Try Firefox Safe Mode to see if the problem goes away. Firefox Safe Mode is a troubleshooting mode that turns off some settings, disables most add-ons (extensions and themes).

If Firefox is open, you can restart in Firefox Safe Mode from the Help menu:

• In Firefox 29.0 and above, click the menu button , click Help and select Restart with Add-ons Disabled.
• In previous Firefox versions, click on the Firefox button at the top left of the Firefox window and click on Help (or click on Help in the Menu bar, if you don't have a Firefox button) then click on Restart with Add-ons Disabled.

If Firefox is not running, you can start Firefox in Safe Mode as follows:

• On Windows: Hold the Shift key when you open the Firefox desktop or Start menu shortcut.
• On Mac: Hold the option key while starting Firefox.
• On Linux: Quit Firefox, go to your Terminal and run firefox -safe-mode
  (you may need to specify the Firefox installation path e.g. /usr/lib/firefox)

When the Firefox Safe Mode window appears, select "Start in Safe Mode".

If the issue is not present in Firefox Safe Mode, your problem is probably caused by an extension, and you need to figure out which one. Please follow the Troubleshoot extensions, themes and hardware acceleration issues to solve common Firefox problems article to find the cause.

To exit Firefox Safe Mode, just close Firefox and wait a few seconds before opening Firefox for normal use again.

When you figure out what's causing your issues, please let us know. It might help others with the same problem.

It seems that you have checked the option "open new window...." under Options . Another thing is it depends on webpage redirection hows that one sets.

to chandan baba: very sorry chandan, you did not read my problem completely I stated that I only have two options etc. if I check the option I get a new tab for each window if I dont check it then I get a new floating browser window for each site. dont want either I want to have it as before changing the website to a new one in the same window space and be able to use back and forward arrows

to corbindallas:

1. Are you logged in as user or administrator?

2. Did this happen after doing a startup Firefox in safe mode? You have only two options showing in Options/Tabs window? You should have 6 choices in Options/Tabs window.

3. Click on open menu icon or Tools at top of browser and check History for website link you are trying to arrow back or forward.

4. Update to Firefox 33 has some important fixes. You can check these out at https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/.

I didn't mean that I only had two options in the world you should know that. I said that there were only two options as far as how the website is displayed either to put each site on a tab or they pop up as floating windows. this didn't just happen its been like this for a while and are you implying that this doesn't happen to you? look once more, I want to be able to just click on a link or put a link in the address bar and it will go to that page then, if i click on a new web page it doesn't come up on a new tab. if I turn off the "open new windows in a new tab instead" (in options under tabs) then I get each new page coming up as a floating new browser window. again I want the option (just a word here not relating to the options categories) to just click on a link and it replaces the webpage I am looking at and not creating another tab or if tab option not selected another floating window on top of the previous website. (stacking windows) a final note as I don't think this is going to be solved here, this is exactly why we need verbal communication it is faster easier to understand and you don't have to reexplain each time someone else comes on and doesn't read the first message correctly. I fully understand that you are here to help but I strongly feel that the company that creates the product should have direct customer support not having all of us out here trying to help each other. You cant even contact this company and when I say contact I am meaning verbal contact this whole problem could be solved in just a few minutes one way or the other on the phone. instead of waiting for minutes or hours for a random response from others. finally I thank you for the time you have put in.