Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

browser keeps taking me to wrong web address

more options

I keep trying to get to a survey site that I frequently use, yet after I type in website addy....."shop at home" will show up in the addy bar and it takes me to a totally different website. I was wondering how to get rid of the shop at home tab off my browser if that is at all possible. Please help because i really need to be able to log into my survey site! Thanks

I keep trying to get to a survey site that I frequently use, yet after I type in website addy....."shop at home" will show up in the addy bar and it takes me to a totally different website. I was wondering how to get rid of the shop at home tab off my browser if that is at all possible. Please help because i really need to be able to log into my survey site! Thanks

All Replies (1)

more options

I think ShopAtHome is an add-on. Here's my suggested procedure for tracking down and cleaning up bad add-ons and other redirectors. I know it seems long, but it's not that bad.

(A) 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.

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

  • Ctrl+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 Plugins. Set nonessential and unrecognized plugins to "Never Activate".

In the left column, click Extensions. Then, if in doubt, disable (or Remove, if possible) unrecognized and unwanted extensions. Bear in mind that all extensions are optional, none come with Firefox.

Often a link will appear above at least one disabled extension to restart Firefox. You can complete your work on the tab and click one of the links as the last step.

Any improvement?

(C) You can search for remaining issues with the scanning/cleaning tools listed in our 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.

Success?