You can check for recently installed suspicious or unknown extensions.

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

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Safe+Mode
• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes

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

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Preferences_not_saved

STARTALKER said

I cannot find what continues to reset search to YouTube. YouTube is not my default search. Remove YouTube search via Manage Search Engines and YouTube search continues to take default.

For the record. I really dislike having to strip down to a bare firefox and then build it back to the way that I prefer to use it. It strikes me as just a little lazy, to throw out everything in order to get the one culprit. How about just identifying and repairing or deleting the single problem.

You can check the detailed configuration: enter about:config in the address bar and press Enter. Accept the warning and type in the search bar browser.search.defaultenginename. What is the value?

If you want to see other search parameters, just type browser.search. You will have some information, such as the 3 search engines and their order.

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

In the Add-ons Manager, on the left, select Extensions. Remove YouTube Anything. Now do the same in the computers Programs Folder.

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

After the problem is fixed, Bookmark and use this; Download the 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.

What is the timing on the change for the YouTube search plugin reappearing and making itself the default? For example:

• every single time you exit Firefox and start it up again
• every single time you shut down Windows and start it up again
• every time or sometimes when you visit youtube.com
• randomly during your session

Any idea what is in the user.js file in your profile folder? This article has a section on how to find that: How to fix preferences that won't save.

Note: by default, Windows hides extensions such as .js from you. You can switch off that hiding in Windows Explorer on XP: Tools > Folder Options > View (look for the option to not hide known file extensions)

Note: to view the contents of .js files, use right-click > Edit, don't double-click

STARTALKER said

I cannot find what continues to reset search to YouTube. YouTube is not my default search. Remove YouTube search via Manage Search Engines and YouTube search continues to take default.

cor-el said

You can check for recently installed suspicious or unknown extensions. 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

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Safe+Mode
• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes

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

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Preferences_not_saved

STARTALKER said

STARTALKER said

I cannot find what continues to reset search to YouTube. YouTube is not my default search. Remove YouTube search via Manage Search Engines and YouTube search continues to take default.

For the record. I really dislike having to strip down to a bare firefox and then build it back to the way that I prefer to use it. It strikes me as just a little lazy, to throw out everything in order to get the one culprit. How about just identifying and repairing or deleting the single problem.

Apologies that I'm not quite clear as to how to reply or converse here. I did follow guidelines "You can check for recently installed suspicious or unknown extensions." That didn't identify and I was unable to get rid of the insidious YouTube search that would (and still does) continues to replace my default Startpage search.

I did strip the program bare using to option to start with everything disabled. I disabled everything. Still no luck. I did a complete reset and what was recommended with the config file. I thought I was finally cool. Today, just using the browser to check this and that, there was YouTube again. I came directly here and will try suggestions after the first one (if they are not something that I tried before). Malware scans, everything that I can think of, I tried. I'm not sure how it would work but it feels like it may not be in Firefox but that seems to find Firefox and reinsert itself. It certainly does seem like malware. Computing's getting crazy. What if it's something from the cloud and not to be found on my computer at all. I have Firefox on another computer. I turned off synch, so that's not the source.

What I was trying to say there is that I finally succumbed and used reset. I only added aps that had been cleared by testing, one-by-one.

Banban said

You can check the detailed configuration: enter about:config in the address bar and press Enter. Accept the warning and type in the search bar browser.search.defaultenginename. What is the value? If you want to see other search parameters, just type browser.search. You will have some information, such as the 3 search engines and their order.

Yes to the first. Reset to Startpage. Yes to the second, found several. Just got rid of YouTube whenever I found it. One thing is that when I leave config:sys I aways want to "SAVE" but I guess that isn't necessary. We'll see how those changes hold. If they don't . . . I'll be back for more of your expert help. Just because the first suggestion didn't work for me doesn't mean that I don't appreciate the effort at help; and I learn something even when a fix isn't.

cor-el, banban, Fred, jscher What I'll do now is go about my business and hope for the best. If YouTube returns, I will too, and try those solutions that I have yet to try. I'm really grateful for the help. When this started and I was unable to track down the malware that I expect instigated this mess, I was sad, lonely, and blue. <WINK> (Not so much really. The only time I've used a computer tech since the 90s was to replace a laptop keyboard. Now, with two computers, one for searching and questioning to work on the other, life is good). Anyway, thanks again to all. Tim

I'm going to hold off on "solved the problem" because I don't really know for sure. If you don't see me back to this for a week or two, you can press "solved the problem" for me.

Tim

OK. Nothing's "solved the problem" yet. I turned off synching and my other computer does not have the YouTube problem. In terms of when the switch occurs from default to YouTube, it seems to be at browser restarts but I'm not certain that it isn't random. I know I must seem like a dolt for not remembering. Sorry. As promised, I took it easy yesterday. The about:config look-see did show YouTube in several places. TODAY, Friday July 31, 2015, I thought that I'd start with deep security scans. My main go-to because one can get to it anywhere is Trend-Micro. A full scan there found no problems. For about 15 years I've used a program called System Suite for general maintenance, including antivirus and a range of handy tools. I also use Iobit and have them tweaked so as not to step on one another. I start every day with first the Iobit Advanced System Care8, shut it down, and run the other program, now called Fix-It Utilities, for the duration. Nothing has popped that might relate to the YouTube search takeover. Then I ran a full scan with Fix-It (I think the engine there is BitDefender. That turned up THREE items for Quarantine: C:\System Volume Information\_restore{E2E10CB3-CC50-4D1D-B559-C93588B7111B}\RP1852\A0376981.rbf C:\System Volume Information\_restore{E2E10CB3-CC50-4D1D-B559-C93588B7111B}\RP1852\A0378443.exe C:\WINDOWS\Windows System Folder\eCleaner 1.4.exe I also got a dump file, BitDefender Threat Scanner.dmp I got rid of the three. Now, I am going to rest again and cross my fingers.

Advanced SystemCare is known for making trouble in Firefox parameters (see How to fix preferences that won't save).

You said you shut it down before starting Firefox. Maybe you could try to disable completely or uninstall it.