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why can't i opt out of ask.com - i have tried everything to rid myself of it. i don't know if it's an add-on or what, but i want to be rid of it. i will switch to chrome if i can't take care of this

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  • 14 have this problem
  • 3 views
  • Last reply by vjane

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i don't know whether this is a plugin, but when i click to open a new browser tab, i get the ask.com search page. i do not want this. i cannot seem to remove it, even going into firefox config settings; it does not appear in control panel/uninstall program. this is very intrusive and annoying. i hate ask.com and i want nothing to do with it. if this continues i will have to switch to a different browser. thanks.

i don't know whether this is a plugin, but when i click to open a new browser tab, i get the ask.com search page. i do not want this. i cannot seem to remove it, even going into firefox config settings; it does not appear in control panel/uninstall program. this is very intrusive and annoying. i hate ask.com and i want nothing to do with it. if this continues i will have to switch to a different browser. thanks.

All Replies (7)

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If it is a Firefox add-on, you may be able to disable or remove it here:

new Firefox button > Add-ons > Extensions

or

classic Tools menu > Add-ons > Extensions

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You can also try this:

You can open the about:config page via the location bar and do a search for ask.com via the Filter at the top of that page.

You can reset all ask.com related prefs via the right-click context menu to their default values.
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I think the problem may be fixed. Ask.com did show up in install/uninstall in Control Panel, and also I think it showed up under Options/General and I was able to make it stop hijacking the search function. However, I believe I've done these actions before and the problem recurs - perhaps when the next version of Firefox is installed? If so, could the Mozilla coders make it a separate addition or ask during installation whether the user wants it or not? I don't want to go through this every time I get a Mozilla update. Thanks!

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could the Mozilla coders make it a separate addition or ask during installation whether the user wants it or not?

Mozilla does not include Ask toolbars or other products in any official release of Firefox.

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Pardon my ignorance, but how does it get there, then? is it Google I should be complaining to?

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Ask products usually are bundled with other downloads or add-ons. Sometimes you will see a checkbox somewhere along the way where you can opt out of installing it. In other cases, you might not be given a choice.

I'm confident that Ask would not come with a Google, Yahoo, or Microsoft/Bing add-on because they are competing search engines. I think other users have said Ask was included with the Foxit PDF Reader. I'm sure there are others.

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I always opt out of it whenever I see that checkbox (& I can't remember which software it's been coming with) so I think it's sneaking in anyway. Infuriating. But for the time being I seem to be ok. Thanks for your help & info.