Google pays Mozilla to be the default search engine, but of course you can change it. The search bar is simplest: you just use the drop-down to choose a different search service. If your preferred site isn't available, let us know what it is. The address bar is next simplest, but you need to paste a new preference in through a slightly obscure method. Changing the search box on the built-in Firefox homepage is the hardest. The search box on the built-in Firefox homepage can be changed as described in the next post.

There is some malware going around that redirects Google results to random sites. Usually the pattern is that using the back button to return to the results and clicking again will take you to the correct site. If you think you might have this problem, check out this thread: Google Redirect Virus Removal.

As with many security issues, choose any new software tools with a degree of skepticism because some of the purported cures promoted on blogs and fixit sites may be worse than the disease.

The search bar on the default about:home page uses the default search engine (pref: browser.search.defaultenginename)

• http://kb.mozillazine.org/about:config