The new tab button has been highjacked
I have updated Auslogics Registry Cleaner. Lavasoft Web Companion has been automatically downloaded and installed on my computer. It seems to have changed Firefox: every time I try to open a new tab, the Bing search engine opens automatically in the new tab. I have been able to stop this behavior by removing Bing from the choice of search engines. Now my home page opens automatically in the new tab when I click on the + to open a new tab.
I have not been able to remove Web Companion from my computer: their uninstall program crashes!!
How can I fix the problem in Firefox with the new tab?
Thanks.
Maurice Brais
Chosen solution
Type about:config<enter> in the address bar. If a warning screen comes up, press the Be Careful button. At the top of the screen is a search bar. Type browser.newtab.url This tells Firefox what to show when a new tab is opened. If you want, right click and select Modify. You can change the setting to;
about:home (Firefox default home page), about:newtab (shows the sites most visited), about:blank (a blank page),
or you can enter any web page or about: page you want.
The same instructions are used for the new window setting, listed as browser.startup.homepage.
Start your Computer in safe mode.
Starting The Computer In Safe Mode;
Free Online Encyclopedia
Open the Programs Folder on the computer. Find the folder the program is in, and rename or delete it. After, run a registry scan / repair.
Reboot. Any problems?
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Chosen Solution
Type about:config<enter> in the address bar. If a warning screen comes up, press the Be Careful button. At the top of the screen is a search bar. Type browser.newtab.url This tells Firefox what to show when a new tab is opened. If you want, right click and select Modify. You can change the setting to;
about:home (Firefox default home page), about:newtab (shows the sites most visited), about:blank (a blank page),
or you can enter any web page or about: page you want.
The same instructions are used for the new window setting, listed as browser.startup.homepage.
Start your Computer in safe mode.
Starting The Computer In Safe Mode;
Free Online Encyclopedia
Open the Programs Folder on the computer. Find the folder the program is in, and rename or delete it. After, run a registry scan / repair.
Reboot. Any problems?
You can use the SearchReset extension to reset some preferences to the default values.
Note that the SearchReset extension only runs once and then uninstalls automatically, so it won't show on the "Firefox > Add-ons" page (about:addons).
If you do not keep changes after a restart or otherwise have problems with preferences, see:
Modified by cor-el