In recent months, numerous users have been infected by an extension that hijacks their searches to Yahoo. A special symptom is that when they attempt to review their extensions on the Add-ons page, the page shows up blank and they need to use Firefox's Safe Mode -- which temporarily deactivates all extensions -- to clean up their Firefox. '''Step #1: Restart in Firefox's Safe Mode''' ''If Firefox is running:'' You can restart Firefox in Safe Mode using either: * "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help button > Restart with Add-ons Disabled * (menu bar) Help menu > Restart with Add-ons Disabled and OK the restart. ''If that does not work or Firefox is not running:'' Hold down the Shift key when starting Firefox. (On Mac, hold down the option/alt key instead of the Shift key.) ''Both scenarios:'' A small dialog should appear. Click "Start in Safe Mode" (''not'' Refresh). '''Step #2: Review/disable/remove Extensions''' One possible culprit would be an extension. You can view, disable, and often remove unwanted or unknown extensions on the Add-ons page. Either: * Ctrl+Shift+a (Mac: Command+Shift+a) * Command+Shift+a (Windows: Ctrl+Shift+a) * "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons * type or paste '''about:addons''' in the address bar and press Enter/Return In the left column of the Add-ons page, click Extensions. On the right side, find the "Manage Your Extensions" heading. ''If there is at least one extension before the next heading -- "Recommended Extensions" -- please continue:'' Then cast a critical eye over the list below that heading. Any extensions Firefox installs for built-in features are hidden from this page, so everything listed here is your choice (and your responsibility) to manage. Anything suspicious or that you just do not remember installing or why? If in doubt, disable (or remove). For your privacy and security, don't let mystery programs linger here. ''Note: To restart Firefox in normal mode, simply Exit out of Firefox and then don't do anything special the next time you start it up.'' Any improvement? Feel free to "name names" if you discover untrustworthy extensions.