When the Firefox homepage opens I get a window asking for the master password security device - - - also a fake Adobe window asks me to update: malware.

Question

Apparently, I'm not the first.
Other than "x-ing" the Pop-Ups can these be totally eliminated. I know that the Adobe Pop-ups are fake . . . and add malware. I just had to re-install my OS and get a new hard-drive. I want to keep my computer clean.

Answer 1

Sometimes a problem with Firefox may be a result of malware installed on your computer, that you may not be aware of.
You can try these free programs to scan for malware, which work with your existing antivirus software:
'''[https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/forums/support-forum-contributors/710576 Possible Mal-Ware Scan For Macs]''' {web link}
'''Windows'''
* [http://www.microsoft.com/security/scanner/default.aspx Microsoft Safety Scanner]
* [http://www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free/ MalwareBytes' Anti-Malware]
* [http://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/disinfection/5350 Anti-Rootkit Utility - TDSSKiller]
* [http://general-changelog-team.fr/en/downloads/viewdownload/20-outils-de-xplode/2-adwcleaner AdwCleaner] (for more info, see this [http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/download/adwcleaner/ alternate AdwCleaner download page])
* [http://www.surfright.nl/en/hitmanpro/ Hitman Pro]
* [http://www.eset.com/us/online-scanner/ ESET Online Scanner]
[http://windows.microsoft.com/MSE Microsoft Security Essentials] is a good permanent antivirus for Windows 7/Vista/XP if you don't already have one.
Further information can be found in the [[Troubleshoot Firefox issues caused by malware]] article.
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