You can use NewTabURL addon so you can set your new tab page to what address.

You should go to Tools -> Addons -> NewTabURL -> Options and set new tab to blank and save that.

It should work normally now.

p.s: When you install the addon you should reset your browser! :)

Thank you for the reply. Unfortunately this does not solve the problem. I did some more research and this appears to be a Bug in Firefox. The bug happens when "tools->options->general tab->startup->when Firefox starts" is set to "show my windows and tabs from last time". In that configuration, Firefox refuses to create a new blank window (although oddly enough it will create a new blank tab). If the above configuration is set to "show a blank page" then a new blank window can be created. Pretty sure this is not by design. I have no clue how to submit a bug report, I'll have to look into that (please clue me in if anyone has any thoughts about this being a bug, and how I might submit it). Thank you again for the reply, most appreciated.

SOLVED (found a workaround at least). If I edit about:config and change browser.startup.homepage to about:blank, then I can leave "tools->options->general tab->startup->when Firefox starts" set to "show my windows and tabs from last time" and a new window (CTRL-N) will result in a new blank window with my cursor in the location field (ready to type in an URL). So far this was my only real concern after upgrading from 3.03 - very pleased with 10.0.2 so far, thanks Mozilla!!

Firefox opens a new tab by default with a blank page, but a new window is opened with the home page(s).
So you need to set the home page to a blank page or use a bookmark that is set to about:blank and use Shift and left-click to open a new blank window.

Thanks cor-el, that is pretty much how I worked around the problem (see my post above)!

Just to clarify, I think what you are saying is partly true, and partly not. In my experimenting:

if I set "tools->options->general tab->startup->when Firefox starts" set to "show my windows and tabs from last time", then what you say is true.

However, if I set "tools->options->general tab->startup->when Firefox starts" set to "show a blank page" then the creation of a new FF window (CTRL-N) does bring up a blank page.

That's why I think this is a FF bug. It seems to me the configuration field I am changing should not be affecting the characteristics of a new window?

Thanks again, your reply is most appreciated!

I am using session manager and I want to have as home page say google but when I open a new WINDOW to open a blank page. Thanks to this post I managed to do it - I went to SM options and chose Select Session > previous browsing session. Then in the FF options I had the Show Selected SM Session in the "When firefox starts" section. Then in about:config in the browser.startup.page I put 0 (zero). Finally ! Loads previous session on start up, alt-home takes me to google AND new window opens blank

HTH