Lost all my thumbnails - new tabs open only a blank page. How do I get them back?
The support topic on this question says to look for a "pin" icon in the upper left corner of the browser. I do not show one. Firefox used to just automatically populate my new tabs page with the thumbnails, but it is no longer doing that, and I don't know how to fix it. I downloaded some freeware that changed a number of browsing options (default browser, added Bing bar without my full knowledge, etc.). Got that all removed but then Firefox wasn't working well, so I had to uninstall/reinstall the program. Now my thumbnails are gone and I can neither get them back nor create new ones. Help! Cheers, Dolly
الحل المُختار
Hello,
You can reset the setting for the New Tab page by following these instructions:
- In the URL bar, type about:config and press Enter.
- The about:config "This might void your warranty!" warning page may appear. Click I'll be careful, I promise! to continue to the about:config page.
- Type 'browser.newtab.url' in the search box.
- Right-click the browser.newtab.url preference and choose Reset. It should then change back to the default which is 'about:newtab'.
- Click OK and close the about:config tab.
You may find that this works for a while but that eventually the problem comes back. If this happens then I think it is likely that some malware is hijacking your browser and making changes to the settings. This is why the change has been made without your permission in the first place. You said you had removed the freeware you installed but sometimes they can appear to be gone but in fact leave a trace behind.
If this happens you can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:
- Microsoft Safety Scanner
- MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware
- TDSSKiller - AntiRootkit Utility
- Hitman Pro
- ESET Online Scanner
I also suggest you do the following:
- a complete scan with your current anti-virus software.
- Look at your Firefox Add-ons and Remove any which you didn't install yourself - Disable or remove Add-ons
- Look at your list of Windows Startup applications and disable any which you think might be related or look suspicious.
- Look at your list of Windows installed applications and uninstall any that you think might be related or look suspicious.
Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.
Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!
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الحل المُختار
Hello,
You can reset the setting for the New Tab page by following these instructions:
- In the URL bar, type about:config and press Enter.
- The about:config "This might void your warranty!" warning page may appear. Click I'll be careful, I promise! to continue to the about:config page.
- Type 'browser.newtab.url' in the search box.
- Right-click the browser.newtab.url preference and choose Reset. It should then change back to the default which is 'about:newtab'.
- Click OK and close the about:config tab.
You may find that this works for a while but that eventually the problem comes back. If this happens then I think it is likely that some malware is hijacking your browser and making changes to the settings. This is why the change has been made without your permission in the first place. You said you had removed the freeware you installed but sometimes they can appear to be gone but in fact leave a trace behind.
If this happens you can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:
- Microsoft Safety Scanner
- MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware
- TDSSKiller - AntiRootkit Utility
- Hitman Pro
- ESET Online Scanner
I also suggest you do the following:
- a complete scan with your current anti-virus software.
- Look at your Firefox Add-ons and Remove any which you didn't install yourself - Disable or remove Add-ons
- Look at your list of Windows Startup applications and disable any which you think might be related or look suspicious.
- Look at your list of Windows installed applications and uninstall any that you think might be related or look suspicious.
Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.
Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!
MOST EXCELLENT. Not only did this work, but I was able to do it all very easily AND it brought back all my previously set up thumbnails in the order I had them arranged on the new tab pages! Wonderful.
I will definitely keep these instructions for future reference, but I had already gone in and deleted all apps and extensions that I did not recognize as from Firefox or that I hadn't added myself. So I'm pretty sure I got rid of the pesky malware that caused the problem already. Great links for that task however.
Thank you SO much!! Cheers, Dolly