Could you try "Step 2" in this support article: How do I launch Firefox for Windows 8 Touch?

I don't know whether you will need to do that every time you exit and restart Firefox, or whether it can be automated. Since this is still in testing, it might be kept as a manual switch for a while.

hello spangled101, just for clarification: aurora is a codename for the early beta version of firefox hwere new features are tested. the version that is aurora today will ship as firefox in a few month.

but back to the real issue: please refer to this article how to bring up aurora in windows metro mode: How do I launch Firefox for Windows 8 Touch?

Aurora is actually considered to be more Alpha.

Aurora is not the name of a version but one of the four main development channels. They are Release (26.0), Beta (27.0b8 currently), Aurora (28.0a2) and Nightly (29.0a1). When Firefox 27.0 is released on Feb 4 the versions will move/merge to next channel around time also.

Thank you all for your comments,

I installed Aurora following that same article, I was very tired and somehow completely missed the step to "re-launch in windows 8 style aurora"

I clearly misunderstood what Aurora is, (I assumed it was a new metro only browser from mozilla.) That explains the painful reason why when uninstalling it I completely removed my firefox profile along with all bookmarks etc...!

Hah, I have caused myself some major grief here.........

I used a recova program to retrieve some data yet think I will have to completely reinstall firefox to be able to copy it back into the profile folder, after re-setting firefox to default with the aim to set up a new profile then copy in the file containing my bookmarks, there seems no way get a profile back, bookmark any page or anything like that. Something is out of whack.

I will uninstall, reinstall and start from scratch, thank you all for your help, this is a sign to stop working so late!

Hi spangled101, sorry to hear about the data loss.

If you have recovered any folder with the name bookmarkbackups then you can restore (or try to restore) the most recent file(s) to your new setup. These articles hopefully will help with that:

• Restore bookmarks from backup or move them to another computer
• If the folder is not found in a search: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/show-hidden-files
• If Windows does not show files extensions such as .js and .json: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/865219
• If you are able to recover other files: Recovering important data from an old profile (but as you've experienced, sometimes they create more problems than they solve)

Instead of uninstalling Firefox 26 and reinstalling it, consider:

Create a new Firefox profile

A new profile will have your system-installed plugins (e.g., Flash) and extensions (e.g., security suite toolbars), but no themes, other extensions, or other customizations. It also should have completely fresh settings databases and a fresh cache folder. You can have multiple profiles for testing, isolating particular projects, or attempting different kinds of recovery.

Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager using Start > search box (or Run):

firefox.exe -P

Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.

You'll click the Create Profile button. I recommend using the default location suggested, that is, don't click the button to choose a different folder. Then start Firefox in the new profile you created and you can start recovering selective files.

When returning to the Profile Manager, you might be tempted to use the Delete Profile button. But... it's a bit too easy to accidentally delete your "real" profile, so I recommend resisting the temptation. If you do want to clean up later, I suggest making a backup of all your profiles first in case something were to go wrong.

When uninstalling Firefox on Windows you need to make sure the Remove my Firefox personal data and customizations box is unchecked.