Firefox normally follows the site's lead on this. If the link specifies that it should be opened in a new window, Firefox will divert it to a new tab. But if the link doesn't specify a target, it opens in the same tab.

To change this, you can use an extension like Tab Mix Plus, which provides very detailed control over how links and bookmarks open. You can read more about it here: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/tab-mix-plus/

If the change is only in Google search results, you might have cleared the cookie which stores your Google preferences. To reset Google results to open in a new window (which will be diverted to a new tab), see this Google help page: Open results in a new window - Search Help.

Does that help?

I should add that Firefox also has the following ways to open in a link in a new tab even if you keep the standard global settings:

• Ctrl+click (hold the Ctrl key down and click with the left mouse button)
• Middle-click (e.g., using the scroll wheel as a button)
• right-click > Open Link in New Tab

I don't understand the whole "cookie" thing. I thought you wanted to clear out cookies. All my antivirus programs, etc. clear out cookies. It is when I go to another website whether I type it in or have it in my taskbar.

Some cookies provide positive value -- for example, allowing you to stay logged in to a site, not having to enter your zip code a million times when shopping for cell phone service -- others do not. (Unless you view more personally targeted advertisements as a positive value.)

For URLs you enter into the address bar, Firefox will normally load those in the same tab. To open them in a new tab, you have two built-in choices:

• Ctrl+click the "Go" (arrow) icon
• Alt+Enter (hold the Alt key while pressing the Enter key)

For bookmarks on the Bookmarks Toolbar, you can use the same methods as links:

• Ctrl+click (hold the Ctrl key down and click with the left mouse button)
• Middle-click (e.g., using the scroll wheel as a button)
• right-click > Open Link in New Tab

To change these to automatically open in a new tab without having to hold anything or click specially, check out the Tab Mix Plus extension.

I will do what you suggest, but everything was working fine yesterday, then I ran my virus programs like I always do and then this morning the tab thing happens.

Note that is looks that you caught some malware (your System Details List shows those extensions as disabled).

1. Default Tab 2.1.34 (Inactive)
2. Delta Toolbar 1.5.0 (Inactive)
3. InternetHelper3.1 10.19.2.505 (Inactive) (not sure about this one)
4. MixiDJ V30 10.20.0.513 (Inactive)

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/remove-toolbar-has-taken-over-your-firefox-search-
• http://malwarefixes.com/remove-delta-search-virus/
• http://malwarefixes.com/mixidj-claro-search-com-removal-steps/

Your System Details List shows that you have a user.js file in the profile folder to initialize some prefs on each start of Firefox (delta is known to create such a user.js file)

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 delete this user.js file and possibly the prefs.js file as well to reset all prefs to the default.

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/how-to-fix-preferences-wont-save#w_user-js-file-overriding-preferences
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Preferences_not_saved

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)

Note that Windows hides some file extensions by default.
Among them are .html and .ini and .js and .txt, so you may only see a name without file extension.
You can see the real file extension (type) if you open the Properties of the file via the right-click context menu.

I am not very computer literate and don't quite understand. Am i supposed to make those all active? Did some of my anti virus and malware programs make them inactive? So I just go to all the links you showed me and change the settings? I don't want to get into a mess not knowing what I am doing. I have been having a lot of problems with firefox, could this be the reason? Thanks.

Hi PattiChati, do not enable those extensions. What cor-el mentioned is that they really should not be on your system at all, and may indicate broader problems that are worth investigating.

Step 1 would be to remove those, if you can, either in Firefox's add-ons page or from the Windows Control Panel. I think the article cor-el linked should cover both methods.

Step 2 is to clear out the user.js file following the other article.

These might not be related to how tabs open, but still worth cleaning out.

I went to add-ons and removed the 4 you mentioned above and did a reboot and they came back. How do I remove them permanently?

Some of these can be removed from the Windows Control Panel, Programs and Features section. I think Default Tab is related to the Babylon translation software, but in past threads, there were many different names involved, so I'm not sure how it will be listed. If you click to sort the list of programs to re-sort by date instead of name, that might help spot the unwanted ones, since likely they were installed on the same date.

The two articles cor-el linked regarding Delta-Search and MixiDJ suggest a variety of scanners and other clean-up tools to supplement your regular collection. Based on a quick read, they look to be free and legitimate.

should I enable Delta-Search and MixiDJ ?

No, leave all those extensions disable as they as considered malware.

Do they have a 'Remove' button in "Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions" or only a 'Disable' button?

They have a remove button which I did. But then after rebooting they reappeared but are still disabled. I can remove them either with Revo uninstaller or through the control panel. Which ones do I want to remove now? Thanks so much for helping me. This could be why I have been having problems before with firefox. When I went to uninstall something else, I saw default tab in the list of programs and wondered at the time how it got there. I googled it and didn't understand, so I left it there.

Do a malware check with some malware scanning programs on the Windows computer.
Please scan with all programs because each program detects different malware.
All these programs have free versions.

Make sure that you update each program to get the latest version of their databases before doing a scan.

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware:
  http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
• AdwCleaner:
  http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/
  http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/Removal-Tools/AdwCleaner.shtml
• SuperAntispyware:
  http://www.superantispyware.com/
• Microsoft Safety Scanner:
  http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx
• Kasperky Free Security Scan:
  http://www.kaspersky.com/security-scan

You can also do a check for a rootkit infection with TDSSKiller.

• Anti-rootkit utility TDSSKiller:
  http://support.kaspersky.com/5350?el=88446

See also:

• "Spyware on Windows": http://kb.mozillazine.org/Popups_not_blocked

Once again firefox is not retaining my tabs. I don't know if it is something I am doing or what. It was fine yesterday and then I ran my spyware and other virus programs and then I lose the ability to retain tabs. Is there any way I can prevent this from happening. I have gone to "tabs" under options and played with that, but it doesn't help. I no longer have the items you listed above in my add-ons. Thanks.

What "spyware and other virus programs" did you run? One of them might not be what it appears to be.

I have malwarebytes, avast, ccleaner, super antispyware, emsisoft emergency kit

Does this problem occur on all sites, or is it a problem specific to Google results? In that case, your clean-up probably removed your Google settings cookie as mentioned in this earlier reply.

I use Firefox and Yahoo. It retains certain websites and not others. I don't use google chrome, if that is what you are referring to.

Hi PattiChati, I may not have understood your recent description correctly. You wrote:

Once again firefox is not retaining my tabs. I don't know if it is something I am doing or what. It was fine yesterday and then I ran my spyware and other virus programs and then I lose the ability to retain tabs.

What do you mean by not retaining your tabs?