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Should I reset Firefox after doing a system restore that successfully got rid of malware that had taken over Firefox and turned it into Bing?.

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On January 12, when downloading Java, maleware/adware named Shopop got into my Windows 7 computer and took over Firefox. Firefox became Bing, with pop-up ads. Doing a malware and virus clean-up did not eliminate the problem.

I then did a system restore to January 8. This fixed the problem, and Firefox returned to normal.

Should I still do a complete reset of Firefox, anyway? This was recommended to me by a pc repair technician in my area.

On January 12, when downloading Java, maleware/adware named Shopop got into my Windows 7 computer and took over Firefox. Firefox became Bing, with pop-up ads. Doing a malware and virus clean-up did not eliminate the problem. I then did a system restore to January 8. This fixed the problem, and Firefox returned to normal. Should I still do a complete reset of Firefox, anyway? This was recommended to me by a pc repair technician in my area.

All Replies (1)

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Is Firefox behaving strangely or have any unwanted settings? If not, it's probably easier just to check a few things:

(1) Extensions

Disable ALL nonessential or unrecognized extensions on the Add-ons page. Either:

  • Ctrl+Shift+a
  • orange Firefox button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

In the left column, click Extensions. Then, if in doubt, disable.

Usually a link will appear above at least one disabled extension to restart Firefox. You can complete your work on the tab and click one of the links as the last step.

(2) Possible user.js file

This article describes how to check for a user.js file which third party software may create to prevent you from changing some settings. Usually, you can just delete the file if you find it.

How to fix preferences that won't save