Firefox of late - two questions...

[ameerat42]

In the last couple of versions of Firefox I have noticed that the cursor (where you start typing) does not start
in the (in my case) Google search box on the home/new tab pages. I have been ALL OVER the web, where I have found
a lot of talk... - about other things, AND, I have COMBED about:config to NO avail!
(The cursor stays in the url bar, right beside the page address)

Q1. Has anybody had and FIXED this annOYance?
Q2. Have I asked about this before?

Ta.
Am(a bit niggled but not cursoring about it).

PS: In case there's a Yes to Q2,

Q3. What did you tell me?

[Kym]

Starts in the address bar for me (new tabs)

[MrQ]

Yes, me too. It was one of the many, many small annoying things that recently made me to change to Chrome.

[ameerat42]

The stupefactory thing about it is that it's happening like this on one computer out of three, all with the same version of FF!!
Yes, this one is running Win 8.1, but then when I run Pale Moon on it - FF's bruvver - no such problem. Oh, well! That's progress
(but to where?) I suppose!

[DacrimL]

Sorry give up on FF when it kept crashing. Have been using Chrome now for over 4 years and no problems

[ameerat42]

Had Cr for a few years too, but went back to FF for more control and slightly better functionality.
I suppose much of a muchness.

[macmich]

have you tried
edge, I'm liking it

[ameerat42]

Nope. Nevva heardofit. I see it's in Win 10. Might havver look at it then.
Ta.
Am.

[arthurking83]

.....
(The cursor stays in the url bar, right beside the page address)

Q1. Has anybody had and FIXED this annOYance?
Q2. Have I asked about this before?

Ta.
Am(a bit niggled but not cursoring about it).

PS: In case there's a Yes to Q2,

Q3. What did you tell me?

1. no
2. no
3 even if we did, you'd probably ignore our input(with good reason!)

The behaviour you see, is default. Cursor should be in the address bar.
How you alter it .. dunno!

Some tips tho(that you will either love, or hate)

Best 'home page' to use in 99.99% of instances is the multi windowed newtab arrangement.
If you haven't ever used it, it looks like a tiled page(similar to Windows 8/10 tiled interface.
Of course the handy part is that you then quickly choose the page you want to initially view with an easy click at the loaded home page.
All the possible tabs presented are configurable via a pin or X(remove) system.

So that when you pop open FF, you are presented with a host of favourite bookmarks(but in a tiled interface)
I have the most commonly used pages set up, AP, Google, router config etc.

If you haven't used this system(and once I set it up for most folks this way they won't go back to the old one page home page system) ... the setup is easy .. and can be undone as easily.

Set your home page address to about:newtab .. exactly like. So simply type that in. Obviously if you don't like it change it back, but this doesn't require some about config editing.
The difficult part is to set a currently opened webpage as one of those tiles once you have filled your quota.
To set your current bookmarks as one of the tiles, you simply drag it into the location of your choice. It then gets pinned there. to remove use the X icon.

If you set Google as one of the pinned tiles, when you open it, your cursor will be in the correct location.

Seriously the about:newtab interface is the best way to start FF. It makes the bookmarks side bar redundant(leaving more room on the screen for other stuff).
A couple of things I'd like to figure out is how to set more than 15 tiles up for my taste.
Like I said, I have all tiles already pinned, and would like maybe two or three more. I have 5 tiles used up just for configuration of my home network(modem/router/AP/switch/printer)
The other thing I'd like to be able to pin as a tile, is the entire bookmarks menu page.
But those niggle as nit picks, and as is the page is eminently usable.

My reason for suggesting this, is that the address bar location as focus is the default, and it seems that you want to minimise the number of clicks for an operation.
But if you are going to have to use one more click to achieve your aim of having the google bar in focus, then the above tip is probably the more flexible manner to do so .. with all those other favourites at your fingertip too.

hope all that makes sense.

- - - Updated - - -

OH!
one more thing(I was a bit trigger happy with the post reply button)

I had a quick squizz for an answer to your actual problem, and a couple of hits came up.
One sounded like rubbish, but the other went something like this.

Is you home page address field set to google.com(.au) .. or http:www.google.com(.au)
(obviously I don't know whether you prefer Google's world domination headquarters ... or their insidious, underhanded, tax minimisation Australian operations ... hence the added parenthesis)

So a solution I stumbled on:
if your home page is simply google.com set to it the http://www. version and see if this helps.

If this works for 'ya when opening a new FF instance, but not if you open a new tab instance, then an edit of about config may be in order too.

let us know.
(but seriously, try the about:newtab home page too!)

[ameerat42]

Ta AK. Your input is worth considering. I will say at the outset, though, that I found the about:newtab setting to be
horribly annoying, so I changed it all to the humble google page. I don;t mind where the cursor actually sits, but it sits
at the end of the address and any text just gets added to this. I have, though learnt to shift to the search bar, and I
now do it most of the time. (When I remember.)

Also, I have combed the tab settings in Pale Moon too, looking for a hint to fix FF.
Am.

[arthurking83]

so how (exactly!!) is the google address set up in the home page area.

just google, or with the http:// preface?

if it's simply google, then try the change to the actual hypertext address type and see if this works when first starting up FF.

If this does help, then for the same effect for any new tabs the about config alteration you're looking for is similar.

you want to find:

aboutconfig:browser.newtab.url string.

if this one also says simply google.com, then change this one to the same hypertext address as well.

a forewarning: I tried both address locations and it doesn't make a difference for me. Whether I set it with http:// or simply google, I get the cursor at the google search location(as I think you want it) .. not in the address bar.

But your setup is different to mine, so this will make all the difference.

if none of this helps, there are more options.

1. try FF in safe mode .. which obviously disables all addons and extensions. It could be an addon issue somewhere along the lines(not knowing what addons you have set on by default)

2. there is an addon to assist with this issue too.
Linked to it: Auto Cursor
Of course because I don't have the same issue, I cant' test it out in the same way for your situation tho .. so no warranty on whether it works or not.

[ameerat42]

Ta AK. It is the full address here:
But the issue is where the cursor starts. I will say that I do not have this problem except on the W8.1 machine.
With exactly the same setup on an XP and a W7 machine, it behaves OK for cursor. In addition, on this W8.1 machine,
Pale Moon works brillificantly in that regard.

I guess it's "jus' wonner those things". When I change to Win 10 I expect it will be different again.
Am.

[arthurking83]

.....
But the issue is where the cursor starts. I will say that I do not have this problem except on the W8.1 machine.....

Addons then?
Again just trying to help you with multiple possibilities.

Have you tired safe mode for FF on the Win8 machine?
Probably won't help, but obviously all avenues are worthy of examination.

I can't imagine it's a Win8 issue tho.
Definitely a Win8 + FF installation/config issue.
I don't see my kids again now till next Thursday, and I have no other (easy)access to any Win8 machines to check.
My bro has a lappy, but I'd need to see him at his house .. and that's rare.

[ameerat42]

OK, AK! So! After a lot of marking around, here's what I found...

1. With FF in Normal mode and Add-Ons enabled (and I have only two add-ons: AdBlockPlus and Exif Viewer).
- Start FF in Normal mode, and cursor is at end of the address.
- But, open a New Tab and the cursor is where I want it, in the Google search bar.

2. With FF in Safe Mode
- Cursor is in Google search bar. Same when open New Tab.

3. Back to Normal Mode with Add-Ons DISabled.
- Cursor behaves as for Normal Mode above.

So! Add-ons seem to NOT affect this cursor behaviour. Cursors!

- - - Updated - - -

However. I am not too worried about it. Just niggled that I could not figure it out.

[arthurking83]

One thing I hate is these annoying computer related idiosyncrasies.

I recently re installed Win 7 on this old PC a few weeks back now and:
I have this annoying issue with FF now that every time I open it, it somehow creates this annoying link to Windows Explorer(file explorer, not Internet!)

I have a quicklaunch icon for File explorer in my toolbar, and (as you should know) when you right click it, it displays a list of recently used directories.
This list is easily editable via the Recent Places directory. If you look in there, will be a list of recently used folders .. etc.

Without ever having browsed the Firefox profile directory location, every time I open FF, it somehow creates a listing in recent places. Have no idea why or how(or what setting to change).

So if I clear the recent places list, and then only open FF, this annoying fhxcrhr.default listing pops up if I right click the File explorer icon in the toolbar.

I have many hard set(pinned) quick launch items in this right click list, and this one isn't wanted, needed or ever used.

With near identical settings on this installation of Win 7 as to the 6 yo one I used up until the refresh .. I have no idea on what's going on with it.

It's not a problem, I can remove it(but it just comes back) .. so I just live with it as one of those slight annoyances to comment on.
it wouldn't even be an annoyance if I didn't rely so much on the right click option for file explorer.

And the other question is .. is it Windows or Firefox to blame?

Going by your recent results(the safe mode addition) your issue is almost definitely FF related.

I have too much stuff to back up again before I install Win10(fresh of course) on the desktop, and hopefully it will go smoothly for me as it has on the tablet.