new tabs open blank pages instead of link
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new tab page does not show, just blank when i open a new tab.
the problem is, a lot of other people are having the same problem, but the posted solutions don't fix it, and the thread is archived, and no one can post new questions.
i thought about installing chrome, then i realized, wait a minute, maybe google is sabotaging firefox so i will install chrome. guess what ? when i used the yahoo search engine, and clicked on a link, it came right up. but i did see that intermediate state where it had to proceed forward from where google was getting hung up. the stage where the alphanumeric tab enumerator stops to the blank page.
Chosen solution
I see, originally I read the problem as getting stuck on Google's exit script page. I didn't see any connection to unwanted/incorrect destinations.
Our malware support article lists specialist malware removal forums where they can walk you through the use of tools that probably are too risky to use on your own.
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Could you check a couple things first:
(1) Is there a little icon with 9 squares on the right side of the new tab page? If so, please click that to show the thumbnails.
(2) Were you previously using an add-on to manage your new tab page? These include extensions with "new tab" in the name, as well as many with "dial" in the name (such as speed dial). It's possible that some add-ons are not fully compatible with Firefox 29 and need updating.
You can update 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 above the list you should see a "gear" button. Click that and choose Check for Updates.
To edit Firefox's setting for the new tab page:
(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 newtab and pause while the list is filtered
(3) Double-click the browser.newtab.url preference and enter your preferred page:
- Page thumbnails (default) => about:newtab
- Blank tab => about:blank
- Built-in Firefox home page => about:home
- Any other page => full URL to the page
Press Ctrl+t to open a new tab and verify that it worked. Fixed?
Three things to look out for:
- If Firefox will not save any changes to this setting, you may have a program named Search Protect that you need to uninstall through the Windows Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs.
- If Firefox ignores the setting, one of your extensions may be overriding it. Please return to the Add-ons page, Extensions section, and cast a critical eye on what's there. As a first approximation, try disabling everything you will not use in the next 24 hours.
- If the change works for the rest of your session but at the next startup is back to blank, you might have a user.js file in your personal Firefox settings folder (your Firefox profile folder). This article describes how to track down and remove the file: How to fix preferences that won't save. Some utility programs like Advanced SystemCare have a feature to revert your settings to an earlier state between sessions ("Surfing Protection"). That's another thing to check for if you keep losing your settings changes.
Any luck?
Can you open any pages?
It is possible that your security software (firewall, anti-virus) blocks or restricts Firefox or the plugin-container process without informing you, possibly after detecting changes (update) to the Firefox program.
Remove all rules for Firefox and the plugin-container from the permissions list in the firewall and let your firewall ask again for permission to get full, unrestricted, access to internet for Firefox and the plugin-container process and the updater process.
See:
there is no firewall.
there is no anti-virus.
it's a 'clean' installation of the operating system. as in factory settings. i went through it and manually cleaned it up.
i installed the latest version of firefox with administrator privileges. i wouldn't mind using an older version of firefox.
i'm getting blank pages, but the tab has a alpha numeric identifier. not a name.
i am getting pages if i type the url. it's only when i do a search and click on a result with "open in new tab" that this happens.
i haven't tried any of the recommendations. it's a desktop, and i'm not at home. will let you know when i get there. thanks.
Hi hmazuji, you wrote:
i am getting pages if i type the url. it's only when i do a search and click on a result with "open in new tab" that this happens.
Does the address bar show Google's exit URL (tracking script) above the blank page?
see image
we're not on the same sheet of music.
i am not just opening a new tab. i have a page with links on it, i right click on a link and from the menu options select open in new tab. the result is as previously mentioned.
otherwise, a new tab page opens with the customary thumbnails.
thanks.
Start Firefox in Safe Mode to check if one of the extensions (Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Extensions) or if hardware acceleration is causing the problem.
- Switch to the DEFAULT theme: Firefox/Tools > Add-ons > Appearance
- Do NOT click the Reset button on the Safe Mode start window
On Google's forums, a lot of IE users have reported that they get stuck on that exit page, but it seems rare on Firefox. Do you have any add-ons or external programs that might block or filter redirects?
There are add-ons to modify the links on the Google results page to avoid going through the exit script.
As a short term workaround, if you middle-click the links with the scroll wheel, that might bypass the exit page.
it looks like i have a virus. let me run a few anti virus programs ...
In case you need more suggestions on that: Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware
i tried to fix the problem automatically with these programs, but none of them worked. not one could fix the google redirect virus. my hats off to whoever wrote this bit of code.
05/22/2014 11:28 AM <DIR> Bitdefender Total Security 2014 05/24/2014 11:29 PM 5,200,426 ComboFix.exe 05/24/2014 10:15 PM 71,398 GooredFix.exe 05/25/2014 06:23 PM 388,608 HijackThis.exe 05/24/2014 10:33 PM 10,094,400 HitmanPro.exe 05/10/2014 10:17 PM 2,055,784 HousecallLauncher.exe 05/24/2014 11:14 PM 1,016,261 JRT.exe 05/24/2014 09:35 PM 17,292,760 mbam-setup-2.0.2.1012.exe 05/24/2014 09:28 PM 1,940,216 RKill.exe 05/24/2014 10:44 PM 3,972,608 RogueKiller.exe 05/25/2014 08:03 PM 10,021,424 RootkitBusterV5.0-1171.exe 05/22/2014 05:39 AM 46,392,680 spybot-2.3.exe 05/24/2014 08:53 PM 4,165,472 tdsskiller.exe 05/22/2014 11:44 AM 26,908,896 Windows malicious software removal tool.exe 05/22/2014 12:16 PM 331,805,736 Windows XP SP3.exe
there are a few articles online, on how to battle this, but try as i might, i couldn't fix it. at this point it's going to be easier to reinstall xp. that might be the best route. yes, let me get ready for that. thanks for the tips.
just a note; one of the articles intimated that there are approximately 25 million infected computers with the google redirect virus. that's an interesting statistic, and believable, because i wasn't able to remove it manually, and none of the commercial software were able to do it automatically. thanks for your time.
Why do you think you have a Google Redirect Virus? I believe the signature symptom of that infection is that when you click a result, you get an unexpected page, but if you go back and click it again, then you get the correct page. Your description didn't sound that sinister.
it is sinister because i'm getting blank pages like (see image in previous post), with redirect to xdirect-money.xorg or pages with redirects to xultrafiles.xnet or xlinkbucks.xcom. and nothing is detecting it. firefox and chrome don't work. it's sinister because it's a rootkit trojan that can only get fixed through a reinstall of the operating system.
Modified by hamoo
Chosen Solution
I see, originally I read the problem as getting stuck on Google's exit script page. I didn't see any connection to unwanted/incorrect destinations.
Our malware support article lists specialist malware removal forums where they can walk you through the use of tools that probably are too risky to use on your own.