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How can I stop Firefox preventing me adding a search engine?

  • 21 replies
  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by McCoy

ender21
ender21
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The Duckduckgo extension caused the page https://www.commsec.com.au/ to reload constantly so I removed it. Now Firefox won't let me add a general duckduckgo search engine and displays the following nonsensical messages (or others in the same vein) regardless of the number of re-starts or alterations to profile documents (including removal of search.json). Those alterations (including the removal) have since been reversed.

"Firefox could not install the search plugin from "https://mycroftproject.com/installos.php/29720/duckduckgo.xml" because an engine with the same name already exists." "Firefox could not install the search plugin from "https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/file/240221/duckduckgo_https_ssl-20140120.xml?src=search" because an engine with the same name already exists."

The Duckduckgo extension caused the page https://www.commsec.com.au/ to reload constantly so I removed it. Now Firefox won't let me add a general duckduckgo search engine and displays the following nonsensical messages (or others in the same vein) regardless of the number of re-starts or alterations to profile documents (including removal of search.json). Those alterations (including the removal) have since been reversed. "Firefox could not install the search plugin from "https://mycroftproject.com/installos.php/29720/duckduckgo.xml" because an engine with the same name already exists." "Firefox could not install the search plugin from "https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/downloads/file/240221/duckduckgo_https_ssl-20140120.xml?src=search" because an engine with the same name already exists."

Chosen solution

Using a copy of the profile is a good idea until the process can be worked out.

I believe the Mycroft project is a community run spin-off of part of the Mozilla site that was closed down. I guess the URL was changed to be the extensions site at some point but your Firefox profile is still configured with the older URL.

I am not sure why the 'restore' button replaces your engines with the default. Perhaps you managed to install them before the ID numbers were used by newer Firefox versions.

There are other versions of DDG on the Mycroft page that can be installed though, maybe using one of them is an easier option?

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McCoy
McCoy
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ender21 said

The request appeared at the bottom of the search list as "Add Mozilla Support". I clicked it and the "Mozilla Support" search engine is now the last entry in my search list. Sorry, there was no way of taking a screen shot.

As this "Mozilla Support search engine" is now added to the list under "One-click Search Engines": would you please provide a screenshot of that list  ?

Also : Many search engines are indeed extensions - under "Restore Default Search Engines" there is a blue link : "Find more search engines". When you click on that, it will take you to add-ons.mozilla.org .......

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