IE 11 Tabs Closing Automatically

[cbrookhart]

I am experiencing a persistent and daily issue with Internet Explorer 11 on the computer I use at work, 

 

I'm conducting searches on a website. I'll have an Excel spreadsheet open with the list of names and the information associated with those names that I am looking for. Once I find the information I need, I'll right click the link and select 'open in new tab.' Almost immediately, the newly opened tab will close on it's own. Sometimes this happens once a day, sometimes it happens several times a day. I've begun tracking the frequency of this issue, and so far the record is 10 times in one day. Sometimes, even just scrolling through the website that I accessing for the research results in the tab closing on it's own. This doesn't seem to happen if I access a regular website like Neowin, Fox, CNN, etc. 

 

The only other browser available to use is Firefox, but with not having the ability to actually view a PDF file (Firefox can only save a PDF unless a plugin is installed to view the PDF). The computer setup is as follows:

 

The base OS is Linux, and then a Windows 7 Enterprise Virtual Machine is accessed, and it's within Windows where I am doing all of my work. Recently, a newly updated Virtual Machine environment was pushed out for the end user, but it still has Windows 7 Enterprise on it. On both the old and new systems, I experienced issues with my tabs closing. Suspecting that it may be a browser add-on causing the problem, I ran IE 11 without add-ons enabled, but it didn't help. Supposedly, another new Virtual Machine with Windows 10 is in the process of getting built for use; but that won't be available for another couple of months.

 

Any ideas for a solution, either from an admin side or the user side, that will resolve this issue? Solutions that have already been tried without success include:

 

-- Running IE without add-ons

-- Resetting IE back to defaults

-- Resetting user profile on the network

[Jazmac]

After you cleared the browser cache, assuming you did the full clear, ie. Internet Options, Advanced tab, Then Restore advanced settings, button. Click apple. Then click Reset button. Check the delete personal settings check box, then reset.  Of course after you restart the browser, you need to go back in and enable the standard browser add-ons?  Adobe reader, Shockwave, etc, the stuff IE needs to do its work on the net.  I would also clear the Java cache.  While you're at it, you might click start and in the dialog box type in %temp% enter and delete everything in there not in use. 

Open a dos window and do ipconfig /flushdns.

[oldtimefighter]

No idea why your tabs are closing but I have other questions...

 

Did you ask IT to look at it?

Why are you even using IE? How about Chrome?

What version of Firefox are you using? It has had the ability to read PDFs for a long time now.

[cbrookhart]

No idea why your tabs are closing but I have other questions...
 
Did you ask IT to look at it?
Why are you even using IE? How about Chrome?
What version of Firefox are you using? It has had the ability to read PDFs for a long time now.

Yes, I did ask IT about it. I've contacted them many times about the same issue. They honestly have no idea why it's happening, as it's something that they haven't seen before. They don't know how to fix it, so I thought maybe someone here would have some new ideas.

I'll have to check on the Firefox version, but as I mentioned; it's IE and Firefox that I have available to work with. How would Chrome be deployed in a virtual machine environment? Each time I login, I get a different machine.

[techbeck]

Scan for malware?  If you ran IE with no addons, that would rule out a 3rd party popup blocker or toolbar.    I would also log on to the PC as another user, if you can, to rule out a local profile issue.  I have run in to IE issue where the only fix was to delete the local win profile.  But make sure to backup data if you do.

[cbrookhart]

Scan for malware?  If you ran IE with no addons, that would rule out a 3rd party popup blocker or toolbar.    I would also log on to the PC as another user, if you can, to rule out a local profile issue.  I have run in to IE issue where the only fix was to delete the local win profile.  But make sure to backup data if you do.

I've talked with some of my co workers, and they have experienced the same problem. They only thing is, they don't report the issue to IT, so it appears from an IT standpoint that it's an individual user issue.

[oldtimefighter]

13 minutes ago, cbrookhart said:

Yes, I did ask IT about it. I've contacted them many times about the same issue. They honestly have no idea why it's happening, as it's something that they haven't seen before. They don't know how to fix it, so I thought maybe someone here would have some new ideas.

I'll have to check on the Firefox version, but as I mentioned; it's IE and Firefox that I have available to work with. How would Chrome be deployed in a virtual machine environment? Each time I login, I get a different machine.

You don't logon to the same VM machine? I assume other co-workers do the same work as you so it makes no sense you only have that problem. How could Chrome be deployed in a virtual machine environment? Installed to the VM image just like Firefox.

 

Firefox has supported viewing PDFs for years now and I can't believe they would have you use a version that old.

[oldtimefighter]

4 minutes ago, cbrookhart said:

I've talked with some of my co workers, and they have experienced the same problem. They only thing is, they don't report the issue to IT, so it appears from an IT standpoint that it's an individual user issue.

You need to get your co-workers to report it.

[techbeck]

5 minutes ago, cbrookhart said:

 

I've talked with some of my co workers, and they have experienced the same problem.

Then I would let IT know that.  Things like this tend to be forgotten about if it is just one person having the issue.  Especially if there are more pressing things going on. 

[cbrookhart]

You need to get your co-workers to report it.

Since IT has claimed that they've done all they can and there isn't a fix for it, IT doesn't want to be contacted about it anymore.

The funny thing is, they want me to contact them when it happens so that they can see the issue first hand and get a better idea of what's going on. This isn't an issue I can replicate ok demand. IT would have to remote in and watch me work.

I suppose one workaround I could try is to simply open the link in a new window. I'll just have to keep track of the windows I've got open.

I'm thinking that this could be some sort of resource issue like not enough memory, because there's significant lag when typing data in a cell or trying to select a portion of data in the cell and then pressing delete.

[cbrookhart]

Since IT has claimed that they've done all they can and there isn't a fix for it, IT doesn't want to be contacted about it anymore.

The funny thing is, they want me to contact them when it happens so that they can see the issue first hand and get a better idea of what's going on. This isn't an issue I can replicate ok demand. IT would have to remote in and watch me work.

I suppose one workaround I could try is to simply open the link in a new window. I'll just have to keep track of the windows I've got open.

I'm thinking that this could be some sort of resource issue like not enough memory, because there's significant lag when typing data in a cell or trying to select a portion of data in the cell and then pressing delete.

I have Firefox 50.1.0 on the work computer. I click a link that has a PDF attached to it and instead of being able to view it like I can in IE, I'm prompted to save the document.

[oldtimefighter]

54 minutes ago, cbrookhart said:

I have Firefox 50.1.0 on the work computer. I click a link that has a PDF attached to it and instead of being able to view it like I can in IE, I'm prompted to save the document.

Copy this to the address bar on FF --> about:preferences#applications

 

What action is set for PDF? Set it to "Preview in Firefox".

[cbrookhart]

Copy this to the address bar on FF --> about:preferences#applications
 
What action is set for PDF? Set it to "Preview in Firefox".

The action is set to "use Adobe Acrobat (in Firefox). I'm not able to change this.

With this setting, any PDF that is accessed in Firefox will result in a prompt to save. I want to see what it is I'm saving.

[oldtimefighter]

19 minutes ago, cbrookhart said:

The action is set to "use Adobe Acrobat (in Firefox). I'm not able to change this.

With this setting, any PDF that is accessed in Firefox will result in a prompt to save. I want to see what it is I'm saving.

I don't understand why you can't change that setting. I don't even think you need admin rights for that. Tell you IT dept. you want to open PDFs in FF. If you have this little control over these VM machines there is no way you can fix this yourself.

[cbrookhart]

Prior to writing the original post, Firefox would automatically prompt to save a PDF, regardless of what the setting was in the options. Today, my IT remoted into my computer and searched Google for a test PDF site. Without anything having been changed, Firefox all the sudden decided to show the test PDF as well as the PDFs from the site that I am doing my daily work from. Later in the afternoon and again without anything having been changed (except for deleting browser history and cookies), the PDF viewing option stopped working. Additionally, Firefox decided to start saving the PDFs as a PL file even though in the 'save as type' dialog box, the file type was PDF. 

 

Once I logged out the current VM and logged into a new one, Firefox started saving PDFs properly, but I could still only save them rather than view them in the browser. Once my IT had a free moment, they remoted into the computer again. Without anything having been changed, PDFs were being viewed in the browser.

[ThisSiteHasLostItsCharm]

isn't tabs closing automatically just one of the ie processes crashing?

 

anyway my guess it's somehing to do with your strange setup, why are you doing work on windows 7 in a virtual machine on linux? security concerns?

[cbrookhart]

isn't tabs closing automatically just one of the ie processes crashing?
 
anyway my guess it's somehing to do with your strange setup, why are you doing work on windows 7 in a virtual machine on linux? security concerns?

Like many organizations (at least ones I've worked for), they used Windows 7. When 8 and 8.1 came out, they chose to skip deployment of that. Windows 10 and this virtual machine environment are in the process of being built and won't be ready until September.

[ThisSiteHasLostItsCharm]

but why in virtual machine on linux?

[cbrookhart]

but why in virtual machine on linux?

That's just the way it's setup. All the work I do is in Windows, and it really would be better for there to be networked Windows machines.