Open a command window as administrator and
run these commands:

net stop winmgmt
cd /d %windir%system32wbem
ren repository repository.old
(or delete it using the command "rd /s repository"
instead of the "ren" )
net start winmgmt

It may take a minute or so to complete while WMI
rebuilds the database.

When clicked, a popup asks if you want to use firefox or safari. I do not use it so I don't know beyond that point, it might require restarting firefox at some point.

Open settings
Open General
Middle of that screen will show your default browsers
Pull down the menu and select whichever you want

like the Nike logo, but it does not stay there. And I cannot type anything there.

Strange

Just want to be sure we're on the same page in this sub-thread:

1) From the Apple logo on the very left of the menu bar select "System Preferences..."

2) in the System Preferences window that opens up select "General", which should be the leftmost item in the first row

3) Once that loads, a bit past half-way down there should be a place to choose your default browser in a pop-up menu.


If this works for you great, but if not let us know at what step you're seeing the empty window with a check mark.

and there is an empty box by the Default web browser and the strange thing is that it has an up and down arrows that normally means you have a list but here, clicking anyplace on this box just fills it in blue and the check mark and then it disappears.

Wish I could take a screenshot of it, but don't know how to do it.

press shift-command-3 (all three keys, you don't have to press them all down simultaneously, I usually press & then hold shift & command keys, then while holding those down press the "3" key. You should hear a camera shutter sound play and a file named "Screen Shot YYYY-MM-DD at HH.MM.SS" should appear on your desktop.