search will not work, no default search and will not go to any websites but my bookmarks
My kids were playing on my computer yesterday and now today when I load firefox, it will not search or go to any other websites but those that I have bookmarked. If I type in a search term and click enter, whatever I typed just erases. I did run a virus scan and found a few that were erased, I tried to refresh firefox, nothing is working. Google chrome is working fine, but I prefer firefox. A few things I noticed. When I click tools/options/search, there is nothing on the screen (no search engines listed, not even a default one) and the option where you can click the drop down menu is tiny and nothing happens if you try to open the menu?? I am totally lost here, please help!
Chosen solution
Before wiping, you might try a malware cleanup. Our support article Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware lists tools other Firefox users have found useful. These on-demand scanners are free and take considerable time to run. If they finish quickly and especially if they require payment, you may have a serious infection. I suggest the specialized forums listed in the article in that case.
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First, I suggest you turn on the password for your user account. Second, give them their own accounts (limited).
Without knowing what went wrong, we will have to try a few things.
Create a new profile;
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles Windows: 32-bit C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe -p 64-bit C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe -p Mac: Navigate to /Applications/Utilities. Open the Terminal application. In the Terminal application, enter the following: /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox-bin -p
If you were able to make a new profile, use these to restore the old data.
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/recovering-important-data-from-an-old-profile
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/back-and-restore-information-firefox-profiles
Modified by FredMcD
I created a new profile, did not help, I uninstalled firefox, restarted my computer and loaded a new firefox but it was the same. Here is my question, why when I uninstalled firefox then reloaded it, my old bookmarks were there? I am not totally uninstalling firefox. How can I totally wipe it 0ut and start over?
Modified by tammypupp
At this point, I think I will be wiping out my computer. I have saved any pictures and files I want to save to a flashdrive so if that does not work, I will write back. As for the kids, I did have a password, If you have ever had kids, they find ways. The big problem is all these websites with "free" games that are never really free!
Chosen Solution
Before wiping, you might try a malware cleanup. Our support article Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware lists tools other Firefox users have found useful. These on-demand scanners are free and take considerable time to run. If they finish quickly and especially if they require payment, you may have a serious infection. I suggest the specialized forums listed in the article in that case.
tammypupp said
why when I uninstalled firefox then reloaded it, my old bookmarks were there?
That you did was to reinstall the program. Your profile is in another folder.
The big problem is all these websites with "free" games that are never really free!
There are third party free programs that can block certain web sites. Check any web search engine.