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Resolved How to eliminate searches with ISP search page

Discussion in 'Firefox, Thunderbird & SeaMonkey' started by psaulm119, 2011/10/26.

  1. 2011/10/26
    psaulm119 Lifetime Subscription

    psaulm119 Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Often, I find that after searching for a term in my URL bar, I am not directed to Google (which is my browser---Firefox 7.0--default search), but to Charter, my ISP.

    Is there something I can do, to make all my searches end up with Google?

    I have checked, and Google is set as the default search engine.
     
  2. 2011/10/26
    wildfire

    wildfire Getting Old

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    Paul, probably easier to direct this to Malware & Virus removal, it may not be malware as you see it but in my mind it is.

    Since I can't reply to your threads in that board please provide a link to this thread to explain the problem and let the Analyst know it's not top priority. The worst that'll happen is you'll get a free checkup :)

    Read this post, then post the requested log(s) in the Malware and Virus Removal forum.

    @Admin or Staff, if you feel this is inappropriate/overkill please remove this post.
     

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  4. 2011/10/26
    Admin.

    Admin. Administrator Administrator Staff

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    AFAIK this has nothing to do with Malware, but rather the way some ISP's do 'business'. Charter is one of these.

    Solution? Don't search in your address bar. Enter your search in the Search bar.
     
    wildfire likes this.
  5. 2011/10/26
    wildfire

    wildfire Getting Old

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    Ahh, missed that part:eek: I always use the search bar unless I know the URL.

    Paul ignore my post above.

    Thanks Arie.
     
  6. 2011/10/26
    psaulm119 Lifetime Subscription

    psaulm119 Geek Member Thread Starter

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    I didn't think it was malware either.

    I do plenty of searches in my URL bar (that end up in Google). This has been standard practice in Firefox for a while, and is the default location to search in Google Chrome, so I know it can be done. I'm just wondering how.
     
  7. 2011/10/26
    wildfire

    wildfire Getting Old

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    As Arie informed you, this is an ISP procedure, talk to them or use the Search Bar.
     
  8. 2011/10/26
    psaulm119 Lifetime Subscription

    psaulm119 Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Found out that others posting with this problem were able to find a link (usually at the bottom of the search results page) that let them opt out. Sure enough Charter had one and I opted out. Started working immediately.

    I think what was going on is that I have been googling abbreviations, and from what I read on other threads, Charter decided that this wasn't a search, but an attempt to type in a URL, so it didn't direct me to Google, my search engine.
     
  9. 2011/10/26
    wildfire

    wildfire Getting Old

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    Thanks for letting us know Paul, but just to be clear you weren't searching (googling) for anything.

    If you type an incorrect URL in the Address Bar then any ISP's DNS server takes over, some try to help (as yours does) by suggesting other sites others will commonly return a 404 not found error. It is down to you to enter the correct URL in these situations.

    If you want to search for anything, use the search bar not the address bar.
     
  10. 2011/10/26
    psaulm119 Lifetime Subscription

    psaulm119 Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Sorry, but searching via the URL bar has been done for years now. You don't have to do it, but many folks such as myself prefer to. When I type in a term that doesn't have www and .com, etc., I'm searching and want a google search results page for that term.

    And now I've made sure that I can do this all the time.
     
  11. 2011/10/26
    wildfire

    wildfire Getting Old

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    We're going around in circles here, if you enter an incorrect URL then your ISP may provide alternate suggestions. your ISP may be more flexible than others.

    I'll stand with what I said, if you want to search use the search bar, if you know the URL use the address bar.
     
  12. 2011/10/29
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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    Most all major ISPs have their own Search Results page for mistyped or incorrect URLs entered into the Location Bar or Address Bar. This service resides on an ISP server and is automatic.

    Opting out via a link on an ISP Webpage is temporary and lasts only until you delete your cookies.

    To permanently opt out such an ISP "search feature" you must change the DNS server addresses in the router control panel or in the adapter Properties dialog > TCPIP. (the router change is better because this one change affects all computers on the local network)

    For example, Cox calls this Enhanced Error Results and Verizon calls it DNS Assistance. Both Verizon & Cox Internet have a page with alternate DNS server addresses that will not redirect invalid URLs to their "search feature" server.
    Cox - Opt Out of Enhanced Error Results Page
    Verizon - Opting out of DNS Assistance

    Charter has such a "DNS hijacking" feature, as you already know. But they don't offer alternate DNS server addresses because they try to force you to use their DNS system. They make money via ads whenever their "search error" pages load. The solution is use use something like Google DNS or OpenDNS as your DNS servers in your router or in TCP settings.

    That being said, here's pretty much the same thing from Mozilla:
    Searches are redirected to another site
     
  13. 2011/10/29
    psaulm119 Lifetime Subscription

    psaulm119 Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Tony, thanks, I already got in touch with someone at OpenDNS and from what I could tell they were telling me that their DNS didn't support this--that I would still be directed to their own pages for "bad URLSs." I heard that Google's DNS will let you avoid this; perhaps I'll adopt them as a more permanent solution.

    Or am I wrong about OpenDNS? I'd rather use them than Google.
     
  14. 2011/10/29
    psaulm119 Lifetime Subscription

    psaulm119 Geek Member Thread Starter

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    Here is the entire contents of an email reply I got from them a day or two ago. (1) referred to something I was asking about their support forum itself:

    Hello,

    1) We are looking into the forum issue

    2) OpenDNS Basic is ad-supported (http://www.opendns.com/home/basic) and you will get our OpenDNS Guide Page for certain issues, like, NXDOMAINS,NO_RESPONSE from domains; you can also look into OpenDNS VIP http://www.opendns.com/home/vip.

    -Dominic
    OpenDNS Support
     
  15. 2011/10/30
    TonyT

    TonyT SuperGeek Staff

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