[Bilgemaster]

You could try a fresh installation of Firefox, if, like me, that's the browser you prefer. I've had to do that more than just a few times to flush out the goobs, especially on my "system managed" rigs at work. If there are bookmarks you wish to keep, just export them first as a single file named like <bookmarks.htm> (I think that's the default name given under Firefox' Bookmarks-->Export menu), save that somewhere on your drive. Next, uninstall Firefox from Control Panel-->Programs. Fire up Explorer or Chrome or whatever other browser remains, head over to getfirefox.com, download and install the browser. When you first run it, it should ask you if you want it to be your default browser. Choose yes, and the other browsers should henceforth leave you be. Oftentimes the old bookmarks will just reappear by themselves. If not, just browse to your saved <bookmarks.htm> file and bookmark that. Presto!

Like I said, I've done this Firefox refresh many many times, both for myself and for coworkers, chiefly to override our network-preferred Windows Explorer browser, since it measurably ran like iced molasses on some of the online databases we used for research. Eventually the network admins cooked up a special dispensation for our department to run Firefox.

Anyhow, that might expel your text-handling gremlins and reel back your margins from the far horizons, Tooseevee. The whole process takes only minutes.

[tooseevee]

You could try a fresh installation of Firefox, if, like me, that's the browser you prefer. I've had to do that more than just a few times to flush out the goobs, especially on my "system managed" rigs at work. If there are bookmarks you wish to keep, just export them first as a single file named like <bookmarks.htm> (I think that's the default name given under Firefox' Bookmarks-->Export menu), save that somewhere on your drive. Next, uninstall Firefox from Control Panel-->Programs. Fire up Explorer or Chrome or whatever other browser remains, head over to getfirefox.com, download and install the browser. When you first run it, it should ask you if you want it to be your default browser. Choose yes, and the other browsers should henceforth leave you be. Oftentimes the old bookmarks will just reappear by themselves. If not, just browse to your saved <bookmarks.htm> file and bookmark that. Presto!

Like I said, I've done this Firefox refresh many many times, both for myself and for coworkers, chiefly to override our network-preferred Windows Explorer browser, since it measurably ran like iced molasses on some of the online databases we used for research. Eventually the network admins cooked up a special dispensation for our department to run Firefox.

Anyhow, that might expel your text-handling gremlins and reel back your margins from the far horizons, Tooseevee. The whole process takes only minutes.

           OK -I bit the bullet. Did a clean out of Firefox then went and downloaded it fresh as a baby's butt. Did all my settings and preferences and all that and

            NOW! Everything is perfect; all the avatars are back, everything's in nice paragraphs, "Quote" is back

            UNLESS I Login! As soon as I Login, it all goes back to what set me to bitchin' and moanin' in the first place.

[Bilgemaster]

That's semi-baffling--Might it be some persistent garbled text formatting preferences data in a cookie left on your machine by this site? Try deleting cookies by going to about:preferences#privacy in Firefox (cut-n-paste blue text into address line and hit <Enter>), and under "Cookies and Site Data" click <Clear Data>, Restart machine, and as they say in the Haynes manuals, "observe effect on performance".

Or, before you mount it onto the nethermost regions of your choice AVL, you might try manfully waving the wee Gremlins-Be-Gone Bell over your laptop that I sent you yesterday afternoon in thanks for that OEM silencer and bonus horn you'd sent me. Go ahead and sound it over your keyboard "nicely thricely" in keeping with the Olde Ways, just to see if its sweet tinkling chimes will coax and trap the evil pixies from a laptop as well as a roadway.

[tooseevee]

That's semi-baffling--Might it be some persistent garbled text formatting preferences data in a cookie left on your machine by this site? Try deleting cookies by going to about:preferences#privacy in Firefox (cut-n-paste blue text into address line and hit <Enter>), and under "Cookies and Site Data" click <Clear Data>, Restart machine, and as they say in the Haynes manuals, "observe effect on performance".

            Tried that before, doesn't work. As soon as I Login I get the two block long sentences from anything that is a paragraph, the avatars disappear, no "Quote", etc.. I have to Click on "Reply", scroll down to the post I want to respond to and click on "Insert Quote". Then I see the message with normal paragraphs and can add my response under the [/quote] at the bottom of the post I'm responding to.

            I'm all set, it works for me and I ain't a'marchin' any more to figger it out (as Phil said). I will not worry it to death any longer. 

[Bilgemaster]

[...Snip!]. I'm all set, it works for me and I ain't a'marchin' any more to figger it out (as Phil said). I will not worry it to death any longer.

Well, it can't hurt to try the bell! Should be there by tomorrow or maybe Friday.

[tooseevee]

Well, it can't hurt to try the bell! Should be there by tomorrow or maybe Friday.

           Bell not here yet, maybe today. Do you have any ideas what I might look into about this Login glitch? Everything is perfect if I'm not logged in. As soon as I Login it all goes to shite.

            Maybe I should go to our local computer genius shop? They're all grown ups now who were hacking ATMs back in the '80s when they were 13  It must be something to do with how my Firefox connects to this site or vice versa.     

[tooseevee]

           Bell not here yet, maybe today. Do you have any ideas what I might look into about this Login glitch? Everything is perfect if I'm not logged in. As soon as I Login it all goes to shite.

            Maybe I should go to our local computer genius shop? They're all grown ups now who were hacking ATMs back in the '80s when they were 13  It must be something to do with how my Firefox connects to this site or vice versa.   

           Bell arrived yesterday. Very cool. It will keep my son's bell company; a gift when I first got the Enfield. Interesting that you had never heard of biker bells (maybe it's just a harley thing?). More later next week. Surgery tomorrow. Feel like warmed up shit sandwich (with no mayonnaise).

[Bilgemaster]

Well, good luck with the kidneys...must have been all those miles on shockless bobbers back in the last century fizzing up those Pabst Blue Ribbons, Eh? If you get bored while catching up on your Jello, gimme a holler. I'll PM you my number again, just so you'll have it handy.

As for the weird formatting issues, my best guess to resolve it was dumping those cookies. I can't think of anything else that might cause such an issue so site-specifically as just this Forum. You didn't happen to configure any of those 'Windows Accessibility' features for those with poor vision or tweak the default font or other formatting display options under Firefox, I take it? What about screen display settings? I cannot guess why any of those might affect just this Forum, but I think we've long since established that its installation could have been less "buggy".

Anyhow, take care and get well. The great riding times are on the doorstep, and we're all pulling for you.