Do you have the “safe” browsing mode turned on? It might be checking the URL against various online “blacklist” databases. I turn all checking off t speed it up, being on a Mac and not clicking links without checking the actual address makes it unnecessary.

Are you using Ubuntu by any chance? I realize it’s a long shot but this happened to me this week on two seperate occasions.

> The first is the one @DarkScribe described. Apparently in Ubuntu it takes up 100% cpu to check the sql list that contains all these bad addresses. Unchecking it solves that.

> The second time was really weird. The browser acted frozen but was not frozen at all. What actually happened was that their was a 1px new browser window opening that stole the focus of the already maximized window browser behind it. I had to resize the 1px window and close them. Now the maximized window browser got it’s focus back and became responsive. This only happens if I have selected text and I right click outside of that text.

@DarkScribe Thanks – I’ll try that next time.

@markyy No Ubuntu (though I used to and I miss it). I completely forgot to include the details: running Windows 7, latest Firefox.

Weird about the 1px browser..!

you probably have WAAAAAY to many extensions hooked into the context menu

try a new profile

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Profile_Manager

My problem with Firefox is that it stalls for some reason (checking History, maybe?) as I start typing a URL in the Navigation window. Sometimes I just open a Notepad window, type it there, and just ‘fool’ Firefox by pasting it into the window. But it’s an annoyance.