With the advent of Microsoft Edge, users of the older Internet Explorer (IE) might find themselves in a peculiar situation where attempts to use IE redirect them to Edge instead. Here are 4 ways you can stop Internet Explorer from opening Edge:

1. Change Default Browser Settings: Make sure that Internet Explorer is set as your default browser. Go to the settings menu on your computer, search for ‘Default Apps’ and ensure that IE is selected for web browsing activities.

2. Edit the Registry: This method involves modification of the Windows Registry, which should be done with caution. Open the Registry Editor and navigate to ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft’. Right click on ‘Microsoft’, create a new key named ‘Internet Explorer’, and within it create another key named ‘Main’. Within ‘Main’, create a new DWORD value named ‘PreventBHOInstall’ and set it to 1. This will prevent IE from redirecting you to Edge.

3. Use Group Policy Editor: For professional or enterprise versions of Windows, this can be an effective approach. Open Group Policy Editor by typing `gpedit.msc` into the run dialog, navigate to ‘User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Internet Explorer’, and then enable the setting for ‘Prevent performance of First Run Customize settings’. Set it to ‘Go directly to home page’.

4. Install Updates: Ensure that Internet Explorer is up-to-date with all security patches and updates from Microsoft. An outdated browser may redirect to Edge more frequently, so keeping IE updated can sometimes resolve this issue without further interventions.

It’s important to note that technical support for Internet Explorer is limited as Microsoft transitions fully to Edge, so these steps might not work indefinitely. Users may ultimately need to adapt by embracing Edge or choosing an alternative browser.