IE problem

[tigerlily0]

I'm having a weird problem with Internet Explorer on my laptop. I've also got Firefox installed and have that set up as my default browser. Pretty much whenever IE tries to bring up a web page, instead of coming up on IE, it opens up a new tab in Firefox instead. Unfortunately, there are some web pages that won't work on Firefox and require IE, and I don't know how to get IE to actually bring them up instead of firefox. This happens even when I type the URL into the address bar in IE directly, or choose it from the Favorites list on IE.

I don't get it.

Versions:

Windows XP home edition service pack 2
Internet Explorer version 6.0.something
Firefox 2.0.0.11

I used to have IE v7 but hated it and deinstalled it and installed v6 instead. But I don't think this problem started when I did that, but later.

Any ideas? Thanks.

[Pedersen]

Best option I have for right now: IE Tab. basically, IE becomes a tab in Firefox, and you can right click on a page in Firefox, and switch to using IE for that page.

I can't think of anything better than that right now.

[Shabo]

Even if Firefox is your default browser, pages typed into an internet explorer page should stay in internet explorer.

Definitely get IE Tab. One of the most essential add-ons you can have for the browser.

[tigerlily0]

I do have IEtab. I tried using it for one of the web sites that I need IE for, LAUNCHcast, and it still complained that it requires IE. (EDIT: Hmmm, I just tried it here at work and told it to use IEtab for everything at music.yahoo.com and it worked! Must try that at home...)

One of the other problems is that I have Earthlink, and when I tell it to check for updates, it opens an IE window, but the actual page comes up in Firefox, and then doesn't seem to work. I'll try switching the page to IEtab after it comes up and see if it works (I'll have to do that later as my laptop is at home and I'm at work now).

Even if Firefox is your default browser, pages typed into an internet explorer page should stay in internet explorer.

I know this, which is why it is so confusing...

[tigerlily0]

Update: IE tab does seem to be a viable workaround for those web sites that say they only work on IE.

I'd still like to know why, though, that IE keeps redirecting its pages over to Firefox. It is so strange.

[Pedersen]

The only thing that sounds like a viable explanation to me is spyware. Basically, it inserted itself in such a way that whatever address tries to open goes through it, which then opens your default browser, which is Firefox.

The only explanation that makes any sense to me, anyway.

[tigerlily0]

Hmmm. I do have AVG Anti-Spyware. I just ran a system scan today, in fact, and it didn't find anything (neither did the AVG anti-virus).

My laptop has this other weird problem, too, which I figure is spyware, even though AVG Anti-Spyware hasn't caught that either.

Whenever I start the machine up, after like a minute, it brings up a new tab in Firefox with an error message about "GET not supported" or something like that, then it brings up a tab where it does an Earthlink search for "overture monitor five bids NZ20041109A". I have no idea what that's about, either.

[JustADude]

The only thing that sounds like a viable explanation to me is spyware. Basically, it inserted itself in such a way that whatever address tries to open goes through it, which then opens your default browser, which is Firefox.

The only explanation that makes any sense to me, anyway.

Or, you know, maybe since the default web-browser is Firefox, the OS goes 'Hmmmmm.... maybe I should take this thing beginning with HTTP:\\ and shove it over to the default browser?'
It's what happened to me when I switched over to Firefox.

[Pedersen]

This happens even when I type the URL into the address bar in IE directly, or choose it from the Favorites list on IE.

Or, you know, maybe since the default web-browser is Firefox, the OS goes 'Hmmmmm.... maybe I should take this thing beginning with HTTP:\\ and shove it over to the default browser?'

Or, maybe, when she types it into the address bar in IE, and it opens a new tab in Firefox, something bad is happening behind the scenes, maybe...