--- a/browser/app/profile/firefox.js
+++ b/browser/app/profile/firefox.js
@@ -234,17 +234,17 @@ pref("browser.shell.checkDefaultBrowser"
 pref("browser.shell.shortcutFavicons",true);
 pref("browser.shell.mostRecentDateSetAsDefault", "");
 pref("browser.shell.skipDefaultBrowserCheck", true);
 pref("browser.shell.defaultBrowserCheckCount", 0);
 
 // 0 = blank, 1 = home (browser.startup.homepage), 2 = last visited page, 3 = resume previous browser session
 // The behavior of option 3 is detailed at: http://wiki.mozilla.org/Session_Restore
 pref("browser.startup.page",                1);
-pref("browser.startup.homepage",            "chrome://branding/locale/browserconfig.properties");
+pref("browser.startup.homepage",            "about:home");
 
 pref("browser.slowStartup.notificationDisabled", false);
 pref("browser.slowStartup.timeThreshold", 40000);
 pref("browser.slowStartup.maxSamples", 5);
 
 // This url, if changed, MUST continue to point to an https url. Pulling arbitrary content to inject into
 // this page over http opens us up to a man-in-the-middle attack that we'd rather not face. If you are a downstream
 // repackager of this code using an alternate snippet url, please keep your users safe

--- a/browser/base/content/browser.js
+++ b/browser/base/content/browser.js
@@ -5181,33 +5181,20 @@ var gHomeButton = {
       homePage = homePage.replace(/\|/g,', ');
       if (homePage.toLowerCase() == "about:home")
         homeButton.setAttribute("tooltiptext", homeButton.getAttribute("aboutHomeOverrideTooltip"));
       else
         homeButton.setAttribute("tooltiptext", homePage);
     }
   },
 
-  getHomePage: function ()
-  {
-    var url;
-    try {
-      url = gPrefService.getComplexValue(this.prefDomain,
-                                Components.interfaces.nsIPrefLocalizedString).data;
-    } catch (e) {
-    }
-
-    // use this if we can't find the pref
-    if (!url) {
-      var configBundle = Services.strings
-                                 .createBundle("chrome://branding/locale/browserconfig.properties");
-      url = configBundle.GetStringFromName(this.prefDomain);
-    }
-
-    return url;
+  getHomePage: function () {
+    if (!this.HomePage)
+      Cu.import("resource:///modules/HomePage.jsm", this);
+    return this.HomePage.get();
   },
 };
 
 const nodeToTooltipMap = {
   "bookmarks-menu-button": "bookmarksMenuButton.tooltip",
   "new-window-button": "newWindowButton.tooltip",
   "new-tab-button": "newTabButton.tooltip",
   "tabs-newtab-button": "newTabButton.tooltip",

deleted file mode 100644
--- a/browser/branding/aurora/locales/browserconfig.properties
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
-# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
-# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
-
-# Do NOT localize or otherwise change these values
-browser.startup.homepage=about:home

--- a/browser/branding/aurora/locales/jar.mn
+++ b/browser/branding/aurora/locales/jar.mn
@@ -4,9 +4,8 @@
 # file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
 
 
 @AB_CD@.jar:
 % locale branding @AB_CD@ %locale/branding/
 # Aurora branding only exists in en-US
   locale/branding/brand.dtd        (en-US/brand.dtd)
   locale/branding/brand.properties (en-US/brand.properties)
-  locale/branding/browserconfig.properties

deleted file mode 100644
--- a/browser/branding/nightly/locales/browserconfig.properties
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
-# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
-# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
-
-# Do NOT localize or otherwise change these values
-browser.startup.homepage=about:home

--- a/browser/branding/nightly/locales/jar.mn
+++ b/browser/branding/nightly/locales/jar.mn
@@ -4,9 +4,8 @@
 # file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
 
 
 @AB_CD@.jar:
 % locale branding @AB_CD@ %locale/branding/
 # Nightly branding only exists in en-US
   locale/branding/brand.dtd        (en-US/brand.dtd)
   locale/branding/brand.properties (en-US/brand.properties)
-  locale/branding/browserconfig.properties

deleted file mode 100644
--- a/browser/branding/official/locales/browserconfig.properties
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
-# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
-# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
-
-# Do NOT localize or otherwise change these values
-browser.startup.homepage=about:home

--- a/browser/branding/official/locales/jar.mn
+++ b/browser/branding/official/locales/jar.mn
@@ -3,9 +3,8 @@
 # License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
 # file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
 
 
 @AB_CD@.jar:
 % locale branding @AB_CD@ %locale/branding/
   locale/branding/brand.dtd        (%brand.dtd)
   locale/branding/brand.properties (%brand.properties)
-  locale/branding/browserconfig.properties

deleted file mode 100644
--- a/browser/branding/unofficial/locales/browserconfig.properties
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
-# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
-# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
-
-# Do NOT localize or otherwise change these values
-browser.startup.homepage=about:home

--- a/browser/branding/unofficial/locales/jar.mn
+++ b/browser/branding/unofficial/locales/jar.mn
@@ -4,9 +4,8 @@
 # file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
 
 
 @AB_CD@.jar:
 % locale branding @AB_CD@ %locale/branding/
 # Unofficial branding only exists in en-US
   locale/branding/brand.dtd        (en-US/brand.dtd)
   locale/branding/brand.properties (en-US/brand.properties)
-  locale/branding/browserconfig.properties

--- a/browser/components/nsBrowserContentHandler.js
+++ b/browser/components/nsBrowserContentHandler.js
@@ -582,24 +582,19 @@ nsBrowserContentHandler.prototype = {
     // Only show the startPage if we're not restoring an update session.
     if (overridePage && startPage && !willRestoreSession)
       return overridePage + "|" + startPage;
 
     return overridePage || startPage || "about:blank";
   },
 
   get startPage() {
-    var uri = Services.prefs.getComplexValue("browser.startup.homepage",
-                                             nsIPrefLocalizedString).data;
-    if (!uri) {
-      Services.prefs.clearUserPref("browser.startup.homepage");
-      uri = Services.prefs.getComplexValue("browser.startup.homepage",
-                                           nsIPrefLocalizedString).data;
-    }
-    return uri;
+    if (!this.HomePage)
+      Components.utils.import("resource:///modules/HomePage.jsm", this);
+    return this.HomePage.get();
   },
 
   mFeatures : null,
 
   getFeatures : function bch_features(cmdLine) {
     if (this.mFeatures === null) {
       this.mFeatures = "";
 

new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/browser/modules/HomePage.jsm
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+/* This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
+ * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this file,
+ * You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
+
+let EXPORTED_SYMBOLS = ["HomePage"];
+
+const Cc = Components.classes;
+const Ci = Components.interfaces;
+const Cu = Components.utils;
+
+Cu.import("resource://gre/modules/Services.jsm");
+
+const prefName = "browser.startup.homepage";
+
+let HomePage = {
+  get: function HomePage_get() {
+    var homePage;
+    try {
+      homePage = Services.prefs.getComplexValue(prefName,
+                                                Ci.nsIPrefLocalizedString).data;
+    } catch (ex) {}
+
+    if (!homePage)
+      homePage = Services.prefs.getComplexValue(prefName,
+                                                Ci.nsISupportsString).data;
+
+    // Apparently at some point users ended up with blank home pages somehow.
+    // If that happens, reset the pref and read it again.
+    if (!homePage) {
+      Services.prefs.clearUserPref(prefName);
+      homePage = Services.prefs.getComplexValue(prefName,
+                                                Ci.nsISupportsString).data;
+    }
+
+    return homePage;
+  }
+}

--- a/browser/modules/moz.build
+++ b/browser/modules/moz.build
@@ -24,16 +24,17 @@ EXTRA_JS_MODULES += [
     'ContentWebRTC.jsm',
     'CustomizationTabPreloader.jsm',
     'DirectoryLinksProvider.jsm',
     'E10SUtils.jsm',
     'Feeds.jsm',
     'FormSubmitObserver.jsm',
     'FormValidationHandler.jsm',
     'HiddenFrame.jsm',
+    'HomePage.jsm',
     'NetworkPrioritizer.jsm',
     'offlineAppCache.jsm',
     'PanelFrame.jsm',
     'PluginContent.jsm',
     'ProcessHangMonitor.jsm',
     'ReaderParent.jsm',
     'RecentWindow.jsm',
     'RemotePrompt.jsm',

--- a/toolkit/mozapps/installer/upload-files.mk
+++ b/toolkit/mozapps/installer/upload-files.mk
@@ -298,17 +298,16 @@ DIST_FILES += \
   res \
   lib \
   extensions \
   application.ini \
   package-name.txt \
   ua-update.json \
   platform.ini \
   greprefs.js \
-  browserconfig.properties \
   blocklist.xml \
   chrome.manifest \
   update.locale \
   removed-files \
   distribution \
   $(NULL)
 
 NON_DIST_FILES = \