IE 8 browsing issue

Is there any way to get IE 8 to stop opening web pages in a seperate tab or smaller page or is this just the way it will be for the rest of my life.
I just want it to open the web page in the same window when I click on it.

Hi, please download Mozilla Firefox from Mozilla's official page

http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Thanks, thats better!