IE reusing window incorrectly

WinXP SP2 up to date.
Using Outlook Express.

At times, not every time, I will have a web page in an IE window that I am reading. I will click over to my open OE window, open a new message and click a link on that message. IE will sometimes reuse the open web page losing my page. Other times it will open in a new window like I think it should.
I looked for some setting and could find only "internet options > advanced > reuse windows for launching shortcuts" which is checked. I think it has always been checked but this behavour started a week or two ago. No other changes that I know of.

Any thoughts will be appreciated.

 

That line should be unchecked. If that doesn't do it, open any folder and click tools>options>file types. Find internet shortcut in the list of file types. Click on it to highlight it and then click the advanced button. Click on open so it's highlighted and then click the edit button. Uncheck the line that says use DDE. Don't be surprised though, if in the future you find yourself having to go back and do this again. It seems to have a mind of it's own and somehow gets changed back every once in a while.

 

Changed that setting and so far so good.
Thanks much. Boy, that setting sure is secret like.

btw, I had tried unchecking the internet options box only and it appeared it had little effect. With BOTH settings unchecked it seems to work as expected.

I'll keep this info on file.

 

Glad it helped. If it starts acting up again, you'll know what to do.

 

Zander--Interesting suggestion and solution. I have the "reuse windows for launching shortcuts" box unchecked, but I have the DDE box checked. And yet I do not have the problem mentioned by Labarnas.
Sounds like one of those fixes to try if all else fails!! Or maybe the order in which the settings are made?

 

To be honest, In my own experience I've never seen it fail to do the job. It's kind of odd though. One day mine will work with it checked and the next I have to go in and uncheck it. The thing always ends up checked again sometime down the road. Funny thing is though, when it does, it doesn't always mess up the way windows open from links in OE. It'll be working just fine again with it checked and then one day, things don't work and I have to uncheck it again (and the cycle starts all over again ) . It's not a constant thing that I have to do every day. It might last a week or it might last a month or two. I just had to do this very thing again this morning. I've seen the same thing on a lot of other computers.

If I have the "reuse windows" thing in IE unchecked other shortcuts seem to open as they should. Seems like it's only OE that doesn't want to cooperate. I don't know about the computers I've fixed this way because I never really bothered to check that end of it out. I could be wrong but I think I've had this problem with every version of windows since win95. I know for sure it did the same thing in win98. They're seems to be now rhyme or reason to it. I gave up trying to figure out why it does it. If I had to do it every day it would be different but I can live with it the way it is.

 

FWIW, on a whim, I just took a look at the use DDE setting in mine and see that it's set to use DDE again. I just set it to not use DDE yesterday. Funny thing is though, all links in emails open in new windows just as they should. Go figure. I've noticed in the past when the setting got rechecked links would still open in a new window as they should. Then one day, things won't work right and I have to once again set it to not use DDE. And the cycle continues.

I rest my case.