Internet Explorer 8 - The Webpage You Are Viewing is Trying to Close the Window

Internet Explorer 8 - The Webpage You Are Viewing is Trying to Close the Window
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Possible Reasons for the Behavior

Internet Explorer introduced a wide range of security features with its seventh version. This is the primary reason you face problems when dealing with websites or services having their own security features. The following are some reasons why you get the popup message.

  1. The problem of a webpage trying to close a window in Internet Explorer is common when you are trying to access a Microsoft Dynamics CRM website.
  2. It may also happen due to JavaScript errors in the website code.
  3. Some websites close the Internet Explorer as part of their security policy - to erase the history (eg NetBanking, shopping sites, etc). Unlike with other websites, the popup appears after you log out of the portal.
  4. A corrupt installation of Internet Explorer can also be the problem.
  5. The problem also occurs if the Internet Explorer is not current with the security certificates and other IE updates.

The above list is not exhaustive. There may be other reasons. The listed ones are known issues that I came across while working on Internet Explorer. The following sections offer some possible solutions to remove the popup message.

In case of the third point, it is better to use the popup to close the Internet Explorer window if the online transaction website wants to close and clean the IE data pertaining to that session.

Add the Website to Trusted Sites

If you open a website and get a popup saying the website is trying to close the window, it is probably the security features of the website interfering with those of the browser. In this case, you can add the website to the list of trusted websites to avoid the popup.

To add the website to the list of trusted websites, open Internet Options from the Control Panel.

  1. Click on Security tab
  2. Click on the icon saying Trusted Sites
  3. Click Sites
  4. In the window that appears, type the URL of the website and click on Add
  5. Click to uncheck Require https verification
  6. Click Close and then OK.

Turn off Application Mode for Microsoft Dynamics CRM

If you are using Microsoft Dynamics CRM and are receiving the “webpage you are viewing is trying to close the window” popup message while trying to access a page, you can turn off the application mode for CRM.

To do this, log on to the Microsoft Dynamics CRM web client as a user who has permissions to change the settings

  1. Click Settings
  2. Click Administration
  3. Click System Settings
  4. Go to the Customization tab
  5. Uncheck the box saying Open Microsoft Dynamics CRM in Application Mode

This should fix the issue. If both of the above methods fail, you can try to update the Internet Explorer.

Update Internet Explorer

To update Internet Explorer, go to the Windows Update site. If you are using Windows 7, open Windows Updates from Control Panel or from Start Menu.

Click on Search for Updates and check out both priority updates and optional updates. If you see any updates related to Internet Explorer, click to install them. If you see any update related to Certificates, install them as well.

Once the installation is finished, you can go ahead and see if you can open a website without getting the popup message.

Reinstall Internet Explorer Properly

If all of the above methods fail, you need to reinstall Internet Explorer properly. To do this:

  1. Download an IE installation package from Microsoft website
  2. Turn off all the anti-malware software on your computer.
  3. Turn off the firewall
  4. Remove the current installation using Add/Remove Programs in Windows XP and using Programs and Features in Windows 7
  5. Run a registry cleaner (example, CCleaner)
  6. Run the IE installation package to install IE again

This should fix the problem. If you still get a popup saying the website is trying to close the window, please contact the Microsoft Customer Support.

References

Screenshot from Internet Explorer 9 by author

Microsoft Knowledgebase, Article ID: 926693, https://support.microsoft.com/kb/926693