# Stupid Windows Question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-question/457323>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 22, 2008, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-question/457323 "2008-07-22T01:52:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-question/457323/1 "2008-07-22T01:52:28Z")

</div>

This is about an odd interaction going on, in my mother’s computer.

If she closes a window in Windows Explorer, it will automatically open up an IE7 window.

My mother’s computer is so old and slow that this process locks up her machine for about 30 seconds, and is somewhat annoying.

Has anyone heard of such a “feature” before? And if so, how the devil do I turn it off?

Before anyone suggests a new computer - that’s already in the works, but delayed because of my father’s illness. Hopefully August will be better here.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![arseNal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@arseNal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arseNal)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-question/457323/2 "2008-07-22T01:57:31Z")

</div>

Googling gives me this:

Open IE, then go Tools -\> Internet Options -\> Advanced and then click the reset button under “Reset Internet Explorer Settings” and restart your PC.

From [here](http://sillydog.org/forum/sdt_12643.php). See if it works for mom.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-question/457323/3 "2008-07-22T02:01:20Z")

</div>

[QUOTE=arseNal]  
Googling gives me this:

Open IE, then go Tools -\> Internet Options -\> Advanced and then click the reset button under “Reset Internet Explorer Settings” and restart your PC.

From [here](http://sillydog.org/forum/sdt_12643.php). See if it works for mom.  
[/QUOTE]

Thanks. I’ll try that tomorrow. (Since it takes the dinosaur ten minutes to boot, I’m not about to try that when I’m about to put my father to bed, so I can go home.)

I’ll let you know whether that works.

Again, thanks for checking for me.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-windows-question/457323/4 "2008-07-22T16:36:59Z")

</div>

**arseNal** , that did it! Thanks!