Sometimes a problem with Firefox may be a result of malware installed on your computer, that you may not be aware of.

You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:

• Microsoft Safety Scanner
• MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware
• Anti-Rootkit Utility - TDSSKiller (for more info, see this alternate TDSSKiller download page)
• AdwCleaner (for more info, see this alternate AdwCleaner download page)
• Hitman Pro
• ESET Online Scanner

Microsoft Security Essentials is a good permanent antivirus for Windows 7/Vista if you don't already have one. Windows 8/10 have antivirus protection built-in.

Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.

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Firefox is a web browser, it doesn't do searches. It uses the default search engine which each user can select for their preferences.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/search-web-address-bar https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/use-search-bar-firefox

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/change-your-default-search-settings-firefox

My Bad.. the-edmeister is correct Google was my search engine and i assume they are the culprits.. but how when going to a bogus sites.. does it take over all command of Firefox.. i cant go or do anything but kill the process on my imac and restart Firefox.

Hi wcruzes, could you describe this step-by-step -- for example:

• Search goes to Google and loads results normally (address bar shows www.google.com)
• Scroll down past the paid ads and click a web result to an address on ebay.com
• Instead of getting eBay, get some other site (or get eBay AND some other site)

Can you check your history and see what address you ended up on? That might provide a clue about the culprit, but it could be a random paid advertiser.

One possible culprit would be an extension. You can view, disable, and often remove unwanted or unknown extensions on the Add-ons page. Either:

• 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. Then cast a critical eye over the list on the right side. 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).

Any improvement?