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How do I get FF4 to use Google's I'm feeling lucky feature?

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I first thought it was something in DNS, but yet this is not a problem in FF3.6.13

My web browsing workflow was as follows- Type name of website in address bar, hit enter, wait for mozilla.org homepage to load.

Now if I do the exact same thing in FF4b12, I get a google search results page instead of the mozilla.org homepage.

Why is that? And where in about:config can I go to fix that?

I have tried this on two different internet connections, my home ISP using the ISP provided DNS and at my workplace where we run an in-house DNS server.

I am on a Mac running Snow Leopard 10.6.6, I use AdblockPlus and FirefoxB persona.

See the google query differences below- FF4b10/11 used it and it works the same in FF3.6

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=mozilla

This is the query in FF4 b12- http://www.google.com/search?q=mozilla&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Do you see the difference??

I first thought it was something in DNS, but yet this is not a problem in FF3.6.13 My web browsing workflow was as follows- Type name of website in address bar, hit enter, wait for mozilla.org homepage to load. Now if I do the exact same thing in FF4b12, I get a google search results page instead of the mozilla.org homepage. Why is that? And where in about:config can I go to fix that? I have tried this on two different internet connections, my home ISP using the ISP provided DNS and at my workplace where we run an in-house DNS server. I am on a Mac running Snow Leopard 10.6.6, I use AdblockPlus and FirefoxB persona. See the google query differences below- FF4b10/11 used it and it works the same in FF3.6 http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=mozilla This is the query in FF4 b12- http://www.google.com/search?q=mozilla&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a Do you see the difference??

Chosen solution

Firefox 3.6.* uses Google's "Browse by name" search rather that "I'm feeling lucky" To set Firefox 4 to use the browse by name search you need to change a hidden preference.

  1. Type about:config into the location bar and press enter
  2. Accept the warning message that appears, you will be taken to a list of preferences
  3. Locate the preference keyword.URL, double-click on it and change it to the link shown below

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=

If you want it to use the I'm feeling lucky search, set it to this link:

http://www.google.com/search?btnI=I%27m+Feeling+Lucky&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=

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All Replies (14)

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Chosen Solution

Firefox 3.6.* uses Google's "Browse by name" search rather that "I'm feeling lucky" To set Firefox 4 to use the browse by name search you need to change a hidden preference.

  1. Type about:config into the location bar and press enter
  2. Accept the warning message that appears, you will be taken to a list of preferences
  3. Locate the preference keyword.URL, double-click on it and change it to the link shown below

http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=

If you want it to use the I'm feeling lucky search, set it to this link:

http://www.google.com/search?btnI=I%27m+Feeling+Lucky&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=

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You have saved my sanity! Thank you! Thank you! Tony!

I didn't know there was "Browse by name" I just thought it was "I'm feeling lucky" But thank you again!

=)

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You're welcome

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That's really useful to know, but it seems a bit rubbish of Mozilla to just sideline a really useful feature like the Awesome Bar "Browse by Name" and expect people to start Googling and going through about:config to fix it. How about a drop down list in Options > Content to select regular Google search, Browse by name or I'm feeling lucky, at the very least?

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It's a shame that the feeling lucky feature was disabled in Firefox 4. But there is an addon to put it back: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/luckybar/

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Note that the Luckybar is not the same as what is in Firefox 3.6.*, that adds the Google "I feel lucky" search. The method used in Firefox 3.6.* is the Google "Browse by name". My above method adds that back, or you can use this add-on for the English US Google browse by name search - https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/browse-by-name

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right, they are the same exact thing. In fact, the source of LuckyBar's main.js is nearly identical to that of the Browse By Name addon. The Lucky Bar adds Mozilla Firefox as the referrer though (which it is).

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The 2 add-ons do slightly different things.

The add-ons page for Lucky bar add-on states that it uses Google's "I feel lucky search". With that search it will always take you to the most likely match.

The Browse by name add-on uses Google's "Browse by name" search. With that search, if there is a clear match it takes you to that site, otherwise it will show you the Google search page with the result of the Google search.

Prior to Firefox 2, the location bar search used "I feel lucky" from Firefox 2 to Firefox 3.6 it used "Browse by name"

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Oh, I see what you mean. I didn't even know they were different. The description of LuckyBar is incorrect then because in the source I noticed it is setting keyword.URL to the browse by name service URL. Most non-technical users don't know what browse by name is but they remember the Feeling Lucky button, I think.

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Hello TonyE

The “Browse by name” Keyword.url works, but why on earth this isn’t standard anymore in Firefox 4?

But there is a problem every time I started Firefox again I can start over again, because the Keyword.Url is get to his default setting again with is: chrome://browser-region/locale/region.properties Can’t I save the new settings?

The message I get is the following Firefox kan het bestand op jar:file:///C:/Program Files/Mozilla Firefox/omni.jar!/chrome/nl/locale/browser-region/region.propertiesx niet vinden


Could this have got something to do with the new Panorama function?

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Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

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Thank you!!! I have been hating the stupid FF4+ not im feeling lucky style for a long time. IFFFF I want to run a search I'll use the search box at top!!!

Thanks!! Firefox should restore this to default.

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I know that this is an old post. But the information up top is valid still. Firefox version 8 converted to using Bing in the awesome bar. I hate Bing. This info I want to comfirm still works, and I am a very happy user now and all is right with the world.