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Didn't change any settings but several tabs keep opening.

lbaccolaird
lbaccolaird
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A few days ago I installed something that I decided to remove by going into the control panel and removed the program. Since that day, that tab and a couple other tabs that were also opened during that same time that the computer was on. When turning on the computer the next day and every day since, those same tabs continue to open and I can't get them to stop opening. Other tabs that I have opened since that weren't opened that day, they don't still open like these other ones do. How can I get rid of these tabs so they don't continue to open? Thank you

A few days ago I installed something that I decided to remove by going into the control panel and removed the program. Since that day, that tab and a couple other tabs that were also opened during that same time that the computer was on. When turning on the computer the next day and every day since, those same tabs continue to open and I can't get them to stop opening. Other tabs that I have opened since that weren't opened that day, they don't still open like these other ones do. How can I get rid of these tabs so they don't continue to open? Thank you

All Replies (1)

jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
jscher2000 - Support Volunteer
  • Top 10 Contributor
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Do these tabs open all at once when you start Firefox, or do they open over time or when you take other actions?

For tabs that appear at startup, could you do this quick comparison: try opening a new window (Ctrl+n) or clicking your Home icon on the Firefox toolbar or pressing Alt+Home on the keyboard. If you get the same unwanted tabs, check your home page setting. If that works normally and you only have the problem using your desktop shortcut for Firefox, the shortcut might have a modified "Target" that specifies loading those pages.

  • Home page, see: Startup, home page, tabs, and download settings
  • Shortcut: right-click the shortcut > Properties > Shortcut tab, then the "Target" should just be: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe" with nothing after it

If neither of those is the problem, I would suspect a bad extension. Here is my suggested procedure for finding and removing bad add-ons. This is based on the unfortunate fact that many bad add-ons arrive as part of a free software download rather than something you installed intentionally from the add-ons site.

(1) Open the Windows Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs. 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. Take out as much trash as possible here.

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

  • Ctrl+Shift+a
  • "3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Add-ons

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.

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?

(3) 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.