Can't use tabs in IE7

[kelgra]

I'm using IE7 v 7.0.5730.13 on a HP Compaq D7300 with an Intel Core2 Duo processor. The computer is running Windows XP Pro SP3.

I've had the machine for about nine months but have *never* been able to use 'Tabbed Browsing' for the entire time. Every time I open a new page it automatically opens a complete new page (looks exactly like IE6) and refuses to do tabs. I've tried everything I know to make it tab, but to no avail. I've re-downloaded and installed IE7 at least four or five times.

All my other computers work perfectly with tabs.

I run various real-time anti-spy and anti-virus software with a non-microsoft firewall - but the configuration is the same on all the computers. It's just this one which won't work.

Does anyone know if there's a problem with this particular HP computer model - or have any suggestions as to how I might get the tabs to work?

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Gloria

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Welcome to the Windows Forum.

I know three ways to open a new tab on IE7 (or Firefox):

• Ctrl+T
  
• click on the New Tab tab
  
• right-click a hyperlink and select Open in new Tab
  

Do these all open a new instance of IE rather than a tab?

[Scarecrow Man]

how likely is it, that you have a beta version of ie7? try reinstalling the newest. Run an ie uninstall. MS - kb article. then reinstall from here. I did a ctrl+t in firefox it works.

ps. ctrl+F4 closes a tab. try it on a blank to see :D

[kelgra]

Welcome to the Windows Forum.

I know three ways to open a new tab on IE7 (or Firefox):

• Ctrl+T
  
• click on the New Tab tab
  
• right-click a hyperlink and select Open in new Tab
  

Do these all open a new instance of IE rather than a tab?

Thanks for the welcome and the response. Ctrl T does absolutely nothing - no menu, no hyperlink, no movement. Nothing. Opening a new web page always opens a new instance of IE - no tabs whatsoever

[kelgra]

how likely is it, that you have a beta version of ie7? try reinstalling the newest. Run an ie uninstall. MS - kb article. then reinstall from here. I did a ctrl+t in firefox it works.

ps. ctrl+F4 closes a tab. try it on a blank to see :D

Thanks Scarecrow. Definitely not a beta version of IE7. As I said, I have re-downloaded four or five times (last time only a couple of weeks ago). In addition, I frequently use Microsoft update and keep the computer as up-to-date as possible, so any beta version would have been updated a long time ago.

I have thought about doing an unistall - but then how do I access the internet again with this computer to do fresh download?

Ctrl + F4 just shuts my browser down completely and in great hurry - no notification or saving to the temp folder. Just Wham - gone!

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

Opening a new web page always opens a new instance of IE - no tabs whatsoever

Even with right-click and 'Open in new tab'?

Ctrl+W closes a single (the active) tab; Ctrl+F4 closes the application (IE).

[kelgra]

Even with right-click and 'Open in new tab'?

Ctrl+W closes a single (the active) tab; Ctrl+F4 closes the application (IE).

In my context menu (right click) there is no option to 'open in new tab'. There is only 'open in new window'.

I think I'm going to try Scarecrow's suggestion to uninstall completely and then reinstal from an an external HDD. I have the entire .exe file saved on a backup drive and will reinstall from there. I'm just concerned about re-installing my 'favorites' folder - it's a big folder with more than 15 years of information (sigh!).

[kelgra]

OK. Now it's become serious. Using 'Add/remove programmes' doesn't allow me to uninstall IE7. The 'remove/change' button is missing. Furthermore, it tells me that IE7 is 'rarely' used and was last used on Nov 11, 2007! This is patently false.

Using 'spuninst.exe' to uninstall IE7 warns me that a whole heap of programmes were installed after IE7 and that, if any of this software 'depends upon IE7' - then they will no longer operate. There are at least 60 instances of sofware listed, many of which would depend upon IE7. So, I'm no longer game to try uninstalling IE7.

Maybe I'll just bite the bullet and install IE8 beta and see if that helps.

Any ideas,..anyone,...anywhere...,anytime....????

[Irene]

This may be too basic an answer, but have you actually enabled tabbed browsing?

Here's how...

In Internet Explorer, click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.

Click the General tab, and then, in the Tabs section, click Settings.

Check the Enable Tabbed Browsing check box.

Click OK twice.

Close Internet Explorer, and then open it again.

Tabbed browsing will now be on.

[kelgra]

This may be too basic an answer, but have you actually enabled tabbed browsing?

Yup. All the basics are taken care of. It's set to enable tabbed browing and open new tabs in the same window.

Because I have had the problem for so long (since IE7 was installed on this machine) I really believe that it is a problem caused by the motherboard/processor - hence my original question if anyone knew of problems with this particular computer. I run two other computers very successfully with IE7.

I've tried querying HP, but haven't had any satisfactory response from them. They just tell me to re-install IE7.

Microsoft TechHelp just don't respond at all.

So, I've joined a couple of forums like this one to see if anyone else has the same problem and if they have a fix. I don't regard myself as a novice, or an expert. I'm somewhere in-between. I started off with Apple IIe computers back in the early eighties, graduated through MacIntoshes of various descriptions for many years and succumbed to the PC pressure in about 2000.

I've hated Windows ever since Windows 3.0!! I've gone through the whole gamut of Windows SE, SE2, ME, XP Home, XP Professional and Vista. I uninstalled Vista because it's complete garbage as far as I'm concerned.

This problem really has me stumped though.

[Irene]

I just checked my Add/Remove for IE7.

It certainly appears; states that it has been used frequently; but Last Used 07/01/2007.

I just found THIS in a search.

I really hope there is something there which might help.

So frustrating when the obvious doesn't work.

[kelgra]

I just found THIS in a search.

I really hope there is something there which might help.

So frustrating when the obvious doesn't work.

Irene, many thanks for your patience and your obvious research efforts. Yes, it's @#$% frustrating!

SP3 was applied to the machine after the installation of IE7, which hadn't worked up to that time. I think I installed SP3 about Mid-June this year. I don't really want to go through the hassle of removing and re-installing SP3. Bitter experience has taught me that this will probably involve an inevitable BSOD (Blue Screen of Death), phone calls to Microsoft in India (very nice people, BTW) to re-activate Windows again because I've had to re-install more than 3 times before etc, and then reconstituting the computer from my backup. Then, if the problem is something from way out in left field, I'll still be stuck with the problem because it will be part of the re-installed backup!

Does this sound too pessimistic? Anyway, I'd rather try and ascertain exactly what causes the problem, rather than try and fix it without knowing the actual cause.

Before I went to bed last night (I've just got up at 0500), I ran a www.belarc.com/free_download.html]Belarc diagnostic which told me that I had several critical and/or important MS Hotfixes missing, some of them relating to IE7. A visit to MSUpdate told me that the computer was fully up-to-date with no critical or optional components available for the machine. Go figure! I trust Belarc more than MicroSoft, so I'm going to be checking manually for these fixes throughout the day. I also have cows to milk, a fence to repair and a drainage ditch to dig - so I'm not going to spend that much time on the computer today!!

Again, many thanks for your assistance. It really is appreciated.

Gloria

[Irene]

I use, and like Belarc too. ;)

As I recall, you can use the Belarc link to do the update.

All the very best, Gloria.

Let us know how you get on. It's always helpful for others to know the outcome. :)

[Scarecrow Man]

Did you have any luck with the IE7 manual uninstall from here?

Might be worth it to try IE8, ensuring you make a FULL BACKUP before you do so, since you are having so much trouble with IE7 I would think it unwise to try and install something on top of it without first removing it.

[kelgra]

Irene, yes Belarc takes you straight to the MS KB article - but clicking from there just takes you to MsUpdate which then scans the machine and tells you that nothing is missing! The only way of actually downloading the updates separately is by using MS Administrator options, which is a very long-winded affair and uses a lot of language and jargon that I don't understand!

Scarecrow Man, I agree with your observations. I'm reluctant to install IE8 on top of IE7 when it isn't working properly. Anyway, I'm very wary about using any Micosoft beta software. I hate being used as a guinea pig by people who should know what they are doing.

I might just leave the whole thing until next year when IE8 might be out of beta testing. I normally do an annual complete disk re-format and re-install. This allows me to get rid of software that I have installed during the year to try, but have forgotten about and never used. I always start the year (February usually) with a clean machine.

The interesting part about all this is that when clicking the "about" button in IE, it tells me that it is using IE 7.0.5730.13, but it is obviously still using IE6. I am almost convinced that it has something to do with the HP motherboard/chipset/processor configuration on this particular model of HP Computer. I think it's a lemon!

Anyway, many thanks to both of you for your friendly assistance. It is very much appreciated. I'll pop back here now and again to see if anyone has come up with any potential solutions other than a complete re-format (which might not work anyway if the computer is a lemon!!)

Ciao for now

Gloria

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

I agree with your reluctance to try the IE8 beta. I don't know why IE7 doesn't do tabbing - I have never seen this before.

How about trying the browser that actually invented tabbing: Firefox ?

[kelgra]

How about trying the browser that actually invented tabbing: Firefox ?

Doh!!!

Isn't it amazing how the simplest solution is usually the best one?

Pat, I never once thought of using Firefox. I remember installing it to try about four or five years ago, but decided against it for the simple reason that you couldn't access Microsft Update with it. You had to use Internet Explorer to access the updates and, as far as I was aware at the time, you couldn't run both browsers at the same time.

I have followed your suggestion and Firefox works like a dream - tabs and all!! Also, it runs in parallel with IE, so as soon as I click Microsoft Update, the machine automatically switches to IE to access the Update page. Problem solved.

It still doesn't answer the question as to why IE won't use tabs though - this is still a mystery and one which I am determined to solve one way or another.

Another quirk from IE. The 'about' button tells me I'm using 7.0.5730.13. However, when I run a Hijack analysis, it tells me I'm using 7.0.6000.16608. I have no idea why the discrepancy is there - or, for that matter, what version is actually installed. It doesn't really matter though as, in reality, it's using IE6.

Hats off to Pat. You sound as though you might be a MacIntosh thinker!

Many sincere Thanks

Gloria

[Scarecrow Man]

lots of browsers have tabs now. very handy! :)

[CurlyWhirly]

I remember installing it to try about four or five years ago, but decided against it for the simple reason that you couldn't access Microsft Update with it. You had to use Internet Explorer to access the updates and, as far as I was aware at the time, you couldn't run both browsers at the same time.

I have followed your suggestion and Firefox works like a dream - tabs and all!! Also, it runs in parallel with IE, so as soon as I click Microsoft Update, the machine automatically switches to IE to access the Update page. Problem solved.

You can use IE tab if you want to access Microsoft updates using Firefox.

It really does work as I use it all the time for my updates after receiving notification that there are updates available for downloading (and installing) on the Windows taskbar.

[kelgra]

You can use IE tab if you want to access Microsoft updates using Firefox. It really does work as I use it all the time for my updates after receiving notification that there are updates available for downloading (and installing) on the Windows taskbar.

Now - there's a sneaky little response. Waits till the bitter end, until we're all frothing at the mouth with frustration and then comes in with this little gem!

Thankyou CurlyWhirly. I've downloaded it and it works. I'm really beginning to have fun with this FireFox thing!

Gloria

[CurlyWhirly]

Now - there's a sneaky little response. Waits till the bitter end, until we're all frothing at the mouth with frustration and then comes in with this little gem!

Thankyou CurlyWhirly. I've downloaded it and it works. I'm really beginning to have fun with this FireFox thing!

Gloria

Your welcome

[cyeung]

I had this problem today. I found this article which fixed the problem:

http://msmvps.com/blogs/spywaresucks/archi.../24/203178.aspx

It offers multiple solutions. The one that worked for me was switching from Classic Display mode to XP Display mode and back to Classic Display (my preference).

I hope it helps.

[Hb_Kai]

You could always try the new IE8 Beta.

It's better than 7. :D

[Dencandy]

IE7 is surely flawed. Although it geenerally works OK for me, a couple of times in the year that I've had it I've noticed that IE6 is running instead - no tabs. I think it was brought out to try to hold the fort until the full release of Windows 7 (Vienna) and IE8. I'm sure it's signicant that IE7 wasn't included in Service Pack 3 (i.e. not reliable enough).

Since I installed Firefox I find myself using FF more and more in preference to IE7. It takes longer to initialise, but once it's going it definitely accesses & downloads faster than IE. It also has more security features & add-ons (like No-Scripts). Bookmarks (= Favourites) are not as easy to use as in IE though.

[rong]

What's the problem with bookmarks?