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checkboxes grayed out

  • 13 replies
  • 2 have this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by Dynaman

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My ISP web mail program has a checkmark box next to each entry so you can select individual email, spam, etc., to move or delete. For some reason after a recent Firefox update the checkmark boxes are no longer usable and will not accept a checkmark. I tried using the Edge browser and it works without issue and the boxes will accept checkmarks to select entries. Any ideas why Firefox no longer works?

My ISP web mail program has a checkmark box next to each entry so you can select individual email, spam, etc., to move or delete. For some reason after a recent Firefox update the checkmark boxes are no longer usable and will not accept a checkmark. I tried using the Edge browser and it works without issue and the boxes will accept checkmarks to select entries. Any ideas why Firefox no longer works?

All Replies (13)

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What do you see if you use the Inspector to inspect these checkboxes? Are the checkboxes disabled?

You can right-click and select "Inspect Element" to open the built-in Inspector with this element selected.

It is possible that some JavaScript runs on the page to enable these boxes and this JavaScript is blocked somehow.

If you use extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) that can block (wanted) content (e.g. Adblock Plus, NoScript, Flash Block, Ghostery) then always make sure such extensions do not block (wanted) content.

  • make sure that your extensions and filters are updated to the latest version

There is security software that can interfere with loading content, so check that as well.


You can try these steps in case of issues with web pages:

You can reload web page(s) and bypass the cache to refresh possibly outdated or corrupted files.

  • hold down the Shift key and left-click the Reload button
  • press "Ctrl + F5" or press "Ctrl + Shift + R" (Windows,Linux)
  • press "Command + Shift + R" (Mac)

Clear the cache and remove the cookies from websites that cause problems via the "3-bar" Firefox menu button (Options/Preferences).

"Clear the cache":

  • Firefox/Options/Preferences -> Advanced -> Network -> Cached Web Content: "Clear Now"

"Remove the cookies" from websites that cause problems.

  • Firefox/Options/Preferences -> Privacy -> "Use custom settings for history" -> Cookies: "Show Cookies"

Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions ("3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.

  • switch to the DEFAULT theme: "3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Appearance
  • do NOT click the "Refresh Firefox" button on the Safe Mode start window
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I tried the "inspect element" option but didn't understand everything that came up. I didn't see anything that would give an indication of a page problem. Both Chrome and Edge browsers open the web mail app with no problems and the check boxes work. No idea why Firefox decided to quit working after many years of no issues.

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Could you please confirm if Firefox has updated to ver 54.0.1 please.

You could try to uninstall Java then reinstall it. Delete the folder that it was in to get rid of any java preferences/cookies or site specific information that it is holding for you when you use Firefox http://Java.com to get a new install .

Give this a try: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/upgrade-graphics-drivers-use-hardware-acceleration Try No Hardware Acceleration also please.

SInce you already tried the other options that were given to you as possible solutions to your issue. https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/refresh-firefox-reset-add-ons-and-settings If doing above please remember save your profile or bookmarks.....

Please let us know if this solved your issue or if need further assistance.

Modified by Shadow110

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Hi Pkshadow, FYI:

You could try to uninstall Java then reinstall it.

Firefox 52.0 (regular release) and later do not run the Java plugin -- even if it is installed, they ignore it. So this step is not necessary for the regular release. It might help in the Extended Support Release of Firefox 52.

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Hi Dynaman, can you indicate what webmail site it is? We might search around to see whether this is a pattern of other reports of this problem, or whether it's something that seems to uniquely afflict your Firefox.

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Good morning Pkshadow and jscher2000. Thank you for trying to help me. Firefox has updated to 54.0.1 and as pointed out Java is not supported according to a line in the Tools/plug in menu. I also turned off Hardware Acceleration but that did not help. I'll try the refresh option when I have a minute.

The web mail is http://www.ifiberone.com/ and is called magic mail.

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Refresh did not solve the issue. For information I build my own computers and this is my current: ASUS ROG Maximus IX motherboard. Intel Core i7-7700K CPU. EVGA NVIDIA GeForce 1070 video card. 16GB RAM. Windows 10 Pro Ver 1607, build 14393.1358.

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What element does get selected if you right-click a checkbox and open it in the Inspector?

Can you attach a screenshot of the Inspector window?

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It could be this obscure meta tag that at least some installations of MagicMail have been reported to use:

<meta http-equiv="MSThemeCompatible" content="no">

See: https://www.fxsitecompat.com/en-CA/docs/2017/checkboxes-and-radio-buttons-are-not-displayed-when-msthemecompatible-is-no/

A fix is scheduled for several weeks from now, in Firefox 55. I haven't read about any end-user workaround to use in the meantime. However, I wouldn't rule it out.

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cor-el said

What element does get selected if you right-click a checkbox and open it in the Inspector? Can you attach a screenshot of the Inspector window?

Way too many lines. A screen shot would only show a small portion of what shows up.

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jscher2000 said

It could be this obscure meta tag that at least some installations of MagicMail have been reported to use: <meta http-equiv="MSThemeCompatible" content="no"> See: https://www.fxsitecompat.com/en-CA/docs/2017/checkboxes-and-radio-buttons-are-not-displayed-when-msthemecompatible-is-no/ A fix is scheduled for several weeks from now, in Firefox 55. I haven't read about any end-user workaround to use in the meantime. However, I wouldn't rule it out.

Thanks jscher2000. Looks like I'll have to wait till the next update.

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Can you locate MSThemeCompatible in the page source code?

  • right-click on the web page and select "View Page Source" (Ctrl+U)
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55.0.3 update fixed the problem. I can now select individual entries with a check mark in the box.