Sounds that you have/had an extension installed that added these features and that has stopped working. You can check on the about:addons page if you can find this extension.

• "3-bar" menu button or Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions

See also:

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-extensions-themes-to-fix-problems

thanks. All that is there is my Avast security which I implicitly trust. Nearly as aggrevating as the tab issue is going to any link and not opening a new tab but opening a whole new window.

You open a link in a new window with a left-click if you are holding down the Shift key.

How were you opening the new tab?

Do you open the tab with by left-clicking a link to open this link or do you want to open a new tab with the default new tab page (i.e. the normal action when you click the '+')?

I am used to clicking just to the left open tab and not going to the far right + sign to open a new tab.

I can adjust to this but think it is related to why every time I click on a link a new Firefox window opens rather than just a new tab in the same window I am operating. Both these failures/occurrences happened at the same time after clearing out some history.

I suspect one has to do with the other and all I want is to return to a method I understand.

Thanks for the interest and I hope someone has a simple solution to restore what ever defaults or correct any "my-faults" that have led to this issue.

Note that you can move this plus button to another (left) position on the Tab bar or to another toolbar (Navigation Toolbar) in customization mode if you would prefer this.

Do you have any extensions that might have add this feature and that somehow got disabled?

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-extensions-themes-to-fix-problems

Got tab opening device fixed. Still opening a new window instead of a new tab EVERY time I click a link. Frustrating.

Maybe check some prefs on the about:config page.

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/browser.link.open_newwindow
• 1: current tab; 2:new window; 3:new tab;

For links opened via JavaScript you can look at this pref:

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/browser.link.open_newwindow.restriction

Note that these prefs only have effect if the link specifies a target window and you want to divert this to the current tab or a new tab.