Could you describe in a bit more detail what you mean by clicking on the toolbar to open your home page: are you clicking the Home button, or using reload, or using a bookmark?

Does the same problem occur when you open a new window (Ctrl+n), or only when you use your Firefox desktop icon?

If the problem is specific to your shortcut on the desktop:

Check whether the shortcut specifies any command-line parameters. Here's what I mean:

right-click the icon > Properties > Shortcut tab

The "Target" line should be selected. That line should not have any extra stuff after the following:

32-bit Windows:

"C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"

64-bit Windows:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe"

If you see extra text after that, clear it out, save your change, and try the shortcut again. Any improvement?

Thankyou for responding so fast. I have a task bar at the bottom of the computer screen and also an icon on the desktop to access Mozilla. the result is the same with both, blank screen. The only way to access is the bookmark bar directly underneath the browser. I have 32 bit windows and the target line is exactly what you said it should be, no more. I appreciate your help, if you have any more ideas, great, otherwise I'll have to ask a neighbor friend of mine for help, he loves this kind of stuff. But it is a great mystery.

Could you double-check your home page setting a different way?

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste home and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Does the browser.startup.homepage preference show your correct home page URL?

If that setting is correct, and you click the Home button on the toolbar, does your specified home page display?

If that setting is not correct, you can double-click to edit it. Does Firefox save your edit or stay stuck on the wrong page?

I don't know what my correct homepage URL is. This is what I have:

browser.startup.homepage;http://www.google.com/firefox?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official

If I double click it, what should the proper address be?

Hi Commander54, that was the home page for Firefox 3.6 and earlier. It is no longer updated. If you click the link in your reply (just above this one) is that the page you want?

We put the correct URL in and then reset Firefox. all is working now. Problem was Firefox kept searching for updates but it never got anywhere. Could have been an outdated version like you said. Thanks