updates could be the problem. To stop them to click on a link. When I do so, the page comes up as it always has, and a message appears stating that chat and texting have been disabled.