761876 - New tab produces error "Problem loading page: The address isn't valid"

Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME

(Firefox :: Tabbed Browser, defect)

Description

[Daniel Barrett]

Attachment: bug.png

User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:13.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/13.0
Build ID: 20120601045813

Steps to reproduce:

I selected "File / New Tab" from the menu.


Actual results:

A new tab opened, but instead of being blank, the browser displays an error message, "The address isn't valid."

This behavior began immediately after the Firefox 13.0 update.


Expected results:

The new tab should open and the browser page should be blank, not containing an error.

Comment 1

[Daniel Barrett]

The problem still happens with all addons disabled.

Comment 2

[Daniel Barrett]

At the same time, the "New Tab" operation fails to give focus to the address bar. It used to in Firefox 12.

Comment 3

[Virgil Dicu [:virgil] [QA]]

Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux i686; rv:13.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/13.0
Works for me on Ubuntu 12.04.

Does this only happen when opening a new tab from the menu (i.e. not with CTRL-T)?

Do you have any modified prefs related to the new tab page?

Can you reproduce with a clean profile?

Comment 4

[mjh563]

A similar question was asked here, and it was apparently caused by a toolbar changing the setting:

http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/928813

Comment 5

[Daniel Barrett]

@mjh563: Thanks for the link, but none of the suggestions posted on that page are eliminating the problem. I started in Safe Mode (all addons disabled), cleared cookies and cache and temporary files, and I'm not running any toolbars (in Safe Mode). Problem still happens.

Comment 6

[Daniel Barrett]

@Virgil: to answer your questions:

1. I use Ubuntu 10.0.4

2. This happens both with "File / New Tab" and ctrl-T

3-4. I deleted my entire .mozilla folder and ran Firefox. The same problem occurs!  So it's not profile-related.

Comment 7

[mjh563]

If you load about:config and search for 'browser.newtab.url', what value is that entry set to? 

It should be 'about:newtab' (without the quotes). If it's not, right-click the entry, then Modify and change it to about:newtab.

Comment 8

[Daniel Barrett]

The value of browser.newtab.url is:   about:newtab

If I visit about:newtab directly by typing it into the browser address bar, I get the same error, "The address isn't valid."

Comment 9

[Daniel Barrett]

This could be relevant: when Firefox 13 installed, there was an installation error that I'd never encountered before. It offered me a chance to reinstall. I said yes, and then I got a dialog that sat and spun for 30 minutes so I closed it.

I will try reinstalling. Is there a way to force a reinstallation through the GUI, or do I need to manually download and untar/install?

Comment 10

[Daniel Barrett]

I removed and reinstalled Firefox 13 manually. The problem is gone.

I have no idea why the installation succeeded only halfway. That is probably the "true" bug in this story.

Comment 11

[reescf]

Nothing went wrong with my install - I just downloaded the archive and expanded it as usual. But I get the following error:

Gwall didoli XML: heb ganfod elfen
Lleoliad: about:newtab
Rhif Llinell 1, Colofn 1:

Roughly:

XML separation/detachment error: element not found
Location: about:newtab
Line number 1. Column 1:

I've used an addon to just set new tabs to a blank page which is probably preferable anyway. I was just curious to know what people were complaining about on my distro's forums. Nonetheless, I take it something is wrong somewhere.

Comment 12

[Virgil Dicu [:virgil] [QA]]

(In reply to margali from comment #11)
> I've used an addon to just set new tabs to a blank page which is probably
> preferable anyway. I was just curious to know what people were complaining
> about on my distro's forums. Nonetheless, I take it something is wrong
> somewhere.

I suppose this isn't reproducible with that add-on disabled?
FTR, you can set browser.newtab.url to about:blank without needing to use the add-on.

Can this be closed? I understand Daniel's problem is solved with a new install.

Comment 13

[Phoenix]

Resolved per whiteboard and Comment 10

Comment 14

[Dmitry]

I just got the very same problem after updating to Firefox 30 (it was all fine on 29.0.1)
The symptoms are:
- opening new tab (Ctrl+T) immediately shows an error (the same "address isn't valid")
- the focus is not in the address bar (cannot start typing the address right away)
- the default search from address bar does not work - if I type "firefox 30 bug" and press Enter nothing happens, the same error is displayed; but if I type "g firefox 30 bug" Google search results are displayed (I have Google as a default search engine)

I tried running Firefox in the Safe mode - didn't help.
My home page is set to about:blank.
Windows 7, x64

P.S. Opening a new window (Ctrl+N) works fine - the tab in the new window does not show any errors and the cursor is in the address field, as it should. The default search from address field still does not work though.