John Byron1

Q: can't get rid of bing as search engine even though select google

I updated Flash to day and now cannot get rid of Bing even though select Google in Safari preferences etc. No other browser installed. Help.

Posted on Sep 12, 2014 8:23 AM

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Q: can't get rid of bing as search engine even though select google

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  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Sep 12, 2014 8:30 AM in response to John Byron1
    Level 9 (58,135 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Sep 12, 2014 8:30 AM in response to John Byron1

    Go to Safari - Reset Safari and then choose all options. If you need more instruction please click Safari 7 (Mavericks): Reset Safari. After you have done so then re-test. If the problem persists restart in Safe Mode and try to reset the search engine to Google there. OS X: What is Safe Boot, Safe Mode?

  • by John Byron1,

    John Byron1 John Byron1 Sep 12, 2014 8:44 AM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Sep 12, 2014 8:44 AM in response to rkaufmann87

    Tried both. No fix. But thanks.

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Sep 12, 2014 9:04 AM in response to John Byron1
    Level 9 (58,135 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Sep 12, 2014 9:04 AM in response to John Byron1

    Please list the exact steps you are taking to change the setting, it's possible we don't understand the steps you are taking. Please be methodical and list them out in a:

    1.

    2.

    3.

    fashion.

  • by John Byron1,

    John Byron1 John Byron1 Sep 12, 2014 9:42 AM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Sep 12, 2014 9:42 AM in response to rkaufmann87

    1. Got rid of Bing cookies.

    2. Safari>Preferences>General>select Google as Default search engine.

    3. Click empty Safari search filed, click spotlight, note that Google is selected.

    4. Enter search term in blank Safari address field ... and it goes to Bing every time.

     

    Is tied up with a Flash Player urgent update today. May have missed deselecting a preference box at tail end of installation, but pretty tricky if that's the way Adobe does things.

     

    No other browsers installed.

     

    Have scoured Library of any likely files, no luck.

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Sep 12, 2014 9:50 AM in response to John Byron1
    Level 9 (58,135 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Sep 12, 2014 9:50 AM in response to John Byron1

    John,

     

    Asssuming you downloaded Flash directly from Adobe's website then you should be fine there.

     

    One thing that can be wrong is your Safari plist file (that's the preference file) may be corrupt. Please follow Carolyn's advice in Help for troubleshooting the Safari .plist (preferences)

     

    If you aren't sure how to get to;

     

    ~/Library/Preferences

     

    Open Finder - Go menu - Go to.. -and copy and paste ~/Library/Preferences into the search field.

  • by John Byron1,

    John Byron1 John Byron1 Sep 12, 2014 10:39 AM in response to rkaufmann87
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Sep 12, 2014 10:39 AM in response to rkaufmann87

    Did it. No help. Same issue.

  • by rkaufmann87,

    rkaufmann87 rkaufmann87 Sep 12, 2014 11:51 AM in response to John Byron1
    Level 9 (58,135 points)
    Photos for Mac
    Sep 12, 2014 11:51 AM in response to John Byron1

    TTime to call AppleCare or visit a Genius.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Sep 12, 2014 12:06 PM in response to John Byron1
    Level 10 (207,926 points)
    Applications
    Sep 12, 2014 12:06 PM in response to John Byron1

    You installed the "Genieo/InstallMac" rootkit. The product is a fraud, and the developer knowingly distributes an uninstaller that doesn't work. I suggest the procedure below to disable Genieo. This procedure may leave a few small files behind, but it will permanently deactivate the rootkit (as long as you never reinstall it.)

    Malware is constantly changing to get around the defenses against it. The instructions in this comment are valid as of now, as far as I know. They won't necessarily be valid in the future. Anyone finding this comment a few days or more after it was posted should look for more recent discussions or start a new one.

    Back up all data. You must know how to restore from a backup even if the system becomes unbootable. If you don't know how to do that, or if you don't have any backups, stop here and ask for guidance.

    Step 1

    In the Applications folder, there may (or may not) be an application named "Genieo". Genieo may be partially installed even if this item is absent. If it's present, select it and open the Finder Info window. If it shows that the Version is less than 2.0, download and install the current version from the genieo.com website. This may seem paradoxical, since the goal is to remove it, but you'll be saving yourself some trouble as well as the risk of putting the system in an unusable state.

    There should be another application in the same folder named "Uninstall Genieo". After updating Genieo, if necessary, launch "Uninstall Genieo" and follow the prompts to remove the "newspaper-style home page." Restart the computer.

    This step does not completely inactivate Genieo.

    Step 2

    Don't take this step unless you completed Step 1, including the restart, without any error messages. If you didn't find the Genieo application, or if you couldn't complete Step 1 for any reason, stop here and ask for instructions.

    Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

    /Library/Frameworks/GenieoExtra.framework

    Right-click or control-click the line and select

              Services Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)

    from the contextual menu.

    If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select

              Go Go to Folder...

    from the menu bar and paste into the box that opens by pressing command-V. You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

    A folder should open with an item named "GenieoExtra.framework" selected. Move that item to the Trash. You'll be prompted for your administrator password.

    Move each of these items to the Trash in the same way:

    /Library/LaunchAgents/com.genieo.completer.update.plist
    /Library/LaunchAgents/com.genieo.engine.plist
    /Library/LaunchAgents/com.genieoinnovation.macextension.plist
    /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.genieoinnovation.macextension.client.plist
    /Library/PrivilegedHelperTools/com.genieoinnovation.macextension.client
    /usr/lib/libgenkit.dylib
    /usr/lib/libgenkitsa.dylib
    /usr/lib/libimckit.dylib
    /usr/lib/libimckitsa.dylib
    ~/Library/Application Support/com.genieoinnovation.Installer
    ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.genieo.completer.download.plist
    ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.genieo.completer.update.plist

    If there are other items with a name that includes "Genieo" or "genieo" alongside any of those listed above, move them as well. There's no need to restart after each one. Some of these items will be absent, in which case you'll get a message that the file can't be found. Skip that item and go on to the next one.

    Restart and empty the Trash. Don't try to empty the Trash until you have restarted.

    Step 3

    From the Safari menu bar, select

              Safari Preferences... Extensions

    Uninstall any extensions you don't know you need, including ones called "Genieo" or "Omnibar," and any that have the word "Spigot" or "InstallMac" in the description. If in doubt, uninstall all extensions. Do the equivalent for the Firefox and Chrome browsers, if you use either of those.

    Your web browser(s) should now be working, and you should be able to reset the home page and search engine. If not, stop here and post your results.

    Make sure you don't repeat the mistake that led you to install this software. Chances are you got it from an Internet cesspit such as "Softonic" or "CNET Download." Never visit either of those sites again. You might also have downloaded it from an ad in a page on some other site. The ad has a large green button labeled "Download" or "Download Now" in white letters. The button is designed to confuse people who intend to download something else on the same page. If youever download a file that isn't obviously what you expected, delete it immediately.

    You may be wondering why you didn't get a warning from Gatekeeper about installing software from an unknown developer, as you should have. The reason is that this Internet criminal has a codesigning certificate issued by Apple, which causes Gatekeeper to give the installer a pass. Apple could revoke the certificate, but as of this writing, has not done so, even though it's aware of the problem. This failure of oversight has compromised both Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. You can't rely on Gatekeeper alone to protect you from harmful software.

    Finally, be forewarned that when Genieo is mentioned on this site, the attacker sometimes shows up under the name "Genieo support." He will tell you to download a fake "uninstaller." As he intends, the uninstaller does not completely remove the malware, and is in fact malware itself.

  • by John Byron1,Solvedanswer

    John Byron1 John Byron1 Sep 12, 2014 1:56 PM in response to John Byron1
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Sep 12, 2014 1:56 PM in response to John Byron1

    I downloaded, installed, and purchased MacBooster. Ran it. Problem solved, all things Genieo seem to be gone.

  • by steveng93,

    steveng93 steveng93 Feb 20, 2015 9:19 AM in response to John Byron1
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Feb 20, 2015 9:19 AM in response to John Byron1

    I tried the following, which seems to have fixed the problem for me.

     

    1. 1) In your Internet browser (mine is Safari), go to Preferences and temporarily set the Homepage field to something other than Bing or Google – e.g. yahoo.com

    2. 2) With the dialog box still open, go to Extensions and uninstall anything in there.

    3. 3) Re-start and everything should be OK.

    4. 4) If you want to have Google Search as your Homepage, now go back to step 1 and enter google.com as the new Homepage.  Note – do not do this as the initial step 1 above. I did that first time and after 2 days, Bing had re-inserted itself as a ‘secondary’ search engine, kicking in after the initial search on Google.  No idea why!