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When computer was turned on after forcing Firefox to quit, Firefox was trying to install a 'helper something (maybe ap). What is this?

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  • Last reply by FredMcD

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At one point last night, Firefox was not responding, so I forced it to quit. That took a while, and I had no idea why, so I shut down the computer. When I started Firefox up again, there was a dialog box that said Firefox was trying to install a 'helper add-on (or something--I don't remember) and it opened my administrator log-in box. I cancelled it. In case this comes up again, what is this helper and can I install it without fear of installing something bad? Thanks.

At one point last night, Firefox was not responding, so I forced it to quit. That took a while, and I had no idea why, so I shut down the computer. When I started Firefox up again, there was a dialog box that said Firefox was trying to install a 'helper add-on (or something--I don't remember) and it opened my administrator log-in box. I cancelled it. In case this comes up again, what is this helper and can I install it without fear of installing something bad? Thanks.

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Everything seems to be working well. I ran Malwarebytes, which came up clean. The discussion on malware scanners suggested was helpful, interesting--and supported the choice to cancel a surprise installation. Thanks for your help!

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Glad to help. Safe Surfing.

Never let something download if you don't know what it is.