Repeated Unwanted Safe Search as Firefox Default

Norton Security | Norton Internet Security
1

I am a Firefox user and prefer Google as my default search engine - but, on multiple occasions, when NIS updates it overrrides my choice and inserts Norton Safe Search as the default.  Each time I go into the Firefox configuration files and change it back. Until the next time.  I am getting really hacked off.  So what's going on and when will Norton fix this?

And while I'm here, the most annoying thing after the above is Nathan -- the mythical bot who is supposed to help.  He is 100.000% useless.  The results he comes up with refer to other products and are usually 2 or 3 years old.  Seemingly Norton have ditched anyone outside the US, as the old chat option with a real person has disappeared for us Europeans -- they want the money but there's no service.  I am shortly due to renew so am looking elsewhere.

2

It's not as bad, as you think.

 

Go to the Norton toolbar, select the Norton item and untick 'Switch on Norton Safe Search' or the like (i have a Dutch version), so that the item is unticked. Then you get rid of Safe Search the right way. Even after a Norton update it will stay unticked.

You might have to change the default search machine one more time, i am not sure anymore.

 

BTW : the chat function is still available in Europe; just select 'contact' in the upper right corner of the main support page, or :

www.norton.com/chat

 

Regards, Hugo

3

Sorry -- as I tried to say in my post I have done that multiple times.  Whenever there is an update to NIS it overwrites what I have put in.  To be clear, when NIS updates it it changes the entry in the Firefox configuration  to show Norton Safe Search as the default - then I change it to what I want - then it changes it back.  It really is annoying.

4

Hi rolyroly,

 

I have NIS 2013 installed on 5 machines from the release date and never had your problem after switching it off in the Norton toolbar. Not even after the 3 major updates NIS 2013 had.

 

For all clarity, it's not the Firefox search machine field in the right hand upper corner:

 

If you changed your default search machine only in Firefox, like in this picture, it will return after a major Norton update :

 

Select search.jpg

 

You have to switch it off here (untick the 7th item) on the left hand side of the FF interface.

 

Norton toolbar.jpg

 

As i said before, you might have to change/remove the Safe search machine one more time from your FF config with the 'Manage search engines' function.

So if you did it the right way and it's not working as you want, you may need to contact Norton chat to solve your problem or try to reinstall NIS 2013.

 

Regards, Hugo

5

If there is something wrong with your installation, you can try clicking on Support - Get Support to run  Autofix to check your installation and fix what it finds.

 

 

 

6

What I have been doing is shown in this clip, except I have put in Google which is what I want.  It stays there until the next update when it has been rewritten as Safe Search.

 

If I could attach a jpeg I would -- but this board only seems to accept txt or pdf so no use

 

At the moment it's ok but I suspect it will again be changed at the next update -- annoying.  Am I doing the right thing?

I also have Safe Search unchecked in the Norton tab.

And I have run the auto fix under the support options - both befor and since refixing the problem.

It's really surprising that Symantec overwrite my own entry in the configuration file.

 

7

Hi rolypoly,

 

here's info on posting a a screenshot.

 

 

http://community.norton.com/t5/Forum-Feedback/Forum-Tip-How-to-post-screenshots-in-the-forum/td-p/254415

8

Question 1 : Did you already have Safe Search unchecked in the Norton tab before you wrote your original post?

Question 2 : Did you remove Norton Safe Search from your Search engine list in the upper right hand corner of FF?

 

As said before, on 5 machines here, i never had your problem.

9

Here's the snip I wanted to show what I did in Firefox to try and fix the default search - I put in Google instead of Safe Search.

And btw I did delete Safe search in both the norton and Firefox toolbars.

Default Search.JPG

 

As I said all is ok for now, but I have been here several times before - when the next update comes through it may well get changed back to Safe Search.  That is irritating.

10

Sorry, but you did not exactly answer my 2 questions. It might be easier if you do, then we volunteers are able to help you better.

 

Anyway : The sequence in which you do things, is important. So next time you have this problem, try to do it in this sequence :

1. Switch off Safe Search in the Norton toolbar.

2. Restart Firefox

3. Then you should not need to go to 'about:config' anymore, but can directly go to Manage Search Engines in the FF search field.

4. Click Manage Search Engines and remove Norton Safe Search there.

This should keep the situation also over major updates.

 

Good luck with next time..and do not hesitate to ask again:smileyhappy:.

 

Regards, Hugo

11

Thanks for that - can't quite remember the order in which I did those things but have made a note ready for next time.

If it comes unstuck I will post again.

Take care, and thanks again

12

I followed all of the various recommended steps and procedures and it still didn't fix the issue for me: every time I did a keyword search via the Firefox address bar, I was getting Norton's Ask results. 

 

So typed in about:config and searched for "ask". I found that the keyword.URL field was highlighted as it had been changed so that all searches were going through a version of ask.com. I right-clicked that setting, selected "Reset" and then tested. Success! Once again I was getting Google results.

 

I'm not sure it's relevant, but I should mention that I had enable both my Norton Add-ons and had restarted when I did the above. After this fixed the issue, I re-enabled the Norton add-ons and restarted again. My change was still in place and searches were working correctly again.