I have a question about search engines
Hi, I'm at a loss for what to do about my default search engine on the latest version of Firefox. I am very paranoid about and conscientious of identity theft, thus I always keep my computer updated, both in terms of internet and the computer itself. Somewhere along the way, a "Search Encrypt" search engine was installed on my computer. It never really bothered me until recently when I realized I couldn't use a Yahoo or Google web browser. Every-time I typed my subject into the browser box, the results popped up in the Search Encrypt webpage. I followed the computer's directions for removing the webpage, after setting the primary browser as Google (I thought?) , and still had the same search result ?!? I feel like I should have search engine liberty; is there anything I can do?
Any assistance offered will be tremendously appreciated! :D
All Replies (2)
Hi yes you do have search engine liberty to choose. Also yes you some how got this, possibly with a download/installer that did not tell you.
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.
Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!
Firefox itself is a web browser as Google and Yahoo in this case are search engines.