How-To Geek

Installed Windows 8 and have configured it just the way I like, I use Firefox as my default browser and have Google set as my home page. Every time I open Firefox I keep getting this really annoying message below the address bar "Get to Google faster. Add Google to your start page" Even if I say "No Thanks" whenever I open Firefox again there it is. I have Firefox set to Delete all history on close!
This also happens with Internet Explorer 10!

Anyone know how to stop this? it's sooooo annoying.

Thanks in Advance

Ged

if you have set to clear all your cookies on close down then FF cannot remember your choice next time and that's probably why it recurs. Cookies, amongst other things, are for remembering your preferences. You could try making Google an exception when clearing cookies.

Your link takes me to google groups welcome page and I'm not seeing what you describe. Malware was a shot in the dark, but i guess you have that covered. StringJunky's cookie idea sounds like a possibility to me.

How to post a picture

Thanks guys for the replies
P.S. Xhi Sorry about the link not been good!
Will close this. At least I know the cause.

Ged

Cookies are not all bad...they do have uses. :)

Now that we know that, you have two choices regarding clearing unwanted cookies but keeping the good ones you want.

1. Using FF and telling it to clear all history as before EXCEPT cookies which you should uncheck: You could set FF in Settings to NOT accept any cookies and then put your desirable websites cookies in Exceptions.

Firefox > Options > Options > Privacy > Firefox Will: Use Custom Settings For History > Uncheck: Accept Cookies > Uncheck: Accept Third Party Cookies > Click Exceptions and put in the URL's (web address) of the websites you want to keep cookies > Ok. The only thing to watch with this method is if something doesn't work on a particular website that's not in exceptions it's probably because it needs you to accept cookies and you need to add it to exceptions list...can be a pain but you can try it to see if it suits you. Chrome type browsers are better with cookie management because you can instantly click to accept cookies with an icon in the address bar.

Using Ccleaner:

Set Firefox to accept all cookies and not clear history > Open Ccleaner > Options > Cookies > Look in the list of Cookies To Delete and move the desirable ones (after you have visited the sites of course) to Cookies To Keep > Ok. Set ccleaner to clear history and anything else you want and then in Options > Settings > Check: Run Ccleaner When Computer starts. Downside of this method is it takes slightly longer for your computer to be ready at start.

Your Choice :)

Point to note in general: if you set a preference with a website your browser can only remember if it retains that site's cookies so you must make it an exception somehow, depending on your browser, when deleting browser data.

Tony

Hi Tony,

Many thanks for your clear instructions and advice with my issue. I understand that not all cookies are bad, but me being me I always prefer to delete browser history including cookies. I do a lot of work online including Internet Banking and the likes, so as a safe guard for myself and I prefer to stick with the way I do things with regards to Internet Security.
I'm quite happy to put up with the little annoyance that this causes. Would be just nice if Google would Stop pestering people with it!

So thanks to all that have replied to me.

Ged

The thing is you have to be pretty tech-savvy to know which cookies to delete. I want the cookie to remember my password for, say, a newspaper site but I don't want the newspaper to track what I read or to send me junk mail. I want the cookie to remember my Google settings but I don't want them to be able somewhow to "shadow" me and track what I do. I use cc cleaner but the list of cookies are just too daunting. I realize websites have to make a living. I want to suggest that these commercial sites stop putting cookies into my computer and in exchange I make a undertaking to spend 10 minutes each day reading whatever ads they want to send me.

If you are on Firefox .. Install the No script add on.. It makes it go away.. Because of the nature of the add on it also makes browsing very safe.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/noscript/

Also available in Chrome.