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Whenever I open FF I get a blank tab and a second, unwanted tab

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  • 4 have this problem
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  • Last reply by kram73

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I aam using FF 32.0.3 with Windows 8.1. I am trying to get FF to open to a blank page. I have used "about:blank in the past, but lately that doesn't work. I get a screen with two tabs, both labeled "New Tab". The first tab is actually blank. The second one, which pops up within seconds of the first, displays large boxes containing the names of various programs. I have a screen shot of the tab but don't know how to show it here.

I aam using FF 32.0.3 with Windows 8.1. I am trying to get FF to open to a blank page. I have used "about:blank in the past, but lately that doesn't work. I get a screen with two tabs, both labeled "New Tab". The first tab is actually blank. The second one, which pops up within seconds of the first, displays large boxes containing the names of various programs. I have a screen shot of the tab but don't know how to show it here.

Chosen solution

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I r3solved the problem by doing a Firefox reset.

Again, thanks!

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You can attach the screen shot to a reply.

It sounds a little bit familiar. If you check the bottom of that screen, is there any indication of the publisher or an "opt-out" link? This may help in tracking down the source, which probably is an add-on.

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Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.

  • Switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance
  • Do NOT click the Reset button on the Safe Mode start window

You can check the target line in the Firefox desktop shortcut (right-click: Properties) to make sure that nothing is appended after the path to the Firefox program.

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Thanks for the suggestion, but it didn't work. I hope to get to a Verizon store soon to see what they have to say.

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Hmm, I suggest making a backup before letting store techs touch your computer. This article has suggestions on backing up your Firefox settings: Back up and restore information in Firefox profiles

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You can check the target line in the Firefox desktop shortcut (right-click: Properties) to make sure that nothing is appended after the path to the Firefox program.

Do a malware check with several malware scanning programs on the Windows computer. Please scan with all programs because each program detects different malware. All these programs have free versions.

Make sure that you update each program to get the latest version of their databases before doing a scan.

You can also do a check for a rootkit infection with TDSSKiller.

See also:

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I'll second cor-el's suggestions. Based on another thread, that extra tab sounds just like an Astromenda infection.

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Seçilmiş Həll

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I r3solved the problem by doing a Firefox reset.

Again, thanks!

Modified by kram73