When I set browser.newtabpage.columns to 3, the block of nine thumbnails is centered, leaving blank areas on the left and right.

Are you trying to find a way to stretch them out or space them further apart? I don't think there is a built-in setting for that, but it might be possible to apply a custom style rule to the page. I think someone will need to experiment with it for a while before suggesting a recipe for that.

So I can't stretch the tiles out, huh? I just want to see the new tab page as I used to before installing firefox 33 tbh

thanks for your time

Firefox automatically adjusts the number of columns that fit on the about:newtab page if you adjust the width of the Firefox window or zoom the page in or out to avoid that the thumbnails get too small.

Hello,

I have just updated Firefox and of course it brings new things I hate.

(1) How do I get back my 9 tiles on a new tab?

    I have tried "New Tab Tools" but I lose the Google search bar with this!!!

    Everyone says "Zoom" but no-one says how to do this. Can anybody give a novice a run-through please?  (Ensuring it "holds")

(2)How do I stop any updates or reminders. They always say they're about security but really they tinker with what was good?

You can zoom out the about:newtab page to resize the tiles.

• View > Zoom > Zoom Out; Ctrl and +

This will affect all elements on the page, so text get smaller as well. Toggle the browser.newtab.preload pref on the about:config page in case of issues with remembering zooming of the about:newtab page.

You can also look at this extension:

• New Tab Tools: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/new-tab-tools/

Thanks for that. But how do I get it back as it was..... before they messed it up?

I don't want smaller text.

And, as I said in my first post, NewTabTools deletes the Google Search Frame. (which i want)

I just want my 9 tiles (at least) with the Google search form....as it was.

Sorry, wilts43 - it is the way it is in Firefox 33. More changes are coming in Firefox 34 on the 25th of November. Don't know if that will be "fixed" or not.

You could try using this User Style, which uses a 4 col x 3 rows modification, but that will vary on different monitors or screen resolutions - https://userstyles.org/styles/106326/shrink-new-tab-thumbnails - and then play with the CSS code to get it to display only 3 columns. Can't provide any "tips" about that though, I am happy with New Tab Tools - especially getting rid of the Search Bar on the newTab page.