Can you please clarify what kind of problem you are facing off.

Are you unable to search from address bar or cant type in anything or anything else?? Please give us some more details.

Thanks for your interest and prompt response. Here is a link to the snapshot: http://www.lcvdata.kinghost.net/captured_2014_05_03.jpg As it can be seen, there is just a black/gray (sometimes all white) bar where the address should be shown. As I key a URL in, the text shows but it disappears after pressing any key (ENTER, navigation arrows, etc.; that's why I could not capture it while keying in) or 'mouse clicking' anywhere else. It also shows like this after opening a link, i.e., I never know where the browser is actually pointing to. As I mentioned, Firefox 29.0 was working fine, it all happened after updating Ubuntu 12.04 this very week (wednesday or thursday, cannot tell for sure). I decided to post about this because I saw many people complaining about Firefox 29.0 and I thought it might not be related only to it. Hope this suffices for now. Thanks again.

Modified May 3, 2014 9:18:05 AM PDT by lcvieira_br

Can you try to start Firefox in Safe Mode to see if Firefox works properly with no error? You can start Firefox in Safe Mode below:

• Windows/Mac: Go to Help > Restart with add-ons disabled
• Linux: Run firefox -safe-mode in the Terminal/Konsole

If Firefox opens up fine with no problems, it's probably one of your extensions that's causing the issue. You can re-enable your add-ons one by one until you find the one that causes the issue upon being re-enabled.

Hi. Thanks for your reply. I decided to check Firefox's add-on's with "tools add-ons" and I got a 'You don't have any add-ons of this type installed' message box, with an invitation to check for add-ons. I also checked the 'extensions' and I got 'Ubuntu Firefox Modifications 2.7' dated 03/20/2013. I'll start Firefox in safe mode today later because I am actually working on some on-line operations right now and I must go ahead finishing it first. As soon as I try it out I'll post back. Thanks again for your interest and prompt reply.

Please also give hardware details, video card drivers etc. Found one more person with the same issue but I can't reproduce it myself (using XFCE).

Confirming this for "Linux version 3.11.0-20-generic (buildd@orlo) (gcc version 4.6.3 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.6.3-1ubuntu5) )" in Ubuntu Precise and Firefox 29.0.

Firefox behaves exactly as in the screenshot provided by the initiator of the question. Additionally I experience a similar graphical issue with Thunderbird 24.5.0 (screenshot attached). There's dark grey where there should be light grey/white. In Thunderbird the mail folder scrollbar is also too dark for the theme.

Didn't find any problems in other programs, LibreOffice etc. works well. But since I had a similar "address bar issue" with the Chrome browser on this system (regularly updated Precise) I assume it's a Ubuntu/Compiz related problem... should we file a lauchpad report for this?

TROUBLESHOOTING:

Restarting Firefox with deactivated add-ons or in Save Mode didn't solve the problem.

Hello again,

there's a Launchpad Report for this: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/firefox/+bug/1316250. So hopefully there will be progress in solving this bug.

A quick workaround that also worked for me is the following: In Firefox 29: Type about:config [Enter] - Promise to be careful - In the Search Bar type gfx.xrender.enabled - Right-click (F12) and Toggle to make it false -Exit Firefox - Open Firefox again.

Voila.

VOILÀ INDEED!!!

Definitely solved, at least I can tell for myself.

I wonder what investigation path did you follow to get to this particular bit in the configuration 'jungle'. I'd guess 'gfx.xrender' might be related to extended graphics rendering, but why would it affect the contents - mainly text - in the search/address bar? Disabling it and having the search/address bar contents back to normal is a great solution, mostly when one single bit disabling solves it (getting to it is another story, though...). I'm impressed with the cleverness shown in this particular solution. Thanks! A priviledge to witness this .

Cheers. Luiz (Brazil)