# Why can't I open a link in a new window with AOL? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 6, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-open-a-link-in-a-new-window-with-aol/288589 "2005-02-06T00:12:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-open-a-link-in-a-new-window-with-aol/288589/1 "2005-02-06T00:12:43Z")
Before anybody says anything, yes, I am using AOL, and no, I will not change. Yes, I know the evils of AOL, and no, I will not get a Mac. Yes, I’m using Windows, and yes, I’ve heard that Windows is more unstable than a Mac. With all of that said, I’ve been having a strange problem. Whenever I click on a link that opens a page in a new window, the window is blank and fails to respond to when I click Close. If I minimize and decide to go to the window that was underneath it (the one with the link), I cannot do anything. Pretty soon, the hourglass will show up, and AOL will be “Not Responding”. This is pissing me off a lot, and I need to know how to fix it. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-open-a-link-in-a-new-window-with-aol/288589/2 "2005-02-06T00:56:59Z")
What version of AOL and what operating system? ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-open-a-link-in-a-new-window-with-aol/288589/3 "2005-02-06T01:05:12Z")
OH, I’m sorry. Version: 8.0, Operating system: Windows XP ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-open-a-link-in-a-new-window-with-aol/288589/4 "2005-02-06T01:07:14Z")
Sounds more like a browser problem than an ISP problem. Are you using Internet Explorer? ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-open-a-link-in-a-new-window-with-aol/288589/5 "2005-02-06T01:47:09Z")
I have never seen AOL not open new windows. I have seen AOL crash because I have opened to many windows. But then I learned that AOL’s browser sucks and moved on. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-open-a-link-in-a-new-window-with-aol/288589/6 "2005-02-06T01:56:35Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > I have never seen AOL not open new windows. > > I have seen AOL crash because I have opened to many windows. > > But then I learned that AOL’s browser sucks and moved on. Sigh… _ **yes** _, I realize that AOL does suck. This is not news to me. I don’t want to call AOL’s customer service because they are utterly unhelpful, incompetent and probably will give me more problems than I already have. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-open-a-link-in-a-new-window-with-aol/288589/7 "2005-02-06T01:56:28Z")
I still have AOL even though I have broadband now. The point is you don’t have to use AOL’s browser. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-open-a-link-in-a-new-window-with-aol/288589/8 "2005-02-06T02:02:42Z")
Go download mozilla. Log on to AOL… Open mozilla. Surf to your hearts content. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-open-a-link-in-a-new-window-with-aol/288589/9 "2005-02-06T03:28:47Z")
Seriously. Minimize AOL and use some other browser. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-open-a-link-in-a-new-window-with-aol/288589/10 "2005-02-06T05:38:44Z")
Well, I’ve been using AOL for quite some time now and I don’t recall ever experiencing anything like you describe. And yes, I use AOL’s browser, and no, I’m not particularly dissatisfied with it. My WAG is that it has something to do with low system memory or a virus or something like that, not directly related to AOL at all. But you might try switching to version 9.0 of AOL.