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Why does the current version of firefox install adware??

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When I downloaded the current version of firefox it installed so much adware that my computer is unusable. I have used a previous version on my other computer and I liked it very well, Why did you ruin a very good program.

When I downloaded the current version of firefox it installed so much adware that my computer is unusable. I have used a previous version on my other computer and I liked it very well, Why did you ruin a very good program.

Chosen solution

Could you also check whether Firefox has a non-standard connection setting? That's one way to tamper with seemingly valid websites. You can do that here:

"3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options > Advanced > Network mini-tab > "Settings" button

The default "Use system proxy settings" should piggyback on your Windows/IE "LAN" settings. But you can try "No proxy" to see whether that makes any difference.

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All Replies (9)

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Where did you download Firefox from?

When you get it directly from Mozilla there are no surprises like adware.

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Did you install Firefox from someplace other than mozilla.org? Firefox does not install adware, it is an open source project and we are very proud of the fact that we work for no-body but the user. Adware is never bundled with Firefox.

It's possible you have a malware infection on your computer as well, try the steps at Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware

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I downloaded directly from the mozilla site and the dowmload asked me to install all sorts of adware.

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You did not give the link of Mozilla site to show it was indeed a Mozilla site.

There are some sites out there that are made up to look like a official site to download Firefox when it is not. You have to be careful on search engines like Google and Bing as they may have Ad links above the real search results.

Firefox for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux is not bundled with any applications nor any form or malware/adware.


Firefox 37.0.1 en-US for Windows from www.mozilla.org/firefox/all is Clean as should be.

Firefox Setup 37.0.1.exe Detection ratio: 0 / 56 https://www.virustotal.com/en/file/920f45893a50529d570f81dc0494ac2c047f6d40891fb95a6fb8e1edbff7af54/analysis/

Modified by James

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Firefox does not have adware. Try downloading it directly from https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/all/. If the adware is still there, it is coming from malware on your computer. Try the steps for removing malware at Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware

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Lets say Firefox 37.0.1 for Windows from Mozilla.org did indeed install Adware well it would be a Very hot topic of discussion here, at Mozilla newsgroups, at forums.mozillazine.org and tech sites around.

None of this of course has happened.

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I downloaded firefox from www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox. During the download it asked if I wanted to install several other files - I said no. As firefox was installing several ads popped up. I downloaded firefox to my other computer several months ago from the same site and it also installed Mcafee software. Maybe this is the wrong site.

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Anyway, moving on to cleaning up. Here's my suggested procedure for tracking down and cleaning up bad add-ons and other hijackers. I know it seems long, but it's 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. 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.

Success?

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Chosen Solution

Could you also check whether Firefox has a non-standard connection setting? That's one way to tamper with seemingly valid websites. You can do that here:

"3-bar" menu button (or Tools menu) > Options > Advanced > Network mini-tab > "Settings" button

The default "Use system proxy settings" should piggyback on your Windows/IE "LAN" settings. But you can try "No proxy" to see whether that makes any difference.