Please note that the igHome page is not related to Google. This is a third party site designed to replace the iGoogle page which has been discontinued by Google.

Are you referring to the drop-down menu as seen in my screenshot?
If you are, this feature cannot be disabled.
This feature is different from Google Instant.

Read more about Google Instant

Clear the cache and cookies only from websites that cause problems.

"Clear the Cache":

• Firefox > Preferences > Advanced > Network > Cached Web Content: "Clear Now"

"Remove Cookies" from sites causing problems:

• Firefox > Preferences > Privacy > Cookies: "Show Cookies"

If clearing cookies doesn't work then it is possible that the cookies.sqlite file that stores the cookies is corrupted.

Rename (or delete) cookies.sqlite (cookies.sqlite.old) and delete other present cookies files like cookies.sqlite-journal in the Firefox profile folder in case the file cookies.sqlite got corrupted.

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Cookies
• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/Deleting+cookies

Note that you can probably uninstall the iGoogle Tab Remover 1.9.8 that shows in the System Details List

@ComputerWhiz, you should be able to disable it. My preferences contain this section:

Google Instant predictions When should we show you results as you type? -Only when my computer is fast enough -Always show Instant results -Never show Instant results

I've had this set to the last option for years and haven't had any issue. It's only recently that, despite still having selected never to show Instant results, that Google is somehow overriding the selection even if, as I've indicated, I start from Google.com instead of the ighome page.

@cor-el, I appreciate the response. I followed your instructions to the letter, but even after clearing cookies and deleting cookies.sqlite and its associated files, restarting Firefox, signing in again, re-checking to make sure "Never show Instant results" is checked, I still get autocomplete suggestions.

As I explained above, Google Instant search is different from the drop-down list of key terms.

Google Instant will reload the results page while you type. Changing the results to the current letters in the search bar. (See Screenshot 1)

The key terms drop-down list is a list of words that Google thinks you may be typing. This doesn't load the results page until a word is clicked. (See Screenshot 2)

In order to better assist you with your issue please provide us with a screenshot. If you need help to create a screenshot, please see How do I create a screenshot of my problem?

Once you've done this, attach the saved screenshot file to your forum post by clicking the Browse... button below the Post your reply box. This will help us to visualize the problem.

Thank you!

@ComputerWhiz, thank you for clarifying the difference. I had no idea Google Instant was comprised of reloaded (and refreshed) website links -- as you probably guessed, I thought it was the autocomplete feature.

What I was seeing is the image in screen shot #2.

So, I'm guessing that Google is forcing autocomplete entries in search queries, something that never occurred while I was using iGoogle.

Are there other search engines that don't make autocomplete an obligatory feature?

Thanks again.

I am glad to hear that your problem has been resolved.

If you have not already, please mark this thread as solved by marking the solution.
This will help other users experiencing similar problems find help faster and more efficiently.

I hope you continue using our products and thank you for contacting Mozilla Support.

As a final comment, I dug around some more and finally found a solution to disable autocomplete.

The solution is to use this URL:

https://www.google.com/webhp?complete=0

The discussion can be found here:

http://productforums.google.com/forum/#!msg/websearch/vwV4BU2PD_Y/bBSsfM84Cx8J