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How do I remove ask.com as my default browser?

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It is hard to believe no one has ever asked this question before because I see all sorts of unworkable solutions when I google it. Nonetheless, I am finding the pc system in general extremely unintuitive in this matter which should be quite simple. I want to return to bing as my default browser after ask.com installed itself when I inadvertently used it to search for something. Help! Mercury retrograde proves that Murphy was right!

It is hard to believe no one has ever asked this question before because I see all sorts of unworkable solutions when I google it. Nonetheless, I am finding the pc system in general extremely unintuitive in this matter which should be quite simple. I want to return to bing as my default browser after ask.com installed itself when I inadvertently used it to search for something. Help! Mercury retrograde proves that Murphy was right!

Isisombululo esikhethiwe

Which Firefox icon do you mean?

The search engines list only applies to the search bar on the Navigation Toolbar.


If there is a problem with searching via the default about:home page or you want to change the search engine then you can reset the search engine used on the about:home page.

Reset the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone pref via the right-click context menu to the default on the about:config page and close and restart Firefox to restore the about:home page to its default.

  1. Open the about:config page via the location bar
  2. Type in the Filter bar: mstone
  3. Right-click the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone line and select: Reset
  4. Close and restart Firefox

If this didn't help then delete the delete the chromeappsstore.sqlite file in the Firefox Profile Folder and repeat the above.

Funda le mpendulo ngokuhambisana nalesi sihloko 👍 0

All Replies (15)

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Bing, Ask, and Google are search engines, Firefox, IE, and Safari are web browsers.

Where did that Ask search end up, as there are three places for doing searches in Firefox?

Location Bar, the Search Bar, and the about:home Homepage are where searches can be initiated.

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If there is a problem with the build-in about:home page then try to reset the search engine used on the about:home page.


Reset the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone pref via the right-click context menu to the default on the about:config page and close and restart Firefox to restore the about:home page to its default.

  1. Open the about:config page via the location bar
  2. Type in the Filter bar: mstone
  3. Right-click the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone line and select: Reset
  4. Close and restart Firefox

If this didn't help then delete the delete the chromeappsstore.sqlite file in the Firefox Profile Folder and repeat the above.

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Thanks edmeister and cor-el. Your answers might be helpful to someone who reads code, but I don't. Is there someone who can walk me through some steps I can understand? "Reset the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone pref via the right-click context menu to the default on the about:config page" is absolutely Greek to me. I'll try again. Robert

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You didn't answer my question.

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Okay. I don't know how to answer your question. Ask.com simply turned itself into my default search engine after I clicked on it in the midst of an online search for products. Up until yesterday, I had been using bing.com.

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Where are you searching?

Is that via the search bar on the Navigation Toolbar or via the location bar or on the about:home page?

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Where did that Ask search end up, as there are three places for doing searches in Firefox?

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Dear Ed and cor-el, I went into my history of the past few days to see if I could make any sense about when Ask.com first showed up or where I made the fatal click, and I can find nothing. Asking where the Ask search ended up makes no sense to me. My string of clicks possibly ended up on a list of manufacturers of hardware from China, as that is what I was looking for. I recall seeing such a list in my wanderings. Is that what you mean?

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Hi segueman, where do you usually do your searches in Firefox:

(1) Firefox home page (large box in the center of the page)?
(2) Firefox address bar (where URLs usually appear)?
(3) Firefox search box (with the little search engine icon on the left side)?

The reason for this question is that there is a different method for selecting the search engine for each one.

Edit: Screen shot added.

Okulungisiwe ngu jscher2000 - Support Volunteer

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I usually go from the box in the middle of Bing, but on this occasion, I believe I used the Bing box in the upper right.

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Does it work if you use the Google search bar on the Navigation Toolbar?


See also:

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Okay, I removed Ask.com from the list of search engines. But it still opens when I click on the firefox icon.

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Isisombululo Esikhethiwe

Which Firefox icon do you mean?

The search engines list only applies to the search bar on the Navigation Toolbar.


If there is a problem with searching via the default about:home page or you want to change the search engine then you can reset the search engine used on the about:home page.

Reset the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone pref via the right-click context menu to the default on the about:config page and close and restart Firefox to restore the about:home page to its default.

  1. Open the about:config page via the location bar
  2. Type in the Filter bar: mstone
  3. Right-click the browser.startup.homepage_override.mstone line and select: Reset
  4. Close and restart Firefox

If this didn't help then delete the delete the chromeappsstore.sqlite file in the Firefox Profile Folder and repeat the above.

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Bingo! I opened Firefox, typed "default about home page," which walked me thru three simple steps for changing the search engine homepage. Thank, you, cor-el and y'all for hanging in there with me. I realize there is more human help out there in the world of computers than I had suspected. Thanks again.

Robert

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Greetings - we publish removal steps for our search tools right here:

http://asksupport.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2908

If you need any other assistance, let our Customer Support team know via http://asksupport.custhelp.com/app/ask

Best regards, Eric from Ask.com