you can also install the yahoo search provider from https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/yahoo-search-addon/ if you're inclined to do so.

needyahoo said

This is what I got when i did the resource link

This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.

So the good news is that Yahoo search is still in your Firefox. The bad news is, for some unknown reason, it's inaccessible.

Could you check for alien script files in your Firefox program folder? In particular, in these locations (varies for 32-bit / 64-bit):

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

Caution: Do not double-click script files! The default action for a script file it to execute as a Windows system script. (Typically this would just not work, but why risk it.)

Make sure Windows is showing hidden files: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14201/windows-show-hidden-files

A file named channel-prefs.js is normal. Any other file in this folder is suspicious. Remove any such files to a neutral location for further analysis at your leisure.

jscher2000 said

needyahoo said

This is what I got when i did the resource link

This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it. The document tree is shown below.

So the good news is that Yahoo search is still in your Firefox. The bad news is, for some unknown reason, it's inaccessible.

Could you check for alien script files in your Firefox program folder? In particular, in these locations (varies for 32-bit / 64-bit):

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

Caution: Do not double-click script files! The default action for a script file it to execute as a Windows system script. (Typically this would just not work, but why risk it.)

Make sure Windows is showing hidden files: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/14201/windows-show-hidden-files

A file named channel-prefs.js is normal. Any other file in this folder is suspicious. Remove any such files to a neutral location for further analysis at your leisure.

Just has the channel pref files nothing else is in there

Have the same results as needyahoo, also a single file channel-prefs.js is there.

And Pocket appeared yesterday for me, I keep FF always updated. And i would have remembered having to tick off Show suggestions by pocket on the new tab options.

Have you tried Jsher of removing the yahoo engine from your own browser options and see what happens when you hit restore.

Needyahoo, lost access on his/her 3 computers and 2 phones to the yahoo engine so its something on the Firefox end and we hit a wall because in here there arent Mozilla developers lurking around to offer actual insight.

And no, having to install a plug in just to access yahoo search engine isnt an acceptable solution.

I agree with s1raz1 its not an acceptable solution, you shouldnt need a walk around to get to what should be there.

Jscher I have done everything you asked me to do and nothing is wrong with my firefox. Are you saying that you have yahoo search under search engines in your firefox?

If anybody wants to report a bug :

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/

But first read : How to report a bug

already done but thanks Happy

needyahoo said

Jscher I have done everything you asked me to do and nothing is wrong with my firefox. Are you saying that you have yahoo search under search engines in your firefox?

Yes, it never left, and it remains when I click the "Restore Default Search Engines" button. (This is still Firefox 58.0.2 from several weeks ago, 64-bit U.S. English.)

I'm totally baffled by this problem.

One phone an LG i never had firefox on it before did a new install on it and yahoo is NOT there under search engines. Everything else had it before but its gone now. Dont know if for some reason it has to do with where I am but I am on east coast of the US.

I also have 58.0.2 64 bit on this computer

Does Yahoo show here as a builtin search engine?

You can inspect the built-in default search engines by pasting this chrome URI in the location bar (see: browser.search.jarURIs).

• chrome://browser/locale/searchplugins/

Did you do a clean reinstall and deleted the Firefox Firefox program folder?

Do you have any unusual files in this location apart from channel-prefs.js?

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

Do a malware check with several malware scanning programs on the Windows computer.

• https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-caused-malware

Please scan with all programs because each program detects different malware. All these programs have free versions.

Make sure you update each program to get the latest version of their databases before doing a scan.

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware:
  http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
• AdwCleaner:
  http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/
  http://www.softpedia.com/get/Antivirus/Removal-Tools/AdwCleaner.shtml
• SuperAntispyware:
  http://www.superantispyware.com/
• Microsoft Safety Scanner:
  https://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/en-us/default.aspx
• Windows Defender:
  https://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/using-defender
• Spybot Search & Destroy:
  http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
• Kasperky Free Security Scan:
  https://www.kaspersky.com/security-scan

You can also do a check for a rootkit infection with TDSSKiller.

• Anti-rootkit utility TDSSKiller:
  https://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/disinfection/5350

https://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/utility

See also:

• "Spyware on Windows": http://kb.mozillazine.org/Popups_not_blocked

Cor-el, yes I have done the reinstall and no nothing is under the pref folder but the channel pref. Ran malwarebytes just two days ago and things were fine. Will run one again tonight but everything else is fine and it wouldnt be effecting 3 computers and 2 phones.

Why paste a chrome url for firefox?

works anyway the chrome url. It has yahoo listed 2 times but I have done work around in this computer so I will have to check on the other computers

Decided to click on "Restore Default Search Engines" (had kept only two), just to see what would happen.

They all came back - all, except one : ........ Yahoo.

(No malware, and Yahoo does show up in the forementioned URLs)

Does anyone who lost Yahoo have anything listed on the following internal page (type or paste to the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it):

about:studies

Nope, it just says Shield Studies, Whats this? Firefox may install and run studies from time to time, update preferences

jscher2000 said

Does anyone who lost Yahoo have anything listed on the following internal page (type or paste to the address bar and press Enter/Return to load it): about:studies

Not here .....

For users who have lost Yahoo, could you extract your search.json data? I have a test page up that will read out the settings as I understand them. Here's how:

Open this extractor page:

https://www.jeffersonscher.com/res/searchjson.html

Open your current Firefox settings (AKA Firefox profile) folder using either

• "3-bar" menu button > "?" Help > Troubleshooting Information
• (menu bar) Help > Troubleshooting Information
• type or paste about:support in the address bar and press Enter

In the first table on the page, on the Profile Folder row, click the "Open Folder" button. This should launch a new window listing various files and folders in Windows Explorer.

Drag the search.json.mozlz4 over to the white box on the extractor page and drop it there.

After about two seconds, the default search engine and a list that matches the box on the Options page should appear, along with a separate list of any search engines that have been removed.

Is Yahoo visible anywhere in that data?

Added example screenshot

@ jscher2000 :

Sorry, no can do - 'don't have a mouse .....

@ needyahoo :

Could you give us a link to your bug report  ?

Happy112 said

@ needyahoo : Could you give us a link to your bug report  ?

I think it's this one: https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=1443957