IE 11 Tabs Closing Automatically

By cbrookhart
in Web Browser Discussion & Support

 Share

Recommended Posts

Mentor

cbrookhart

Posted
Posted (edited)

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

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1333632-ie-11-tabs-closing-automatically/
Share on other sites
Grand Master

Jazmac

Posted
Posted

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.

Grand Master

oldtimefighter

Posted
Posted (edited)

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.

Mentor

cbrookhart

Posted
  • Author
Posted
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.
Grand Master

techbeck

Posted
Posted

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.

Mentor

cbrookhart

Posted
  • Author
Posted
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.
Grand Master

oldtimefighter

Posted
Posted (edited)
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.

Grand Master

oldtimefighter

Posted
Posted
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.

Grand Master

techbeck

Posted
Posted
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. 

Mentor

cbrookhart

Posted
  • Author
Posted
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.
Mentor

cbrookhart

Posted
  • Author
Posted


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.
Grand Master

oldtimefighter

Posted
Posted
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".

Mentor

cbrookhart

Posted
  • Author
Posted
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.
Grand Master

oldtimefighter

Posted
Posted (edited)
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.

Mentor

cbrookhart

Posted
  • Author
Posted

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.

Mentor

cbrookhart

Posted
  • Author
Posted
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.
This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it

      By Steven P. · Posted

      Creative Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe review: your headphones will love it by Steven Parker If you have been reading Neowin for any length of time, you may remember that I reviewed the Sound Blaster Audigy FX Pro back in April. I found it to be an excellent budget sound card, even though it lacked support for formats such as DTS over the included SPDIF port. Anyway, Creative reached out to me again asking if I was interested in reviewing the Sound Blaster AE-X. It is a card mainly targeted at headphone wearers, which I'll get into a bit later. Before we get underway, here is a disclaimer: Creative Labs provided a free sample without any review pre-approval. Here are the full specs of it: Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Dimensions: 179 x 126 x 18 mm Weight: 263g / 9.28 oz Platform: PCI-e DAC: ESS ES9039Q2M Connectivity Options Side: Rear: 1 x HD Audio Front Panel Connector, 1 x ⅛“ Headphone port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Left) port, 1 x RCA Line-out (Right) port, 1 x Coaxial SPDIF-out port, 1 x ⅛“ Mic in/Line-in port, 1 x TOSLINK SPDIF-in port Surround: No DNR / SNR: THD+N: 0.0001% Dynamic Range 130 dB Recording Resolution: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Direct Mode: Line Out (Stereo): PCM up to 32-bit  384 kHz Coaxial SPDIF Out: PCM up to 24-bit 192.0 kHz Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 384kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128, DSD256 Output Impedance: 1Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 8–600Ω, IEM: 0.5Vrms, Low: 1.5Vrms, Mid: 3Vrms, High: 6Vrms, Maximum output power: 350mW @ 32Ω (High), Maximum output voltage: 6Vrms (High) Front Panel Headphone Amp: PCM up to 32-bit / 192kHz (Stereo) Native DSD: DSD64, DSD128 Output Impedance: 10Ω, Supported Headphone Impedance: 32–300Ω, Maximum output power: 40mW @ 32Ω, Maximum output voltage: 1.9Vrms ASIO: ASIO 2.3 Total Harmonic Distortion: THD+N: 0.0006% Dynamic Range: 114 dB Scout Mode: Yes EMI shielding: No (but it passed all the FCC emission tests) Operating temperature: 0–45°C Input Power: 12V⎓0.5A Warranty: 1 Year (MSRP) Price: $179.99 / £169.99 The Sound Blaster AE-X was announced at the end of May, and it becomes clear that it is mainly for headphone wearers. I should also note that the card does not support DDL/DTS encoding technology, but it is said to support decoding through the coaxial SPDIF port. I was able to test this working with the classic Windows Sound properties, but I could not get a DTS (decode) signal through my Logitech Z906, it defaulted to 3D sound whenever I played DTS content through Plex or Emby. In addition, this card only supports two channels (stereo) over the speakers. The surround support is limited to the Headphone Amp, so before I get underway, what we have here is a card mostly intended for headphone use, especially with its SPDIF In (Toslink) port where you could connect another device like a console. So what about the highlights of this card? The AE-X is powered by the ESS SABRE DAC (ES9039Q2M), which is capable of a 130 dB dynamic range. In addition, it supports 32-bit/384 kHz playback for deeper detail and clarity. The headphone amplifier delivers up to 350 mW @ 32Ω, which admittedly far surpasses standard onboard audio, offering support for studio-grade headphones. DSD256 and ASIO 2.3 are also supported. What doesn't it have? No support for What-U-Hear, Super X-Fi, or the SmartComms Kit No EMI shielding, but it passed all the FCC emission tests (from the FAQ) I also want to make it clear that I am no audiophile. For me, it's purely subjective and it should just "work" out of the box. First impressions As I said in the introduction, I was a bit sad to see that the AE-X only supports stereo output, meaning it would not be on par with my ALC1220 over my speakers, as I mentioned it seems like this card is marketed toward headphone users. Since I am not an avid gamer that would rule me out as a potential customer, but I can still test its capabilities! The card arrived in a nice-looking box, as shown above. It's quite a bit larger than the Audify FX Pro that I reviewed back in April, and at first I thought the covering meant that it was EMI shielded, but it isn't as mentioned above in the highlights section. What's in the box: 1 x Sound Blaster AE-X PCIe card 1 x 3.5 mm CTIA TRRS to Dual TRS Headset Splitter Cable 1 x Quick Start Guide Aside from the Quick Start Guide, which someone at my age (I guess) needs a magnifying glass to read thanks to the tiny fonts, Creative Labs also has the manual online, which first requires you to prove that you're human in order to access it (so I can't direct link it). Anyway, the box is mostly made up of cardboard, and the only plastic in it is the anti-static bag for the card itself. Design Top Bottom The card itself looks pretty cool and actually wouldn't look out of place in an all-white build. There's only one connector, and for some reason it is awkwardly placed on the side (front-facing) that is for the front panel audio connector, which will let you use the headphones through the front PC audio jack. Since the front panel Headphone Amp has fewer capabilities than the rear headphone port, I decided not to use it. Rear of card PCI-e interface The rear of the card is completely open and is normally where you would find the front panel connector. The PCIe interface side is completely covered, which initially made me think it was EMI shielded. I/O panel Side (front-facing) with Front panel connector On the outer rear bracket side we have the TOSLINK SPDIF in, Coaxial SPDIF out, RCA line out (Right), RCA line out (Left), Headphone out, and Mic/Line in ports. On the front facing portion of the card itself is the F-panel connector. Usage Test System Our test system consists of the following: AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER (BIOS F12) Corsair RM1000x (2024) Thermal Grizzly Kyronaut (33x33x0,2mm) 2x 32GB Kingston Fury Beast RGB DDR5 6000MT/s CL36-38-38-80 T-Force Z540 2TB (PCIe Gen5) NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition (NVIDIA) Creative Sound Blaster AE-X Windows 11 25H2 Pro I installed the card into the Gigabyte X870E AORUS MASTER which includes the RealTek ALC1220 onboard audio. For our subjective listening tests, I used the Coaxial SPDIF port to my Logitech Z906 speakers. For headphone tests I used the OneOdio Studio Max 2 Wireless DJ Headphones that I reviewed last month. After installing the audio driver, I installed Creative Nexus, which is a relatively new app designed for the latest Sound Blaster cards. Then I discovered the AE-X needed both a driver update from 1.00.15.0001 to 1.01.09.000 and a firmware update from 1.00.06.0000 to 1.00.06.0002, then I was set to go. It should be noted that the card did not work without the driver (not Plug and Play). As you can see above, you can manage the firmware, driver, and inputs via Advanced Settings on the Device tab. By default Nexus enabled "Direct Mode". Upon clicking on Acoustic Engine, the Equalizer can be enabled and set to four different presets, which are: Gaming Music Movies Footsteps Enhancer There's also a dedicated Scout Mode for gamers. I mainly used Tidal and Spotify in the past week to listen to some of my Liked Songs (which now total over 700) in Shuffle mode; there were no pops or interference that I could hear. I also found a 5.1 Surround Music playlist on Tidal that sounded really great over Studio Max 2 headphones. When I reviewed the Audigy FX Pro, I went out and purchased a Logitech Z906 set second-hand for €100 specifically to use with the card, but in this instance all I could get on the AE-X was the 3D output of surround sound through Coaxial SPDIF and although it still sounded great, it isn't quite as good as DTS Interactive via my onboard Realtek ALC1220. Conclusion So what have I learned? The AE-X lacks multi-channel support for 5.1/7.1 setups and drops support for modern surround technologies like Dolby or DTS, functioning strictly as a stereo output device. So to really benefit, you will need Studio-grade headphones to "hear" the benefits of this card. With that being said, I can imagine it will appeal to gamers who are switching between console and PC. By utilizing the SPDIF in port, you could just plug your headphones into the AE-X (front or rear port) and then switch between PC and Console without having to move the headphones to a different port. As I said in the Sound Blaster Audigy review, the EQ in the Creative Nexus app offers safe presets, which allows a user to further tweak the lows, mids, and highs for a personal listening experience. Of course it all depends on the headphones you hook up to it. Speaking of headphones, I kind of wish I had higher-quality Studio-grade headphones to really test this card with; I'm not usually wearing headphones in my day to day duties. The only time I will wear them is if I want to listen to music very late at night and I don't want to disturb my neighbors, so my rating (verdict) is based on this fact. Someone with a PC/Console setup and wears headphone religiously to game, and consume media will benefit much more than I from the high-quality Headphone Amps that are included in the AE-X. Once again, I do feel like Creative could have gone the extra mile to support the S/PDIF port a bit more. Why include it if you're not supporting the main popular digital formats? It seems like the decision was more of a legacy-based one, offering uncompressed 2-channel PCM audio, for users with high-fidelity audio systems and external DACs. Maybe I will be lucky enough to review a card that truly includes all these features in the future. I am sure readers with far more knowledge on audio systems than me will correct me in the comments below. I'll just say I am happy to learn what I don't know! Where to buy The Sound Blaster AE-X is available to purchase now in preorder for $179.99 on the U.S. Creative website, or for £169.99 on the Creative UK website and will start shipping to customers from June 25.
    • Poll: Grand Theft Auto VI price predictions, cast your vote

      By noobient · Posted

      $80 or 90%, anything else would be financial suicide one way or another.
    • Why you need to take back control of your synced passwords and how to go about doing that

      By noobient · Posted

      Or... just use Bitwarden. Free, and has on-prem option as well. Works both on desktop and mobile, wherever you are. The age of local password files is over.
    • Mp3tag 3.35

      By Jaybonaut · Posted

      Thanks
    • Why you need to take back control of your synced passwords and how to go about doing that

      By +Warwagon · Posted

      I actually got to use one of those so called "backup codes" once. It was for a customer, I choose the backup code option, and by the grace of god, they actually hade them printed out. Imagine my surprise, when after using the backup code, Google then told use we had to enter a code they just sent to the gmail address we currently did not have access to. I was not amused, Google backup codes should be the end all get out of jail free card, because you had to have access to the account to even get them.

  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Supreme Spray LV earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Genuinetonerink- Dubai earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      Genuinetonerink- Dubai earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      hhgygy earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      AMV earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      513
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      164
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      88
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      74
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      73
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!