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still can not change homepage

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  • 3 have this problem
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  • Last reply by ShaiShahar

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I have tried repeatedly to change homepage it keeps going back to yahoo I searched solutions but none of them seem to work in fact some of the files mentioned like any of the *.js files do not even exist on my system

I have tried repeatedly to change homepage it keeps going back to yahoo I searched solutions but none of them seem to work in fact some of the files mentioned like any of the *.js files do not even exist on my system

Chosen solution

I promised an update and here it is. I tried every solution posted and none truly worked. After a day or two Yahoo came back, despite resets, malware scans..disabling add-ons, etc. So finally I copied my saved login passwords into a .docx file on my desktop and then uninstalled FF..went to regedit and deleted every reference to FF and Yahoo it could find, restarted my PC and reinstalled FF. It has been more than a week with no problems and no Yahoo. So for now it is solved. Hope this helps.

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still goes back to yahoo

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I have exactly the same issue: I live in Holland, running Windows 7 PC with FF as default browser. Never a complaint until two days ago..opened FF and saw Yahoo as homepage. Came here and tried all solutions but they DO NOT work. I have been to about:configure..reset homepagecand search engine, checked and rechecked add-ons, run malware and adware scans. Seems solved until I restart FF and Yahoo is back as homepage! I HATE YAHOO, and I am obviously not alone. Will try clean install of older version of FF and hope that solves it. If not I am leaving FF and switching to Chrome.

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Try going down to the start orb and then typing:

firefox.exe -p

create a new profile as outlined here: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles

IF the problem still persists it could be something on your system causing ( browser hijacker, malware ) that reverts it back. USUALLY a new profile will not carry over addons from another Firefox profile.

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Thanks but no thanks. The problem is not 3rd party add ons, or malware or adware. In fact I honestly doubt the problem is FF. I think the problem is Yahoo. You might want to review their code...and in fact, you might want to rethink your partnership with such a company. 90% of us use Google search..I would wager the vast majority of FF users have gmail accounts and set their homepage to Google..not FF and certainly not Yahoo. This all happened after the most recent FF update. Maybe a coincidence..but I find it odd that my problem...our problem...is with Yahoo taking over our browser and not some other well-known annoyance like Conduit Engine. I should not have to create an alternate profile, spend hours fixing a problem I did not have until 2 days ago. I have not installed new software/freeware/add-ons, do not use this PC for downloading or streaming videos, I have up to date Avast AV, Microsoft Security Essentials and real-time malware protection..plus ad block enabled. So the only 3rd party that can be the bug is Yahoo, IMHO. So please tell whoever is in charge that MANY of us are complaining and someone needs to create an update or a patch that will solve this issue with one click. Thank you.

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Windows hides some file extensions by default. Among them are .html and .ini and .js and .txt, so you may only see file name without file extension. You can see the real file type (file extension) in the properties of the file via the right-click context menu in Windows Explorer.


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

If you do not keep changes after a restart or otherwise have problems with preferences, see:


The System Details list shows that you run an older Firefox 36 version that is no longer supported with security updates.

  • It is important to update Firefox and add-ons to the latest versions to get all security fixes.

Please update to the current Firefox 38 release.

  • Help > About Firefox
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Hi ShaiShahar, if I understand correctly, you start Firefox and it displays some Yahoo page. Could you post the exact URL? Sometimes extra parameters help identify an intermediary that gains some benefit from promoting Yahoo.

Then you go into Options and that URL is there, or is Options correct? If you are updating Options, then that works for new windows (Ctrl+n) during the same session, but when you start Firefox again, you are back to the unwanted URL as your home page?

The reason for being particular about this is that there are several different kinds of hijacks, including the home page setting, Firefox shortcut, and extensions with a dark side. We also know that sometimes the settings file do not update properly (see: How to fix preferences that won't save), and some malware will create a user.js file to override your previous session settings at startup (see previous article), and programs like Advanced SystemCare that have a browser settings protection feature will roll back your changes between sessions. So there are several things to check and we can narrow down the recommendations based on a more specific description of the behavior.

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Type about:addons<enter> in the address bar to open your Add-ons Manager. Hot key; <Control>(Mac:<Command>)<Shift> A)

Select Extensions, and remove Yahoo Anything.

Now do the same thing in the computers Programs Folder.

Windows: Start > Control Panel > Uninstall Programs. Mac: Open the "Applications" folder. Linux: Check your user manual.


Bookmark and use this; Mozilla Search Reset {web link} This add-on is very simple: on installation, it backs up and then resets your search preferences and home page to their default values, and then uninstalls itself. This affects the search bar, URL bar searches, and the home page.


Settings Guard for Firefox {web link} Detects and resets changes to settings that are frequently done by add-ons and application installers.

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Chosen Solution

I promised an update and here it is. I tried every solution posted and none truly worked. After a day or two Yahoo came back, despite resets, malware scans..disabling add-ons, etc. So finally I copied my saved login passwords into a .docx file on my desktop and then uninstalled FF..went to regedit and deleted every reference to FF and Yahoo it could find, restarted my PC and reinstalled FF. It has been more than a week with no problems and no Yahoo. So for now it is solved. Hope this helps.