Loading Bar? Maybe the URL/address bar where you type sites you want to go to (like www.google.com)? See Navigation Bar below. You may also need to see the first item "Can't see the Menu Bar".

Can't see the Menu Bar (File, Edit, View, History, Bookmarks, Tools, Help)? Turning the Menu Bar on and off is a new feature in version 3.6. (Linux & OSX see: Restore the Menu bar in Firefox ) Windows Method 1. Hold down the key and press the following letters in this exact order: V T M Windows Method 2. Press and release the key. The Menu Bar will be displayed; then choose ~~red:V~~iew > ~~red:T~~oolbars and click on ~~red:M~~enu Bar. The Menu Bar should now be displayed permanently, unless you turn it off again using View > Toolbars. Check mark = displayed, NO check mark = not displayed. See: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Menu+bar+is+missing

Navigation Toolbar, Bookmarks Toolbar and other Toolbars under View > Toolbars. Clicking on one of them will place a check mark (display) or remove the check mark (not displayed).

To display the Status Bar, View, then click Status bar to place a check mark (display) or remove the check mark (not displayed).

Full Screen mode http://kb.mozillazine.org/Netbooks#Full_screen

Also see: Back and forward or other toolbar buttons are missing Customize Firefox controls, buttons and toolbars

You can un-install the Mozilla ActiveX control as Firefox no longer uses it and hasn't since, as I recall, version 2. See: ActiveX

To remove Tools > Add-ons > Extensions, click on the item, click Uninstall, click Restart Firefox in the Extensions window.

Other Issues: ~~red:You have installed plug-ins with known security issues. You should update them immediately.~~

Install/Update Adobe Flash Player for Firefox (aka Shockwave Flash): your ver. 10.0 r45; current ver. 10.1 r53 (important security update 2010-06-10) ~~red:Check your version here~~: http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/plugincheck/ See: Updating Flash -use Firefox to download and SAVE to your hard drive (save to Desktop for easy access) -exit Firefox (File > Exit) -check to see that Firefox is completely closed (Ctrl+Alt+Del, choose Task Manager, click Processes tab, if "firefox.exe" is on the list, right-click "firefox.exe" and choose End process, close the Task Manager window) -double-click on the Adobe Flash installer you just downloaded to install/update Adobe Flash -when the Flash installation is complete, start Firefox, and test the Flash installation here: http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=tn_15507&sliceId=1

• NOTE: On Vista and Windows 7 you may need to run the plugin installer as Administrator by starting the installer via the right-click context menu if you do not get an UAC prompt to ask for permission to continue (i.e nothing seems to happen). See this: http://vistasupport.mvps.org/run_as_administrator.htm
• NOTE for IE: Firefox and most other browsers use a Plugin. IE uses an ActiveX version of Flash. To install/update the IE ActiveX Adobe Flash Player, same instructions as above, except use IE to download the ActiveX Flash installer.
• Also see: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Flash ~~red:AND~~ How do I edit options to add Adobe to the list of allowed sites

That bar at the bottom is called Status Bar>: View > Status Bar --- It is also possible that the screen is too wide or too high and that the scroll bars fall off. Open the system menu via Alt+Space and see if you can resize that window. If that works then close Firefox to save that setting. See also http://kb.mozillazine.org/Resizing_oversize_window .......... Window sizes and positions are stored in localstore.rdf in the Profile Folder.

Delete localstore.rdf or rename to localstore.rdf.sav in the Profile Folder to test if the file is corrupted. See http://kb.mozillazine.org/Corrupt_localstore.rdf

Thank you so much for the effort of all of that!

I found out that opening up another instance of Firefox through "run" on the Windows start menu gave me a new browser with the status bar active. I realise that switching on and off my PC will probably now bring up that instance rather than the last one with the fault. I will close the faulty instance down first and leave the new correct instance on before shutting down. I went here to work it out and did nothing but load a new browser: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Managing+profiles#Starting_the_Profile_Manager

There was no need to do anything else suggested through that link.

Obviously some setting or page or option switched it off I suppose. I remember pressing Alt with some letters by mistake earlier on and reading your post above made it clear I could have pressed on another setting through Firefox's menu system.

I also went to Tools > Options > Content > Enable Javascript > Advanced and I unchecked the hide status bar option and that didn't seem to correct anything.

I am pleased I found the solution with you TXGuy! If I have any further problems, I will be sure to come back here for some help. You have been great. Thanks!

Wow Thank you cor-el! That also helps me understand more about this. Now I can name the bar correctly and it made it easier when I saw what you wrote earlier on to go find a solution myself. This has been invaluable and I really appreciate the online live help!! It is truly amazing and you have been such a great help :-)