So that's why Windows opens to MSN automatically - the Network Connectivity Status Indicator is to blame. The solution is to disable it.

When the schedule is shot and a game needs to ship, programmers may employ some dirty coding tricks to get the game out the door. In an article originally published in Gamasutra sister publication Game Developer magazine earlier this year, here are nine real-life examples of just that.

including the essential "Space Is Fun Hack" mod = reduce the frequency of attacks, raids, and disasters, which makes the game MUCH better

The fix is actually pretty simple and involves changing the state of “browser.cache.memory.enable” in Firefox’s “about:config“.