Hi Mike, did you recently install or update DivX? It was mentioned in another thread that a bundled program or add-on called Search Protect overrides your preferred settings. (see: https://support.mozilla.org/questions/990388#answer-544924)

You can check for it in the Windows Control Panel, Uninstall a Program. Clicking the "Installed on" column heading should bring the most recent infections, er, additions, to the top, and help spot bundled items you probably want to remove.

After that, I suspect you know how to clean up the home page and search engine settings, but just in case:

• Startup, home page, tabs, and download settings
• How to set the home page
• https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/searchreset/

The following always appears under "Important Modified Preferences" in the FireFox "Troubleshooting Information" when selected under the Menu "Help" heading. There's more but I've just included those parts that reference "conduit". I've lost track of everything that I have tried to remove this gremlin.

Please help if this helps. . . . . Mike J.

   "browser.search.suggest.enabled": false,
   

"browser.sessionstore.upgradeBackup.latestBuildID": "20140212131424",

"browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone": "27.0.1",

"browser.startup.homepage": "http://search.conduit.com/?

ctid=CT3306061&octid=CT3306061&SearchSource=61&CUI=UN21774479392749527&UM=

2&UP=SPDCC8817D-105D-4EF1-A5C8-2B45FD8F520F&SSPV=",

"browser.startup.homepage_override.buildID": "20140212131424",

   "dom.mozApps.used": 

true,

   "extensions.lastAppVersion": "27.0.1",
  
"keyword.url": "http://search.conduit.com/ResultsExt.aspx?

ctid=CT3306061&SearchSource=2&CUI=UN21774479392749527&UM=2&q=",

Can you do another test:

(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 home and pause while the list is filtered

(3) Right-click the browser.startup.homepage preference and choose Reset. Does it change to:

• Status = default
• Value = about:home

If not, what does the status column say?

You can check in "Windows Control Panel > Programs" for recently installed programs to see if anything from Conduit or any other suspicious software shows up.

• Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features > Uninstall or change a program
• Click the Installed column to sort by this heading

Create a new profile as a test to check if your current profile is causing the problem.

See "Creating a profile":

• https://support.mozilla.org/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles
• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Standard_diagnostic_-_Firefox#Profile_issues

If the new profile works then you can transfer files from a previously used profile to the new profile, but be cautious not to copy corrupted files to avoid carrying over the problem

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/Transferring_data_to_a_new_profile_-_Firefox