Probably Corrupt localstore.rdf, see the above link for more information.

thank you

Please mark "Solved" the answer that really solve the problem, to help others with a similar problem.

Nope, not it. I wish it had been that easy.

I replaced the localstore.rdf file twice, and the symptoms remain. I even left the window open where that file is located (root:Library:Application Support:Firefox:Profiles:89bknfrk.default:localstore.rdf) and watched it being recreated when I reopened Firefox, and gets updated when I browse. [edit: symptom--empty location bar--URL does show when I select home page via symbol on right side of bar, but URL does not show when I open new page or tab.]

Another possibly related symptom: Some windows in Firefox only show the "+" where the tab with name of site is supposed to be. When I open a new tab using the plus or command T, the original window cannot be opened without closing the other tab(s) that have been opened on top of it. [edit--I cannot replicate this problem, so perhaps it has solved itself or due to the replacement of localstore.rdf]

Also, fyi, I recently repaired permissions on start up drive/volume (Corsair CSSD-F60GB2-A ).

Thanks for help.

You can try to clear the cache.

• Firefox > Preferences > Advanced > Network > Offline Storage (Cache): "Clear Now"

Did you try a new window to see if it work better in that new window?

If you use session restore to reopen tabs then try to close and restore the tabs that misbehave.

Clearing cache, no change. The URLs still do not show when navigating to site from outside the window/tab.

Restore tabs? What a hassle if I have more than a couple open. That's what I've been doing.

Problem with first tab not being reachable without closing later ones persists.

I'm getting pretty tired of Firefox's crappy behavior and I can't stand Safari's interface (doesn't let me set to download pdfs as files without viewing first). What's my options?

I have Firefox 15. I've had this problem for the last couple of updates. Whenever I open a hyperlink from an email, PDF, etc., my Firefox window has an empty "Navigation Toolbar" (a.k.a Location bar, address bar, URL bar) that says only "Go to a Website." The address field is empty. The Reload and related icons are grayed out.

SOLUTION: A temporary solution is to right-click on the TAB where the page title is located. Select "Reload Tab." The website address and associated buttons will appear.