IE Home Page CHanged

I prefer a blank start page with IE and have always set my options to do so. Since downloading and installing the most recent critical updates from MS, the home page changes to the MSN start page -- sometimes at start-up, sometimes during a session. Changing it back to about blank through Tools > Internet Options corrects the problem for a while, but not permanently.

I use Firefox as my primary browser and IE only when necessary, primarily for MS site access. I first became aware of the issue when XP was shutting down and my ISP's software (Eartlink Total Access) gave me a message that my IE home page had been changed and asked if I wanted to do that or retain my prior home page. I choose to retain the prior (blank) page and that allows the software to finish shutting down, but the isuue reappears again upon start-up.

Is there a way to avoid this annoying tactic that I suspect MS slid in under the rug of one of the recent updates?

 

Create a blank page and save it as html on your PC. Use that as your homepage.

"about:blank" has been used by a few too many spyware baddies and M$ may have blocked it.

 

Newt:

I suspect you're correct -- Thanks.