Hi,

You can reset the new tab pref in about:config by doing the follow:

• Go to about:config
• Click the I'll be careful, I promise! button to continue
• Search for browser.newtab.url
• Right click it and click Reset
• Restart Firefox

Sounds good but where do I find "about:config"? I used Spotlight to search for it and got no results. Please explain exactly where this is on my Mac.

about:config isn't in your Mac. It's a setting on Firefox that contains all the preferences.

You can go to it doing the following:

• When you are in Firefox, navigate to about:config like you are going to a website.
• Click the I'll be careful, I promise! button to continue
• In the search bar at the top, type browser.newtab.url
• Under the searchbox you will see it. Right click it, and click Reset.
• Close Firefox by going to the Firefox menu bar and click Quit or by pressing the CMD key, the SHIFT key and tapping Q
• Reopen Firefox and see if Ask.com is still there.

Alright. I followed your instructions carefully, but it didn't work. The ask.com tab still raised its ugly head. So I decided to repeat your instructions, but this time when I right-clicked the Reset button was greyed out. What now?

And why does Mozilla do this kind of thing in the first place? IRRITATING.

It's greyed out because that preference is already at its default state. You can't re-reset a pref.
By the way, Mozilla didn't install the Ask.com toolbar. It was most likely installed via a third party app.
Can you post your troubleshooting information?

• click the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information from the submenu.

Now, a new tab containing your troubleshooting information should open.

• At the top of the page, you should see a button that says "Copy text to clipboard". Click it.
• Now, go back to your forum post and click inside the reply box. Press Ctrl+V to paste all the information you copied into the forum post.

I read in the forum that someone else tried reinstalling Firefox and it didn't work! It's a lot of trouble to go to. Getting rid of a default tab should be easier than that. I don't feel like spending the time. If it didn't work I might get violent. Thanks for you help though.

I edited my reply since I put the wrong information. Below is the information I need from you:

• click the Help menu and select Troubleshooting Information from the submenu.

Now, a new tab containing your troubleshooting information should open.

• At the top of the page, you should see a button that says "Copy text to clipboard". Click it.
• Now, go back to your forum post and click inside the reply box. Press Ctrl+V to paste all the information you copied into the forum post.

Application Basics

Name: Firefox Version: 28.0 User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10.6; rv:28.0) Gecko/20100101 Firefox/28.0

Crash Reports for the Last 3 Days

All Crash Reports

Extensions

Name: Adblock Plus Version: 2.5.1 Enabled: true ID: {d10d0bf8-f5b5-c8b4-a8b2-2b9879e08c5d}

Name: Big Buttons Version: 1.1.5 Enabled: true ID: BigButtons@kensaunders

Name: Classic Compact Options Version: 25.0 Enabled: true ID: notreal.ccoptions@environmentalchemistry.com

Name: Default Theme Engine - Personas Interactive Version: 1.6.3.14 Enabled: true ID: btpersonas@brandthunder.com

Name: Garmin Communicator Version: 4.1.0 Enabled: true ID: {195A3098-0BD5-4e90-AE22-BA1C540AFD1E}

Name: Make Address Bar Font Size Bigger Version: 1.2.0 Enabled: true ID: addressBarFontSizeBigger@papafresh.com

Name: MapsGalaxy Version: 6.33.3.43045 Enabled: true ID: 39ffxtbr@MapsGalaxy_39.com

Name: Pocket Version: 3.0.4 Enabled: true ID: isreaditlater@ideashower.com

Name: WikiLook Version: 2.7.0 Enabled: true ID: wikilook@testpilot

Important Modified Preferences

accessibility.typeaheadfind.flashBar: 0 browser.cache.disk.capacity: 358400 browser.cache.disk.smart_size_cached_value: 358400 browser.cache.disk.smart_size.first_run: false browser.cache.disk.smart_size.use_old_max: false browser.display.use_document_fonts: 0 browser.history_expire_days_min: 6 browser.history_expire_days.mirror: 180 browser.places.importBookmarksHTML: false browser.places.importDefaults: false browser.places.leftPaneFolderId: -1 browser.places.migratePostDataAnnotations: false browser.places.smartBookmarksVersion: 6 browser.places.updateRecentTagsUri: false browser.search.useDBForOrder: true browser.sessionstore.upgradeBackup.latestBuildID: 20140314220517 browser.startup.homepage: http://www.vancouversun.com/index.html browser.startup.homepage_override.buildID: 20140314220517 browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone: 28.0 browser.tabs.loadInBackground: false browser.tabs.onTop: false browser.tabs.warnOnClose: false dom.mozApps.used: true dom.w3c_touch_events.expose: false extensions.lastAppVersion: 28.0 font.internaluseonly.changed: true font.name.monospace.x-western: Geneva font.name.serif.x-western: Arial font.size.fixed.x-western: 17 font.size.variable.x-western: 22 gfx.blacklist.webgl.msaa: 4 keyword.URL: http://search.tb.ask.com/search/GGmain.jhtml?st=kwd&ptb=D0C0F0CB-9F4E-4CC1-BA7C-FF070AB2BA3C&n=780ba9e2&ind=2014030306&p network.cookie.cookieBehavior: 1 network.cookie.prefsMigrated: true places.database.lastMaintenance: 1397439188 places.history.expiration.transient_current_max_pages: 46977 places.history.expiration.transient_optimal_database_size: 75161926 places.last_vacuum: 1320803479 plugin.disable_full_page_plugin_for_types: application/pdf plugin.importedState: true plugin.state.silverlight: 0 print.macosx.pagesetup: PD94bWwgdmVyc2lvbj0iMS4wIiBlbmNvZGluZz0iVVRGLTgiPz4KPCFET0NUWVBFIHBsaXN0IFBVQkxJQyAiLS8vQXBwbGUgQ29tcHV0ZXIvL0RURCBQTElT print.macosx.pagesetup-2: PD94bWwgdmVyc2lvbj0iMS4wIiBlbmNvZGluZz0iVVRGLTgiPz4KPCFET0NUWVBFIHBsaXN0IFBVQkxJQyAiLS8vQXBwbGUvL0RURCBQTElTVCAxLjAvL0VO print.print_bgcolor: false print.print_bgimages: false print.print_colorspace: print.print_command: print.print_downloadfonts: true print.print_duplex: 0 print.print_evenpages: true print.print_in_color: true print.print_margin_bottom: 0.5 print.print_margin_left: 0.5 print.print_margin_right: 0.5 print.print_margin_top: 0.5 print.print_oddpages: true print.print_orientation: 0 print.print_page_delay: 50 print.print_pagedelay: 500 print.print_paper_data: 0 print.print_paper_height: 11.00 print.print_paper_name: print.print_paper_size: 53 print.print_paper_size_type: 1 print.print_paper_size_unit: 0 print.print_paper_width: 8.50 print.print_plex_name: print.print_printer: print.print_resolution: 0 print.print_resolution_name: print.print_reversed: false print.print_scaling: 1.00 print.print_shrink_to_fit: true print.print_to_file: false print.print_unwriteable_margin_bottom: 56 print.print_unwriteable_margin_left: 25 print.print_unwriteable_margin_right: 25 print.print_unwriteable_margin_top: 25 privacy.cpd.cookies: false privacy.cpd.downloads: false privacy.cpd.history: false privacy.cpd.sessions: false privacy.sanitize.migrateFx3Prefs: true privacy.sanitize.timeSpan: 0 security.warn_viewing_mixed: false storage.vacuum.last.index: 1 storage.vacuum.last.places.sqlite: 1396488433

Graphics

Device ID: 0x 861 GPU Accelerated Windows: 2/2 OpenGL (OMTC) Vendor ID: 0x10de WebGL Renderer: NVIDIA Corporation -- NVIDIA GeForce 9400 OpenGL Engine windowLayerManagerRemote: true AzureCanvasBackend: quartz AzureContentBackend: quartz AzureFallbackCanvasBackend: none AzureSkiaAccelerated: 0

JavaScript

Incremental GC: true

Accessibility

Activated: false Prevent Accessibility: 0

Library Versions

NSPR Expected minimum version: 4.10.3 Version in use: 4.10.3

NSS Expected minimum version: 3.15.5 Basic ECC Version in use: 3.15.5 Basic ECC

NSSSMIME Expected minimum version: 3.15.5 Basic ECC Version in use: 3.15.5 Basic ECC

NSSSSL Expected minimum version: 3.15.5 Basic ECC Version in use: 3.15.5 Basic ECC

NSSUTIL Expected minimum version: 3.15.5 Version in use: 3.15.5

Go back into about:config and steps below:

• When you are in Firefox, navigate to about:config like you are going to a website.
• Click the I'll be careful, I promise! button to continue
• In the search bar at the top, type ask.com
• Under the searchbox you will see some prefs. Right click each of them, and click Reset.
• REstart Firefox and see if it is fixed.

I was very hopeful this time, but sorry - no cigar.

Start Firefox in Diagnose Firefox issues using Troubleshoot Mode to check if one of the extensions is causing the problem (switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox (Tools) > Add-ons > Appearance/Themes).

• Don't make any changes on the Safe mode start window.
• https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Safe+Mode

If it does work in Safe-mode then disable all extensions and then try to find which is causing it by enabling one at a time until the problem reappears.

• Use "Disable all add-ons" on the Safe mode start window to disable all extensions.
• Close and restart Firefox after each change via "File > Exit" (Mac: "Firefox > Quit"; Linux: "File > Quit")

You can use one of these to start in Safe mode:

• Help > Restart with Add-ons Disabled
• Open Terminal via Spotlight and execute this command firefox -safe-mode

• https://support.mozilla.com/kb/Troubleshooting+extensions+and+themes

Okay I thought I'd try something else first - a simple reset of Firefox defaults. THIS WORKED! Of course I've lost my themes and will have to reinstall AdBlock Plus, but my bookmarks are still there and the horrible ask.com tab is dead. Thank you very much.

I would've suggested the Reset of Firefox if I wasn't worried about you losing your add-ons and themes, so that's why I was trying to exhaust everything else before recommending a reset.

But glad you got it working!

I'm sure there will be other Mac users who will pose the same question. Thanks for taking the cautionary route with your recommendations.

I am having the same problem and I've tried everything other than starting in safe mode, because it's too scary to me and resetting firefox because I don't know how. What do you recommend?

clbieder

Personally, I would look in about:config and reset the new tab page (browser.newtab.url) but if that doesn't work, then I would reset Firefox. The Reset Firefox feature can fix many issues by restoring Firefox to its factory default state while saving your essential information.
Note: This will cause you to lose any Extensions and some Preferences.

• Open websites will not be saved in Firefox versions lower than 25.

To Reset Firefox do the following:

For Firefox versions previous to 29.0:

1. Go to Firefox > Help > Troubleshooting Information.
2. Click the "Reset Firefox" button.
3. Firefox will close and reset. After Firefox is done, it will show a window with the information that is imported. Click Finish.
4. Firefox will open with all factory defaults applied.

For Firefox 29.0 and above:

1. Click the menu button , click help and select Troubleshooting Information.Now, a new tab containing your troubleshooting information should open.
2. At the top right corner of the page, you should see a button that says "Reset Firefox". Click on it.
3. Firefox will close and reset. After Firefox is done, it will show a window with the information that is imported. Click Finish.
4. Firefox will open with all factory defaults applied.

Further information can be found in the Refresh Firefox - reset add-ons and settings article.

If you still have issues AFTER resetting Firefox, create a new thread so others can help you. This is a solved thread. You can create a new thread at /questions/new