Looks like after using FF for more years than I can count I'll start looking for a different browser to use. I'm not up for my browser "telling me" what to do.

There is no "Firefox search engine". Are you talking about the page that opens when you first start Firefox? If so see the following: http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/How+to+set+the+home+page

Sorry about the delay. We are all unpaid volunteers on this site trying to assist users. On some days, with a limited number of volunteers participating and thousands of questions being posted, some posts may not get answered.

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Hi, sorry had no clue they didn't pay their support. I am talking about the search bar next to the address bar. It continues to reset back to the firefox search engine even if I delete it.

I have included a image to show what area I am talking about. In another post I show what it keeps reverting back to.

Oh so you want to remove the whole search bar? Cause that provides search results for search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing , etc.

I don't want to remove the bar.

Trying to explain this the best I can. Firefox continues to show up as default in the search box even if I remove it. Once FF is restarted it reverts back to using the firefox search engine as default. I want to be able to set my own default like I could in the past until this recent update to 6.0 (not upgrade but the recent update that happens prior to starting the browser).

I have tried manage search engines and it stays fine until I restart FF.

Ok it is not actually Firefox that is search engine but it showing the FF symbol. I guess it is actually Bing but don't want that either. I want to be able to set my own default.

Providing another pic to let you see what I see when I perform a search and what it shows in the search bar as the symbol for the engine.

Looks like Swag Bucks (not the "Firefox search engine") got downloaded/installed, probably with some other free internet item that you installed.

Look in Add-ons > Extensions. See if Swab Bucks is there or uninstall in Windows Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs. If so, click Remove/Uninstall and restart Firefox. Then try removing from the Search Bar again.

• Uninstalling add-ons
• Cannot uninstall and add-on
• Search bar - Removing a search engine

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Hi, I provided an update pic above to show you what I see when I restart my browser. I actually want Swagbucks to be my default but I can no longer set a default and even if I remove everything but swagbucks when I restart FF at a different time it all reverts back to showing the pic I provided above.

I have already tried to remove what I don't want through manage engines. What I don't want keeps coming back when I exit FF and restart it.

Swag Bucks is not a normal search engine included with Firefox. If you cannot remove that, you probably have malware installed. From where did you get Firefox 6? If not from Mozilla, I would download Firefox from Mozilla's site, completely uninstall Firefox and install the one from Mozilla (back up the bookmarks first). Also do a scan for malware.

Moderator Daifne's list of malware removers:

• Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware - http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php
• SuperAntispyware - http://www.superantispyware.com/
• Spybot Search & Destroy - http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
• AdAware - http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/

If these don't find it or can't clear it, post in one of these forums for specialized malware removal help:

• http://www.spywarewarrior.com/index.php
• http://forum.aumha.org/
• http://www.spywareinfoforum.com/
• http://bleepingcomputer.com/

finitarry:

1. see https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/questions/827739#answer-205194
2. other search engines can be installed in the Search Bar by the user directly or through an add-on or toolbar. Just because a search engine is not in the Firefox original distribution is no reason to assume that it is malware. Do your research first, then answer a question. I have found no evidence, so far, that it is malware.

Samanthalynn376:
If you click on the small icon to the left of "set default search engine in Firefox 6" (answer BOTH questions):

1. are any search engines listed?
2. have you removed all of them?

If you have removed all search engines in the Search Bar, you can restore those that came with Firefox originally by clicking "Restore Defaults" at the bottom of the Manage Search Engine List shown here: https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Search%20bar#w_managing-search-engines

Hi Safebrowser,

First I appreciate the time you spending to help me.

For the search engines I have swagbucks that I installed from their site, google and the one that keeps coming up as default which shows the FF icon but when actually used for searching comes up as Bing.

I have only removed the FF Icon/Bing one which keeps coming back as the default each time the FF browser is accessed.

I can only assume I am not explaining this correctly. I will try do this a little better. The 2nd picture you see is what happens each time I open FF. I have tried to remove the Firefox icon/ Bing search through the manage search engines. I click on the icon, then manage search engines, then I remove the one that shows in the 2nd pic as the FF Icon/ Bing search. Everything is fine until I close FF and later when I open back up FF everything is restored back with the Firefox icon and not the Swagbucks.

This just recently happened after FF did an update. If needed I can take a video to show what happens if that would help since others have clicked that they have this problem too.

Not sure if that matters but I am using FF 6.0 Beta.

finitarry: Swagbucks is not the issue because I have used it with several FF versions/updates with no problems and I was always able to set a default search that stayed that way each time I opened my browser. My downloads for FF have always come from FF. I know how to use a computer and already have my computer protected but thank you for the concern. Swagbucks is not malware. I've used it for over a year with FF.

I found this thread while searching for the solution to the same problem. It seems to be part of the Test Pilot program that runs automatically for people that are on the beta version of Firefox. I fixed the issue by going into my add-ons, and looking at the extensions. There should be one that is titled with something about a search results usefulness study. If you disable or remove that extension, the firefox "Search the web" option will go away for good.

Can you provide a screenshot of that search engine that has the Firefox icon and uses Bing? I have never seen anything like that, it must have been installed on the sly by something you installed.

Does that "Fireox icon" match any in the screenshot I uploaded? I have 8 different search plugins specifically for Mozilla related web sites.

SafeBrowser,

"finitarry:

   see https://support.mozilla.com/en-US/questions/827739#answer-205194
   other search engines can be installed in the Search Bar by the user directly or through an add-on or toolbar. Just because a search engine is not in the Firefox original distribution is no reason to assume that it is malware. Do your research first, then answer a question. I have found no evidence, so far, that it is malware. "

The original poster was complaining that she removed that search plugin, and it kept coming back. To my way of thinking, that is malware. Something that will not let you remove it is malware.

finitarry:

In my prior post to your reference to malware, I said "I have found no evidence, so far, that it is malware." Have you looked for SwagBucks or Swag Bucks on the internet to see if it has been reported as malware? I have, and there is no such information.

If there is a toolbar installed or other item installed on a system, even some legitimate toolbars or other programs, and it is in Add or Remove programs and it has made entries in the user's Windows Registry, the search engine can be installed from the Windows Registry over and over again, no matter how many times it is removed/deleted from the Firefox Search Bar. That does not necessarily denote malware.

gentlepurespace Thank you! I didn't even think to look in that area. I've never really messed around with the add extensions except for things I personally add. This worked like a charm!