Periodically, people write to me with complaints about the latest weird problem they are having with Internet Explorer. Because it’s often affected by automatic Windows updates, it can be difficult to determine what has caused the problem. One solution is simply not to use it.
Instead, you may want to consider giving Firefox a try. You can download it for free from http://www.mozilla.com
There is no problem having more than one browser on your computer. I have both Firefox and Internet Explorer peacefully coexisting on my system, but I have Firefox set to be my default browser. That means any time I click a link in an email or document, Firefox opens instead of Internet Explorer.
After you have installed the program to make Firefox the default browser, open Firefox. Now choose Tools|Options. At the top of the dialog box, click the General button. Under Default Browser, click to add a checkmark next to "Firefox should check to see if it is the default browser when starting" and then click the Check Now button.
If Firefox isn’t set as the default browser, it will tell you and let you change it. Click OK and now when you click links, Firefox opens. Many people like the tabbed interface, but if you’re set in your ways and want to have links open in new windows, go back into the options by choosing Tools|Options and click the Tabs button. Under "Open links from other applications in," click next to "a new window."