Unable to search or add new engines

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Revision as of 13:01, 4 January 2009 by Alice Wyman (talk | contribs) (→‎Spyware and malware: removed links to specific applications an forums and linked to [[ Standared diagnostic - Firefox#Check for malware instead. Added "Searches being redirected" section)
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Unable to search

Extensions

  • XPL LinkScanner: The "XPL LinkScanner Firefox 2.6" extension can cause searches to fail [1] or Firefox may crash when using various search engines. Disable or uninstall this extension in Firefox via "Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions".
  • AVG Safe Search: The "AVG Safe Search" Firefox extension is included with AVG 8 Free Antivirus as part of the LinkScanner component. Among other issues, this extension is reported (in Firefox 3) to cause problems with Google search results [2] Disable this extension in Firefox via "Tools -> Add-ons -> Extensions".

For more information, see the entries for these extensions in the Problematic extensions article.

Spyware and malware

Spyware and other malicious software (malware), including variants of the Vundo/Virtumonde trojan, can cause certain sites to never finish loading and Google, Yahoo!, or other search engines may fail. [3] [4] [5] [6] For example, after entering a search in Google, "Waiting for www.google.com..." may remain in the status bar and no results will be returned. Your security software may not detect the malware so you should install and run another application that can scan your system and remove the malware or seek help from a forum specializing in malware removal. Some recommended anti-malware applications and help forums are listed here.

Searches being redirected

Disable or uninstall any extensions or remove any added toolbars that you suspect may be interfering with Web searches (you may also need to reset any preferences related to the removed add-ons.) Also check for malware that may be causing your searches to be redirected to unwanted sites. See this forum topic for other possible causes and solutions.

Search Bar not working and cannot add new search engines

If the Search Bar no longer works and you can't add new search engines, the problem may be a corrupt "search.sqlite" file. [7]. Try the following solution:

  1. Exit Firefox and go to your Firefox profile folder.
  2. Delete (or rename) the file "search.sqlite".
  3. Re-start Firefox to see if it solves your problem.

Related bug reports

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