# How/why would Firefox suddenly start trying to use a Proxy service?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-why-would-firefox-suddenly-start-trying-to-use-a-proxy-service/709802
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 14, 2015, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-why-would-firefox-suddenly-start-trying-to-use-a-proxy-service/709802 "2015-01-14T10:13:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2015, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-why-would-firefox-suddenly-start-trying-to-use-a-proxy-service/709802/1 "2015-01-14T10:13:41Z")
This is beyond bizarre. Windows shut down my pc for updates. After I restarted, Firefox was refusing connections. Proxy Service unavailable. WTH? Really WTH?
This came out of nowhere. One minute I’m watching youtube videos and then after a window update Firefox is screwed up.
I went into Firefox, Options, Advanced, How Firefox connects to Internet and **selected No Proxy.**
It was set on use System Settings. Is that the default?
Firefox is fixed.
Now I’m wondering how on earth I got a System Proxy setting ? I’ve NEVER, EVER, EVER setup a proxy in my life.
Where do I go in Windows to investigate? I’d very much like to shut this System Proxy setting off. It worries me that something out there set this up behind my back.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2015, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-why-would-firefox-suddenly-start-trying-to-use-a-proxy-service/709802/2 "2015-01-14T10:28:13Z")
I wonder if Relay Media Catcher is the culprit? I had it open and setup to record youtube. Out of nowhere I got blindsided by a forced Windows update and shutdown. I wonder if Media Catcher didn’t get shut down correctly? Maybe it left a proxy?
Just trying to figure out what happened and what I need to do to fix it.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-why-would-firefox-suddenly-start-trying-to-use-a-proxy-service/709802/3 "2015-01-14T12:44:04Z")
Somethins Malware will set up a proxy. Malwarebytes will remove the Malware, but leave the proxy setting and you have to turn them off manually.
I’ve also seen the proxy turned on spontaneously, but it’s rare and has a simple fix., so there was no need to track down the cause.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2015, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-why-would-firefox-suddenly-start-trying-to-use-a-proxy-service/709802/4 "2015-01-14T12:51:42Z")
I’ll run a full Malware Bytes scan. See if anything shows.
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### Author:  [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2015, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-why-would-firefox-suddenly-start-trying-to-use-a-proxy-service/709802/5 "2015-01-14T15:32:47Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#):
>
> Somethins Malware will set up a proxy. Malwarebytes will remove the Malware, but leave the proxy setting and you have to turn them off manually.
>
> I’ve also seen the proxy turned on spontaneously, but it’s rare and has a simple fix., so there was no need to track down the cause.
This. It happened to my mom’s computer just last week. It was a pain to figure out it was the proxy setting.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [January 14, 2015, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-why-would-firefox-suddenly-start-trying-to-use-a-proxy-service/709802/6 "2015-01-14T22:15:45Z")
Yip. In fact, all the malware I’ve ever cleaned up has used a proxy service. You often have to disable it to download the programs you’ll need to fix it. (Ideally you download the software from another computer, but that’s not always an option.)