The user sees the behavior when the default system browser launches randomly (without any user intervention) and shows the MSN website page. The issue keeps on reappearing on the default system browser (either it is Edge, Chrome, or Firefox, etc.). For some users, the issue only appeared when logging into the system. You may try the undermentioned solutions to stop MSN from opening automatically but before that, check if the keyboard (an assigned shortcut key on the keyboard may be triggering the behavior), laptop touchpads (touchpad may have touch gesture defined to open the default browser), or a multifunctional mouse is not triggering the default browser issue (you can check with another simple keyboard/mouse pair). Also, make sure your system is updated to the latest version of Windows. Additionally, make sure all the browsers have their home page set to default (not MSN).
Solution 1: Disable the VPN Client of Your PC
If you are using a VPN client and not in the habit of not properly disconnecting or closing it before shutting down the PC (or putting the PC to sleep), then it may cause the issue at hand as it can make Windows think the network (in this case, VPN) is not available. In this case, properly disconnecting and closing your VPN client before shutting down the PC (or putting it to sleep) may solve the problem. If so, then you may have to enable the VPN in the network settings (steps 1 to 3) when you want to use the VPN client.
Solution 2: Perform a Malware Scan
The awkward browser behavior could be triggered by malware on your system. To rule that out, it will be a good idea to perform a thorough malware scan of your system. Before proceeding, make sure to uninstall any suspected malware (Conduit is reported to cause the issue at hand) in the system’s Apps. Also, many malware applications tend to install the extensions/plugins, or MSN toolbar to all the available web browsers, so, it will be a good idea to remove any suspicious browser extensions.
Solution 3: Change the Startup Configuration of Windows
You may encounter the issue at hand if any of the startup items of your system is hindering the resources essential for the system’s network (which may trigger the current behavior). In this case, editing the system’s startup configuration may solve the problem. If so, then you may have to disable/uninstall unnecessary processes/applications (some users reported that the desktop version of the OneDrive application and Intel wireless software was triggering the issue.) one by one till you find the problematic one. Once found, keep it enabled to stop the browser issue from reoccurring.
Solution 4: Edit the Settings of Your Content Filtering Applications/Devices
The current behavior may be triggered when Windows fails to check for the availability of the network as a content filtering application/device is blocking access to the MSN site. In this case, disabling/removing, or editing the settings of the content filtering application/device may solve the problem. But before proceeding, check if rebooting the PC, router, and any other network-attached device (like PiHole) resolves the issue (but make sure the network devices are powered on and stable before powering on the PC). If your system is a part of an enterprise/domain network, then check if any of the organization’s startup scripts, captive portal, or group policy is blocking access to the Microsoft URLs. If so, then rectify and check if the browser issue is resolved.
Solution 4: Edit the Network Options
Your system may show the random browser launches if the network settings of your system are not properly configured (e.g., Windows 10 prefers wired connection over wireless and you are using both, then the wireless portal traffic routed through the wired connection may trigger the behavior). In this context, make certain network-related changes may solve the problem.
Solution 5: Change the Startup Type of Network Location Awareness Service
You may encounter the issue under discussion if the system’s Windows tries to perform the internet availability check even before the connection is made or the Network Location Awareness (NLA) service is in the error state. In this case, setting the startup type of Network Location Awareness (NLA) service to Delayed Start may solve the problem. If disabling the Network Location Awareness resolves the issue, you may see a yellow exclamation mark on the network connection in the system’s tray (although you could use the network resources without any issue). Some applications like Skype may fail to connect to their servers if NLA is disabled.
Solution 6: Edit the System’s Registry
If the issue is still there, then the issue could be caused by the wrong configuration of your system’s registry. In this case, editing the relevant system registry keys may solve the problem. Warning: Advance at your own risk as editing the system’s registry is a task that requires a certain level of expertise and if done wrong, you may cause everlasting damage to your PC/data (that is why we kept this option at last).
Disable EnableActiveProbing
Keep in mind that, after disabling EnableActiveProbing, you may see a yellow exclamation mark on the network connection in the system’s tray but the websites may load normally. Some applications (as applications use this setting to test the internet availability) may not work or work very slowly (especially, applications by Microsoft). Also, your system may fail to connect to some of the Wi-Fi connections especially hotspots from mobile phones.
Change ActiveWebProbeHost
If disabling EnableActiveProbing did not solve the issue or the yellow mark on the network connection is creating an issue for you, then you may try the following:
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