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My wife's PC has been taken over by Maps Galaxy and she cannot start firefox anymore, it diverts to MG. Tried all I can for a 72 year old, no luck. Ideas?

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Just the above which she told me. I do not have a a lot of luck fixing problems on her laptop.

Just the above which she told me. I do not have a a lot of luck fixing problems on her laptop.

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Please tell us, What's her computer system and Firefox version?

I found several links here; https://www.bing.com/search?q=Maps Galaxy&pc How to Remove Mapsgalaxy Toolbar | adware

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I think it's an add-on but I'll give you my entire suggested procedure for tracking down and cleaning up bad add-ons and other hijackers. I know it seems long, but it's really not that bad.

(1) Open the Windows Control Panel, Uninstall a Program.

After the list loads, click the "Installed on" column heading to group the infections, I mean, additions, by date. This can help in smoking out undisclosed bundle items that snuck in with some software you agreed to install. Be suspicious of everything you do not recognize/remember, as malware often uses important or innocent sounding names to discourage you from removing it.

Take out as much trash as possible here. If you're not sure, feel free to post program names or a screenshot of the list.

(2) Check for a Firefox program folder infection. That would be in one of these locations (varies for 32-bit / 64-bit):

  • C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\defaults\pref
  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\defaults\pref

A file named channel-prefs.js is normal. Any other file is suspicious. Remove any such files to a neutral location for further analysis at your leisure, or bury them in the Recycle Bin. Please do not double-click .js files as that will execute them as Windows system scripts. You can right-click > Edit or right-click > Open With to view them in Notepad.

If you found a program folder infection, exit Firefox and start it back up again before proceeding.

(3) Open Firefox's Add-ons page using either:

  • Ctrl+Shift+a (Mac: Command+Shift+a)
  • "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons
  • in the Windows "Run" dialog, type or paste
    firefox.exe "about:addons"

In the left column, click Extensions. Then, if in doubt, disable (or Remove, if possible) unrecognized and unwanted extensions. All extensions are optional; the troublemaker might not be obvious from its name.

Any improvement?

(3) You can search for remaining issues with the scanning/cleaning tools listed in this support article: Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware. These on-demand scanners are free and take considerable time to run. If they finish quickly and especially if they require payment, you may have a serious infection. I suggest the specialized forums listed in the article in that case.

Hopefully that will flush anything on your system and in your Firefox that could be a problem.