New tabs always open as about:blank

[waggle]

After booting up and opening Internet Explorer, I find that when I click for a new tab, it always opens to about:blank.

If I go into internet options and change the new tab properties to 'your first homepage', everything works as it should until the next re-boot.

Then it goes back to opening about:blank again. :angry:

This has been happening for a while now and I didn't notice when it first started.

I am running Win 7 with IE 11.0.2

Have I got a virus of some sort, or is Windows just playing with me?? :huh:

Tony

[OrbingStorm]

CoolWebSearch is a browser hijack program - it takes over your home page, and keeps changing it back. Its purpose is to show you advertising, or flog you an over-priced piece of software to fix

the issue CoolWebSearch has created. The About:Blank change is a trick designed to confuse users - regrettably, it is very successful!

The simplest way to remove the About:Blank adware is to use a specially designed tool and clean up your system. Step one is to flush out all the temp files on your system: Cookies, Temporary Internet Files and Temp files (you can do this via Internet Explorer's Tools-Internet Options or for a more thorough clean, use a privacy eraser tool. Next up, get a copy of CWShredder. This should kill CoolWebSearch and allow you to change your home page from About:Blank, plus it will kill those pop up windows.

[unknownasphyxiated]

CoolWebSearch is a browser hijack program - it takes over your home page, and keeps changing it back. Its purpose is to show you advertising, or flog you an over-priced piece of software to fix

the issue CoolWebSearch has created. The About:Blank change is a trick designed to confuse users - regrettably, it is very successful!

The simplest way to remove the About:Blank adware is to use a specially designed tool and clean up your system. Step one is to flush out all the temp files on your system: Cookies, Temporary Internet Files and Temp files (you can do this via Internet Explorer's Tools-Internet Options or for a more thorough clean, use a privacy eraser tool. Next up, get a copy of CWShredder. This should kill CoolWebSearch and allow you to change your home page from About:Blank, plus it will kill those pop up windows.

it is better if you choose not to recommend people to use software which last update on 2004

better to get up-to-date antimalware like malwarebytes

it was a good tool :)

@waggle

try install malwarebytes and do a full scan

[calguyhunk]

Goto the 'Startup Tab' of your Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and see what programs start up automatically. Disable all programs apart from your AV. And I mean all. Also check what extensions you have for IE. (Right Click>Blue Icon/All Accelerators>Manage Accelerators). Then turn off all accelerators. If you have ANY toolbars whatsoever, disable them ASAP!

You should also go to the Task Scheduler (search on the Start Menu search bar) and disable all tasks from the library apart from the Windows tasks.

Next, go to 'Services' (Run>services.msc) and change from Auto to manual anything that isn't a Microsoft or Windows service. Go to BlackViper.com for authoritative guidance on which services are essential Windows services and which ones are not.