Default search engine file and how to edit/delete it
I've got a maleware search engine(delta homes) in my default search engines. I can deleted it but everytime I restore the default search engines it shows up again. I ran 3 different maleware scans and it still shows up. I'd like to know where the default search engines which are restored are stored and how I can selectivley deleted them.
All Replies (5)
Hello,
The Reset Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information.
Note: This will cause you to lose any Extensions, Open websites, and some Preferences.
To Reset Firefox do the following:
- Go to Firefox > Help > Troubleshooting Information.
- Click the "Reset Firefox" button.
- Firefox will close and reset. After Firefox is done, it will show a window with the information that is imported. Click Finish.
- Firefox will open with all factory defaults applied.
Further information can be found in the Refresh Firefox - reset add-ons and settings article.
Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!
Thank you.
Tyler's suggestion will take care of searchplugins in your personal settings folder (Firefox profile folder).
You also should check here in the program folder (path for 64-bit Windows):
C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\browser\searchplugins
Everything there should be dated from when you last upgraded Firefox, so be suspicious of any files with other dates/times.
You can check whether you have a user.js file in the profile folder to initialize some prefs on each start of Firefox.
The user.js file is only present if you or other software has created it, so normally it wouldn't be there. you can check its content with a plain text editor if you didn't create this file yourself.
The user.js file is read each time you start Firefox and initializes preferences to the value specified in this file, so preferences set via user.js can only be changed temporarily for the current session.
You can use this button to go to the Firefox profile folder:
- Help > Troubleshooting Information > Profile Directory: Show Folder (Linux: Open Directory; Mac: Show in Finder)
See also:
Check if there is no user.js file in your firefox data directory. Also, it is very important to uninstall other programs that delta homes installs. The problem is these programs (like BrowserProtect) have legitimate uses, but delta homes set up them such way that they get reinstalled on browser restart.
Got the search engine removed. It was just an entry in the search.json referring to no files. I just hope the whole thing wont pop up in a couple of months again.
Thanks for your input