Browser Launching and Redirecting Repeatedly

[Traci11101]

For the past two days, I've had an infuriating problem with my browser/computer - the browser will repeatedly launch or redirect to the home page.  To be more specific, if the focus is on an active browser window (in other words, if that's the application I'm using or it's the last application I clicked on), the browser will redirect to the home screen.  If, however, the focus is on another application, a new browser window will be launched.  This problem happens no matter which browser I'm using (and when a new browser window is opened, it's my default browser, Chrome, and it opens to my home page, an empty new tab).  When I was working in Visual Studio, it opened up the browser that is part of VS, then repeatedly redirected to the default home page for that browser. The frequency with which this happens varies, from once every several minutes, to nearly continuously (more than once per second) - I got 40+ browser windows in the span of less than a few minutes. I removed all Add-Ins and Extensions, under the assumption that one of them might be causing the problem - no luck.

I read similar posts on the HP board by people who don't seem to have been able to solve this problem, despite attempting everything, including reinstalling browsers and even reformatting the hard drive!  One person suggested that fixing the hosts file worked for her, but I checked mine and it appears to be as it should be.  

I'm actually wondering if this might be an equipment problem of some sort. That doesn't seem intuitive to me, of course, but here's the thing ... a few days ago, when booting up, I saw some sort of error message regarding my fan not working properly.  I installed Speccy (by Piriform) to monitor my system conditions and noticed my computer has been running hot from time to time. So, I know this sounds nuts, but I put an ice pack underneath my laptop (well, two full ice trays in an oversized ziploc bag) and the problem seems to have slowed down quite a bit.  Also, I noticed this problem seems quite prevalent on HP Pavilion machines.

Is there any way to fix this? Or will I be stuck buying a new laptop? Even though laptops are really cheap now, I really can't afford it. I suspect replacing the fan would cost almost as much as a new laptop. But I can't work on it like this! Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks!

Traci

[Malygris1]

Hi @Traci11101 

Welcome to the HP Support Forums!

I understand that you are having trouble with your browsers opening pages. I am happy to help. For now I am going to bypass the hardware possibility, and target the more common software cause for this.

This sounds like you are having trouble with either some type of malware, or a virus. There are many possibilities, but I offer the following pages to help secure your system and to clean the system as well. I realize there is a lot of information, but it is all useful to help protect yourself from the many threats on the internet.

About Spyware, Adware, and Browser Hijacking Software

Resolving and Preventing Viruses on Your Computer (Windows 😎

Malware Removal Guide & Tools for Beginners - thewindowsclub.com

What is malware? - microsoft.com

Also here is one specific to IE, but it has some relevant information.

How to Fix Internet Explorer when It Is Opening Automatically -wikihow.com

I hope this all helps.

[Traci11101]

Thanks for your answer, but I tried the easy and obvious solutions first. In other words, I've already run a virus scan and checked for malware and virus problems. I also looked carefully through processes running on taskmanager, and inspected start-up items via msconfig.  I removed all add-ins and extensions from all installed browsers, and raised the browser security levels. No improvement.

I read posts by a number of people on an HP message board with a similar problem, many of whom had HP Pavilion laptops.  Most of those people went through the steps that I did with no success, and a few of them went so far as reformatting their hard drive -  still with no success(!). 

I understand that it doesn't seem remotely intuitive that a hardware problem could cause the problem I describe, but here's the thing - the problem is worst when my computer is warm/hot to the touch (yes, I understand I need a new fan).  On several occasions the browser problem has been extremely bad, refreshing a browser tab continuously/non-stop.  On those occasions, when I then put two ice cube trays underneath my laptop (in a large ziploc bag, of course)...the problem resolves itself (either completely, or mostly)! 

I can't imagine how an overheating problem could possibly cause the problem I describe - I can't think of any scientific or technical reason that could be the case. However, I swear that's what seems to be happening. I've started monitoring my laptop's motherboard and cpu temperature (using Speccy) - the browser problem seems to begin when the temp is high and it seems to resolve itself right after I cool the laptop down (typically using the ice method described above).

So, I ask again...is it possible that the browser problem is caused by a hardware problem???

Thanks!

Traci

[Malygris1]

@Traci11101 

Well, I had to start with the basics, although I thought it likely you had tried some of that, it was not mentioned... so I went with it. Since it seems to behave differently to heat levels, it may be a hardware issue, but could also be a factor of the types of applications running. Are you running anything that is graphically intensive when this occurs?

As another aid, here is the service guide for this notebook. Using it you can find the replacement instructions and compatible parts for any faulty component, such as the fan assembly (page 91 0f 136).

HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook PC - Maintenance and Service Guide

Also if can be useful for thorough cleaning, and to see if any component is interfering with the fan's operation.

I realize you probably already have tried most of this, but I include it for your review. I hope it helps.

Reducing heat inside the PC to prevent overheating

[Traci11101 · Accepted solution]

Hello, and thanks for your advice and comments.  After reviewing comments posted in some older posts of people with similar problems, I think I've figured out the problem, as well as a short-term solution...

Apparently a fan problem is causing the computer to overheat somewhat, and the heat is somehow causing the computer to think the shortcut for "WWW-Home" is being pressed repeatedly (not sure of the mechanics behind that, but the shortcut involves the F5 key, which is in one of the warmer areas of the computer).  The hotter the computer gets, the more frequently it thinks the shortcut key is bring pressed and the more frequently a new browser is launched.  So, a quick fix for the problem - disable the shortcut key (by editing the registry or using a software product such as KeyTweak - the code for the key is 144, btw). Of course, I will replace my fan in the next several days (I have an ice pack underneath it in the meantime), but it's nice to have the use of my computer until then!

Based on the other posts I've read, this problem seems quite common for my laptop model -  an HP Pavilion dv6-6c 14nr.  Most posts I read involved HP Pavilions, and many of them were an HP Pavilion dv6 or similar.  Others with the same problem seem to have gone through considerably more aggravation than I have - many of them actually reformatted the hard drive when nothing else worked - and when that still didn't fix the problem for them, they got rid of their HP laptop. Perhaps HP can save this information as a "known issue" and post the fix somewhere for support personnel and users to find easily? 

Thanks again!

Traci