Hi,

Don't panic; it's very simple to get back to using Google as default. The instructions you need are here under "Set a default search engine".

Thanks,

Jayelbe

jayelbe,

Thank you for your help. I'm sorry I did not reply sooner. I did not see this. As the name says, iknownothin. Now I think I'm in REAL TROUBLE. I downloaded an app that said it was required to use a photo and my security program went ape poop crazy with warnings. About a dozen new programs were downloaded to my hard drive. I uninstalled all of them but now my default search engine has been changed to something called, trovi, and I can't change it back to anything else. The normal method you suggested above has no effect. Hoping I'm not ruined, iknownothin

Bookmark and use this; Download the Mozilla Search Reset {web link} This add-on is very simple: on installation, it backs up and then resets your search preferences and home page to their default values, and then uninstalls itself. This affects the search bar, URL bar searches, and the home page.

Sometimes a problem with Firefox may be a result of malware installed on your computer, that you may not be aware of.

You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:

• Microsoft Safety Scanner
• MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware
• Anti-Rootkit Utility - TDSSKiller
• AdwCleaner (for more info, see this alternate AdwCleaner download page)
• Hitman Pro
• ESET Online Scanner

Microsoft Security Essentials is a good permanent antivirus for Windows 7/Vista/XP if you don't already have one.

Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.

Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!

If you want to restore the previously used standalone window to manage search engines then you can toggle this pref to false with a middle-click on the about:config page.

about:config page: browser.search.showOneOffButtons = false

You need to close and restart Firefox to make this work properly.

In the address bar, type about:preferences#search<enter>

If you miss being able to switch search engines without going crazy with menus, try this out;

Context Search {web link} Expands the context menu's 'Search for' item into a list of installed search engines, allowing you to choose the engine you want to use for each search.

FredMcD said

Bookmark and use this; Download the Mozilla Search Reset {web link} This add-on is very simple: on installation, it backs up and then resets your search preferences and home page to their default values, and then uninstalls itself. This affects the search bar, URL bar searches, and the home page.

---

Sometimes a problem with Firefox may be a result of malware installed on your computer, that you may not be aware of.

You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:

• Microsoft Safety Scanner
• MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware
• Anti-Rootkit Utility - TDSSKiller
• AdwCleaner (for more info, see this alternate AdwCleaner download page)
• Hitman Pro
• ESET Online Scanner

Microsoft Security Essentials is a good permanent antivirus for Windows 7/Vista/XP if you don't already have one.

Further information can be found in the Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware article.

Did this fix your problems? Please report back to us!

Thank you FredMcD! The Search Reset tool worked perfectly and I also downloaded and ran the Kapersky Anti-Rootkit utility which found nothing thus giving me peace of mind; a highly valuable commodity this week.

Thank you FredMcD! The Search Reset tool worked perfectly and I also downloaded and ran the Kapersky Anti-Rootkit utility which found nothing thus giving me peace of mind; a highly valuable commodity this week.

Glad to help.