Internet Explorer has the annoying habit to start with the MSN homepage, even if you tell it not to do so. Here’s how to make sure that IE doesn’t display the MSN homepage on startup anymore.

First, right-click in the tool bar of the Internet Explorer window (to the right of the address bar). A menu appears as displayed in the picture below.

If no checkmark is displayed in front of menu item “Menu bar” then click on this menu item to make the checkmark appear. A menubar will become visible in the Internet Explorer window.

Open the Tools menu of Internet Exploror and choose the “Internet options” menu item. A new window will appear now, with the name Internet Options.

If the General tab is not active then click on the General tab at the top of the window. In the field in the Home page section, you will find a URL that leads to the MSN homepage. You might also find some other URLs. Delete all URL’s by clicking in the field once, typing Control-A followed by the Return key (or the Enter key). Now replace the deleted URL’s with “about:blank” (without quotes). Don’t leave the field empty, because Microsoft will still load a website for you if you don’t enter “about:blank”.

Now you can click on the OK button at the bottom of the window. Close and reopen Internet Explorer. Your new IE window should now open with a blank page.