# How do I keep I.E. windows from popping to the front while they open? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 3, 2004, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-keep-i-e-windows-from-popping-to-the-front-while-they-open/248421 "2004-06-03T11:31:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-keep-i-e-windows-from-popping-to-the-front-while-they-open/248421/1 "2004-06-03T11:31:06Z")
On this slow board, I generally like to open a bunch of windows and read one while waiting for the rest to finish. On my home computer, this is no problem, but on this school computer I keep trying to do it, but then any other window pops to the front when it loads- and not ecen when it is finished, like it pops forward at every stage of loading. I keep having to click on the one I’m reading over and over again until the others stop- which sort of negates what I am trying to accomplish. I have tried to play with the settings, but nothing seems to work. Is there a hidden one I don’t know about? -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-keep-i-e-windows-from-popping-to-the-front-while-they-open/248421/2 "2004-06-03T11:36:38Z")
- - - Yea, it’s called “_Use Mozilla_”. It’s buried in the menus: Tools --\> FUD --\> Secrets --\> Abominations --\> Communism --\> Freeware. ~ ---
**Author:** ![SpaceDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spacedog/32/9932_2.png) [@SpaceDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpaceDog)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-keep-i-e-windows-from-popping-to-the-front-while-they-open/248421/3 "2004-06-03T12:32:01Z")
> [@Tomcat](#): > > … on this school computer I keep trying to do it, but then any other window pops to the front when it loads … It may be an IE setting, or it’s possibly caused by some add-in to IE (perhaps spyware). I’d suggest running Ad-Aware and Spybot and see it that fixes it first. If you can you could try getting hold of TweakUI for your operating system (XP version [here](http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloads/powertoys.asp)) it has a setting “Prevent applications stealing focus” which should stop it. SD ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-keep-i-e-windows-from-popping-to-the-front-while-they-open/248421/4 "2004-06-03T12:44:12Z")
> [@SpaceDog](#): > > It may be an IE setting, or it’s possibly caused by some add-in to IE (perhaps spyware). I’d suggest running Ad-Aware and Spybot and see it that fixes it first.\SD Naw, I run Adaware rugularly and I have the problem too. [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com) is horrible for doing it. TWEAKUI might do it though. ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-keep-i-e-windows-from-popping-to-the-front-while-they-open/248421/5 "2004-06-03T14:10:09Z")
May I suggest using [Firefox](http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/start/), and opening new threads in tabs - it is a lot neater than having a bunch of IE windows open, and doesn’t have the focus problem. This is what I do. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-keep-i-e-windows-from-popping-to-the-front-while-they-open/248421/6 "2004-06-03T15:05:24Z")
Speaking of alternate browsers, Opera has “open in background page” and “open in background window” as right click options. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2004, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-keep-i-e-windows-from-popping-to-the-front-while-they-open/248421/7 "2004-06-03T17:38:25Z")
> [@cornflakes](#): > > Speaking of alternate browsers, Opera has “open in background page” and “open in background window” as right click options. Exactly, and with Opera all the new pages open _within_ a single Opera window, so the taskbar at the bottom of your screen doesn’t get overloaded with zillions of new pages. ---
**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2004, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-keep-i-e-windows-from-popping-to-the-front-while-they-open/248421/8 "2004-06-04T07:01:57Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Exactly, and with Opera all the new pages open _within_ a single Opera window, so the taskbar at the bottom of your screen doesn’t get overloaded with zillions of new pages. Yep, tabbed browsing is one of the best features in more modern browsers - I am so used to browsing forums(go through main page, open threads in tabs) with Firefox that using IE is now painful. 🙂 I am suprised the Microsoft isn’t adding tabs to IE with Service Pack 2 - it can’t be that hard to do, as third-party add-ons have done, and I know MS is adding pop-up blocking, one of the other key features IE currently lacks compared with Mozilla/Firefox/Opera/ect.