I tried this here, and both "C-x 5 b" and "C-x 5 f" worked just
fine, though they both wanted me to specify the filename. "C-x 5 2"
opened a new frame and automatically displayed the buffer from
the previous frame.
I suspect that there is something in your ~/.emacs.el
configuration that is causing this. Best thing to do is do
a binary search of your configuration. I.e., comment out half of
the config and save it. Run emacs and see if the problem has gone
away. If not, comment out half of the remaining config and try
again. If it has gone away, un-comment the section you just
commented and try again. Rinse and repeat until you've found the
errant config.
Hope this helps.
--Dale
--
“Always do right -- this will gratify some and astonish the rest.”
-- Mark Twain (1835-1910)