# Annoying Netscape behavior **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2002, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-netscape-behavior/109663 "2002-05-18T02:51:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-netscape-behavior/109663/1 "2002-05-18T02:51:48Z")
I’m using Netscape 4.7. Whenever I started up the email tool, it would load some sort of news headline page in the message window. This was a little annoying (occasionally I’d get a TV show or sporting event I haven’t watched yet spoiled, for example), but not a big problem. However, in the last few days it has started taking over my browser window to load this headline page, which is downright infuriating. How can I stop it? I’d rather it not load this page anywhere at all, but getting it back in the email message window is better than nothing. ---
**Author:** ![LolaBaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@LolaBaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaBaby)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-netscape-behavior/109663/2 "2002-05-18T03:13:43Z")
4.7? :eek: I have 6.2 on mine (I don’t use it often, though, I use IE), and they just switched over to a new news format. Could it be that? The “headline” thing popped up in the main mail window (if I understood what you described). ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-netscape-behavior/109663/3 "2002-05-18T03:20:21Z")
Look under the ‘Preferences’ menu - there should be a section (under ‘navigator’, perhaps) that allows you to set your homepage to whatever you would lke it to be. I’d be careful or consider upgrading to a newer browser - many of the newer web pages WILL NOT WORK with 4.7. The Netscape behavior that I find annoying is when the browser lands on a page that needs a plug-in, it asks me if I want it to look up the plug-in and download it. It has NEVER found a plug in that way - I always get a ‘sorry - can’t find that application’ message, and have to do a google search to find the plug in myself. REALLY obnoxious. ---
**Author:** ![Cap\_n\_Crude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Cap\_n\_Crude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cap_n_Crude)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-netscape-behavior/109663/4 "2002-05-18T03:25:20Z")
The same thing is happening to me, and it only started recently. I think that somebody at Netscape has decided that continuing coverage of what the US government knew about terrorist activities prior to 9/11/01 is so important that we all need to be assaulted with it when we load up Messenger. **lawoot,** it isn’t the homepage. Part of Netscape Messenger (the email client) is a news window that automatically loads their page unless you’re actively looking at a message. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-netscape-behavior/109663/5 "2002-05-18T04:44:43Z")
By far the most annoying thing about NS is that, if you approach a page that you directed its IP as 0.0.0.0 or 127.0.0.1 (ad site you are blocking), and NS doesn’t find the url on the server (which it shouldn’t), NS freezes like a deer in the headlights. NS does it with any url it doesn’t find. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-netscape-behavior/109663/6 "2002-05-18T14:26:42Z")
This happens to me too. I’ve always hated the ad in the e-mail window, because I’m on a dial-up and it slows down my browsing. Now it’s opening a new browser, which is worse. Another annoying thing is that spammers have this ability as well. I opened an e-mail yesterday that opened a new browser and a bunch of pop-up windows. Just because I opened the mail. (Note: I have to open at least one e-mail. Once I’ve selected one, I can CNTL or SHIFT to get others. But I have to open one, and if it’s one of those, then it’s irritating.) Is there any way to turn off the function that automatically opens browsers and pop-ups from spammers? Will it also work with Netscapes spam? ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-netscape-behavior/109663/7 "2002-05-18T14:29:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cap’n Crude \* > The same thing is happening to me, and it only started recently. Interesting, I thought I had screwed up some setting somewhere. Now I see that it must be something Netscape is doing from their end. I’ll try contacting them and see how far I get. **LolaBaby** , 4.7 is not as ancient as you make it sound. They skipped version 5 and went directly from 4.7 to 6 (which I hated, and why I still use 4.7). I think I’d migrate to IE (which I also have, but hardly use) before I download NS6.x again. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2002, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-netscape-behavior/109663/8 "2002-05-18T14:59:12Z")
Try 6.2, it’s much better than 6. I also hated 6 so I went back to 4.7 for a long time, but I’ve been on 6.2 for a couple of months and like it. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2002, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-netscape-behavior/109663/9 "2002-05-20T13:46:03Z")
Stolen from a newsgroup I frequent: 1. - Find the prefs.js file (start, find, file or folders, in “named” box enter **prefs.js** , in “look in” box select “local hard drives”. Then click the find now button. 2. - Once it has found the file, right-click on it, move the cursor down to “edit” in the pop-up menu, then click on “edit” using either mouse button. 3. - Now it opens up Notepad and you are editing the file. Move your cursor down to the LAST line that begins with "user\_pref("mailnews… Insert **user\_pref(“mailnews.start\_page.enabled”, false);** after that. Save the file. That’s what I did and it works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annoying-netscape-behavior/109663/10 "2002-05-23T03:03:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rocketeer \* > Stolen from a newsgroup I frequent… Thanks! I tried it, and it’s exactly what I was looking for. BTW, I never got a reply back from Netscape, but the news page changed back to loading in the Messenger window again.