Are you using Firefox ok on the same computer, but maybe from a different profile, or a different Windows 7 OS account ?

Are you posting from the computer that has problems, or from a different machine. I can not think of a specific cause of this but as a first step I would suggest you try safe mode but do not make changes, when you see the dialogue window with a check box just click on the continue button.

• see also basic troubleshooting

I got the following answer here on the forum which worked:

If your running GuardID that could be the problem. Further info in http://www.guardedid.com/support_faq.aspx confirms this as the program that is intercepting the keystrokes and converting them to numbers in sequence.

I noted this problem didn't exist if I started my computer in safe mode. Both Internet Explorer and Firefox URL address fields worked fine. But if I started my computer in normal mode, typing letters in the URL field for either browser would result in a counting sequence of numeric digits. So, I began removing startup programs one by one (by unchecking via Control Panel/System and Security/Administrative Tools/System Configuration Startup tab). When I unchecked the following (and rebooted), the problem went away:

Startup Item: GID Desktop Application

Manufacturer: StrikeForce Technologies Inc.

Command:C:\Program Files\SFT\GuardedID\gidd.exe / 9 out of 9 people found this reply helpful Reply Was this reply helpful?

Glad you solved the problem after trying safe mode.

I note the software GuardedID does seem to be intended to work with Firefox, at least on Windows Vista, per this faq, regarding it being slow: http://www.guardedid.com/support_faq.aspx#EBCDA

And that other faqs , on the same web page, mention it going out of sync and producing numbers when you type.

Presumably the other thread you found was: Firefox only types numbers instead of letters

I do wonder whether a better solution to preventing keylogging may be having a security suite including AV installed.

Thanks for following up. My main worry is that by turning off GuardID, she's (my daughter) opened herself to other security worries. We'll see... Also, I do have to say this is one of the quickest answers I've gotten on any forum. Very nice :)

Glad you are pleased with a rapid response, but unfortunately that was just down to luck. The forum questions are answered by volunteers and there are more questions than we can answer at the moment.

Changes are planned to try to improve matters and reduce the workload but more volunteers are always welcome.