diff --git a/browser/base/content/browser.js b/browser/base/content/browser.js
index f037a7b896d..8557ddda0de 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/browser.js
+++ b/browser/base/content/browser.js
@@ -3598,6 +3598,7 @@ var XULBrowserWindow = {
   startTime: 0,
   statusText: "",
   lastURI: null,
+  isBusy: false,
 
   statusTimeoutInEffect: false,
 
@@ -3736,6 +3737,8 @@ var XULBrowserWindow = {
           aRequest && aWebProgress.DOMWindow == content)
         this.startDocumentLoad(aRequest);
 
+      this.isBusy = true;
+
       if (this.throbberElement) {
         // Turn the throbber on.
         this.throbberElement.setAttribute("busy", "true");
@@ -3807,6 +3810,8 @@ var XULBrowserWindow = {
           this.isImage.setAttribute('disabled', 'true');
       }
 
+      this.isBusy = false;
+
       // Turn the progress meter and throbber off.
       gProgressCollapseTimer = window.setTimeout(function () {
         gProgressMeterPanel.collapsed = true;
diff --git a/browser/base/content/browser.xul b/browser/base/content/browser.xul
index 5d0ccb277fc..2fddae94592 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/browser.xul
+++ b/browser/base/content/browser.xul
@@ -272,11 +272,7 @@
            defaultmode="icons">
     <!-- Menu -->
     <toolbar type="menubar" id="toolbar-menubar" class="chromeclass-menubar" customizable="true"
-#ifdef XP_MACOSX
              defaultset="menubar-items"
-#else
-             defaultset="menubar-items,spring,throbber-box"
-#endif
              mode="icons" iconsize="small" defaulticonsize="small"
              context="toolbar-context-menu">
       <toolbaritem id="menubar-items" align="center">
@@ -417,9 +413,9 @@
                      label="&printButton.label;" command="cmd_print"
                      tooltiptext="&printButton.tooltip;"/>
 
-      <toolbaritem id="throbber-box" title="&throbberItem.title;" align="center" pack="center"
+      <toolbaritem id="navigator-throbber" title="&throbberItem.title;" align="center" pack="center"
                    mousethrough="always">
-        <button id="navigator-throbber" disabled="true"/>
+        <image/>
       </toolbaritem>
 
       <toolbaritem flex="1" id="personal-bookmarks" title="&bookmarksItem.title;">
@@ -483,7 +479,7 @@
              fullscreentoolbar="true" mode="icons" iconsize="large"
              customizable="true"
 #ifdef XP_MACOSX
-             defaultset="unified-back-forward-button,reload-button,stop-button,home-button,urlbar-container,search-container,throbber-box"
+             defaultset="unified-back-forward-button,reload-button,stop-button,home-button,urlbar-container,search-container"
 #else
              defaultset="unified-back-forward-button,reload-button,stop-button,home-button,urlbar-container,search-container,fullscreenflex,window-controls"
 #endif
diff --git a/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml b/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml
index d451c22bb65..7b617e05bfb 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml
+++ b/browser/base/content/tabbrowser.xml
@@ -1021,8 +1021,7 @@
             // Get the first tab all hooked up with a title listener and popup blocking listener.
             this.mCurrentBrowser.addEventListener("DOMTitleChanged", this.onTitleChanged, true);
 
-            var throbberElement = document.getElementById("navigator-throbber");
-            if (throbberElement && throbberElement.hasAttribute("busy")) {
+            if (XULBrowserWindow.isBusy) {
               this.mCurrentTab.setAttribute("busy", "true");
               this.mIsBusy = true;
               this.setTabTitleLoading(this.mCurrentTab);
diff --git a/browser/base/content/urlbarBindings.xml b/browser/base/content/urlbarBindings.xml
index 71ecb895541..c00c77d95a5 100644
--- a/browser/base/content/urlbarBindings.xml
+++ b/browser/base/content/urlbarBindings.xml
@@ -72,14 +72,13 @@
 
       <method name="handleRevert">
         <body><![CDATA[
-          var throbberElement = document.getElementById("navigator-throbber");
           var isScrolling = this.popupOpen;
 
           gBrowser.userTypedValue = null;
 
           // don't revert to last valid url unless page is NOT loading
           // and user is NOT key-scrolling through autocomplete list
-          if ((!throbberElement || !throbberElement.hasAttribute("busy")) && !isScrolling) {
+          if (!XULBrowserWindow.isBusy && !isScrolling) {
             URLBarSetURI();
 
             // If the value isn't empty and the urlbar has focus, select the value.
diff --git a/browser/locales/en-US/profile/chrome/userChrome-example.css b/browser/locales/en-US/profile/chrome/userChrome-example.css
index 5a07a62520e..0fadb0070e4 100644
--- a/browser/locales/en-US/profile/chrome/userChrome-example.css
+++ b/browser/locales/en-US/profile/chrome/userChrome-example.css
@@ -40,14 +40,6 @@
  * }
  */
 
-/*
- * Eliminate the throbber and its annoying movement:
- *
- * #throbber-box {
- *   display: none !important;
- * }
- */
-
 /*
  * For more examples see http://www.mozilla.org/unix/customizing.html
  */
diff --git a/browser/themes/gnomestripe/browser/browser.css b/browser/themes/gnomestripe/browser/browser.css
index 3ab11b51857..b22786adb77 100644
--- a/browser/themes/gnomestripe/browser/browser.css
+++ b/browser/themes/gnomestripe/browser/browser.css
@@ -1156,13 +1156,9 @@ statusbarpanel#statusbar-display {
 
 /* Throbber */
 #navigator-throbber {
-  -moz-appearance: none;
-  -moz-user-focus: ignore;
-  margin: 0 !important;
-  border: none !important;
-  padding: 0px !important;
-  min-width: 0;
-  background-color: transparent;
+  width: 16px;
+  min-height: 16px;
+  margin: 0 3px;
   list-style-image: url("chrome://global/skin/icons/notloading_16.png");
 }
 
@@ -1170,20 +1166,6 @@ statusbarpanel#statusbar-display {
   list-style-image: url("chrome://global/skin/icons/loading_16.png");
 }
 
-#navigator-throbber > hbox {
-  border-top: 0px;
-  border-bottom: 0px;
-  padding-bottom: 1px;
-}
-
-toolbar[mode="text"] #navigator-throbber,
-toolbar[iconsize="small"] #navigator-throbber {
-  list-style-image: url("chrome://global/skin/icons/notloading_16.png");
-}
-toolbar[mode="text"] #navigator-throbber[busy="true"],
-toolbar[iconsize="small"] #navigator-throbber[busy="true"] {
-  list-style-image: url("chrome://global/skin/icons/loading_16.png");
-}
 
 tabpanels {
   -moz-appearance: none;
diff --git a/browser/themes/pinstripe/browser/browser.css b/browser/themes/pinstripe/browser/browser.css
index 08da249d7b7..811bf19e663 100755
--- a/browser/themes/pinstripe/browser/browser.css
+++ b/browser/themes/pinstripe/browser/browser.css
@@ -1492,35 +1492,16 @@ sidebarheader > .tabs-closebutton > .toolbarbutton-text {
 /* ----- THROBBER ----- */
 
 #navigator-throbber {
-  -moz-appearance: none;
-  -moz-user-focus: ignore;
-  -moz-box-pack: center;
-  margin: 0px 4px !important;
-  border: none !important;
-  padding: 0;
-  min-width: 0;
-  background-color: transparent;
-  height: 16px;
-  width: 17px;  
-}
-
-/* XXXmano: hack until we figure out why the throbber uses a button instead
-   of a toolbarbutton */
-#navigator-throbber .button-text {
-  display: none;
-  margin: 0 !important;
+  width: 17px;
+  min-height: 16px;
+  margin: 0 4px;
 }
 
 #navigator-throbber[busy="true"] {
   list-style-image: url("chrome://global/skin/icons/loading_16.png");
 }
 
-toolbar[iconsize="small"] #navigator-throbber[busy="true"],
-toolbar[mode="text"] #navigator-throbber[busy="true"] {
-  list-style-image: url("chrome://global/skin/icons/loading_16.png");
-}
-
-#wrapper-throbber-box > #throbber-box > #navigator-throbber {
+#wrapper-navigator-throbber > #navigator-throbber {
   list-style-image: url("chrome://global/skin/icons/notloading_16.png");
 }
 
diff --git a/browser/themes/winstripe/browser/browser.css b/browser/themes/winstripe/browser/browser.css
index 85b875c589f..9806fb42682 100644
--- a/browser/themes/winstripe/browser/browser.css
+++ b/browser/themes/winstripe/browser/browser.css
@@ -1292,13 +1292,9 @@ statusbarpanel#statusbar-display {
 /* ::::: throbber ::::: */
 
 #navigator-throbber {
-  -moz-appearance: none;
-  -moz-user-focus: ignore;
-  margin: 0 !important;
-  border: none !important;
-  padding: 0px !important;
-  min-width: 0;
-  background-color: transparent;
+  width: 16px;
+  min-height: 16px;
+  margin: 0 3px;
   list-style-image: url("chrome://global/skin/icons/notloading_16.png");
 }
 
@@ -1306,23 +1302,6 @@ statusbarpanel#statusbar-display {
   list-style-image: url("chrome://global/skin/icons/loading_16.png");
 }
 
-/* the default settings for the throbber hbox is too tall for vista menus */
-#navigator-throbber > hbox {
-  border-top: 0px;
-  border-bottom: 0px;
-  padding-bottom: 1px;
-  -moz-margin-end: 1px;
-}
-
-toolbar[iconsize="small"] #navigator-throbber,
-toolbar[mode="text"] #navigator-throbber {
-  list-style-image: url("chrome://global/skin/icons/notloading_16.png");
-}
-toolbar[iconsize="small"] #navigator-throbber[busy="true"],
-toolbar[mode="text"] #navigator-throbber[busy="true"] {
-  list-style-image: url("chrome://global/skin/icons/loading_16.png");
-}
-
 /* Tabstrip */
 .tabbrowser-tabs {
   -moz-appearance: -moz-win-browsertabbar-toolbox;
