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I need my old start up page back. I had a list in secure search & it's gone

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I used to have a list that would come up when I clicked on the secure search line. I've saved that list of websites I frequently go to. Now I click on the space and nothing, nothing comes up til I start to type, but, that's ya for yahoo or fa for facebook. I could care less about a list of yahoo and facebook websites. I can't remember half of what I had in my list. I have no use for the new start up page and would like the old one back

I used to have a list that would come up when I clicked on the secure search line. I've saved that list of websites I frequently go to. Now I click on the space and nothing, nothing comes up til I start to type, but, that's ya for yahoo or fa for facebook. I could care less about a list of yahoo and facebook websites. I can't remember half of what I had in my list. I have no use for the new start up page and would like the old one back

All Replies (10)

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I'm not sure what you mean by secure search: is that a custom home page? If so, it may be a feature of an extension. You can check to make sure it is enabled, and check for updates for it, on the Add-ons page. Either:

  • Ctrl+Shift+a
  • "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

In the left column, click Extensions. Then look for your secure search add-on on the right side. The enabled extensions are listed first, then the disabled extensions below those. Can you find and enable it?

To check for updates, click the "gear" icon above the list, then "Check for Updates" on the drop-down menu.

Note: If you used the Reset feature (for example, if Firefox starts up very slowly, it may suggest using Reset) then the add-on likely was removed. If you had saved valuable data using the add-on, we might be able to help you recover it from a folder on your desktop named Old Firefox Data. Let us know if you find such a folder.


If you are using Firefox's built-in home page:

Could you try disabling search suggestions to see whether you get your old list back? You can do that from Firefox's Search Bar, the one that usually appears on the main toolbar and has the search engine icon at the left side. Either:

  • right-click the bar > uncheck Show Suggestions
  • click the current icon > Manage Search Engines..., then uncheck Show Search Suggestions

Does the earlier history return?

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No it's not a custom home page. The Mozilla start up page used to have Google and now it doesn't. It used to actually say Google right next to where I'd type in whatever I was looking up and when I clicked on that blank space (secure search) my entire list of certain websites I saved came up.

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I should have said that as far as I know it's not a custom home page. My husband set the computer up not I.

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If the text label on the tab is Mozilla Firefox Start Page, that is the default homepage in Firefox. The search engine which is selected in the Search Bar is used on the default homepage (along with the new tab page, too).

Just change the search engine in the Search Bar to your Secure Search.

Also, Firefox 34 which is due to released next Tuesday 12-5, has changes the "search areas" in Firefox.

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Again, what you suggested did not work. I just want the old Firefox start page back. This new page looks the same but it's obviously not since when I click on the blank space which is followed by the word "search" my list Of websites I saved doesn't come up. Now, I've written you back before and didn't receive a response, can you please get me an answer somewhere if you don't know what to do?

Thank You.

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This is aimed at a wider audience. I don't know about Secure Search and I don't use the Firefox home page but you can try typing in your search term first then the drop arrow(you may need to hover) alongside the magnifying glass should show your search engines. I'm not the only fan of the Firefox extension Context Search. You can select terms to search on a web page then a right click to Context Search will show all your search engines.

Modified by alan_r

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Hi joanfeller114, do you know whether you are still using Firefox 33 or are now using Firefox 34? Firefox 34 changed the usual word/icon to the left of the search box so that it is now always a magnifying glass.

Whichever version you have, this article describes how to change from one search engine plugin to another, for example, from Google to AVG or back again: Search bar - add, change and manage search engines on Firefox. Does that help get you back to the expected behavior on the home page?

Also, the drop-down list below the search box could display either: searches you have run before, or suggestions from the search engine that match what you've typed so far, or both, or neither. Could you describe what you are seeing now?

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Thanks but nothing my husband is doing is working to get my old list back. It's Firefox 34 now and when I type say an "fa" in then a list of facebook log ins comes up and if I do "ya" a list of yahoo mail suggestions comes up.

I used to just click on the search engine open spot and my own list of what I had saved used to come up. Now nothing unless I type something in and it's their suggestions. I don't know where my list went.

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Hi joanfeller114, unfortunately I have not had a chance to test this myself (I do not normally have Firefox store my searches and other form entries).

Two thoughts:

Firefox 34 Search Bar: If you are using the new search bar design and have not switched back to the old design, do you want to try that? It's possible that your "search and form history" entries are not showing up with the new design. Here's how:

(1) In a new tab, type or paste about:config in the address bar and press Enter. Click the button promising to be careful.

(2) In the search box above the list, type or paste sear and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Double-click the browser.search.showOneOffButtons preference to switch it from true to false. Then test in a new window (you can launch a new window by pressing Ctrl+n).

Disable Search Engine Suggestions: I mentioned the steps for this in the later part of my reply here: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/1031543#answer-654379