(NB! This is NOT one of those widely discussed cases described in KB281679)
I am having a major trouble with my home computer. Internet explorer refuses to open links in new window. If a link itself wants to open new window, or I force it do so by shift-clicking, nothing happens. Links will also not open from Outlook Express and MSN. Ordinary links in IE do open just fine, opening new windows with Ctrl-N also works.
The very special thing about this problem is that it only affects users who do not have administrator rights. If I put a user in Administrators group, the problem is completely gone. Remove from Administrators, and problem is back.
I have read KB281679 many times and did everything they said, multiple times, but that didn't solve anything. In fact, the symptoms of my problem are somewhat different, in my case everything else works, including Print preview. I never get error messages or blank windows, and all registry keys mentioned in the article are OK.
I suspect that my trouble came after I got rid of evil CoolWebSearch that sneaked into my computer with MSN Plus. SpySweeper was able to find and remove the bastard, but shortly after that my users started complaining about links not working.
What I did trying to solve it:
- played with "Reset Web Settings" and "Reuse windows for launching shortcuts" - no gain
- created new user profiles - new users have same problem if not an administrator
- ran thru numerous anti-viruses and adware removing tools, with fresh definitions of course - no malware was found
- reinstalled IE6 and Windows SP4 - no gain
- and, last but not least, I have never used any popup blocking software.
What else could I do, reinstall windows? :-|
Wapper
Win2000 SP4
IE60 SP1