everything keeps opening in a new window

[beareina]

i"ve only had this problem for a few days (cant use shift key to use fullstops etc either) even if i already have a publisher or word document open and i click on it on the task bar it opens another window for it) i have the same problem for using the internet for example if i go to click on a page on google or a channel on youtube it will open in a completely new window which gets quite frustrating) it wasnt like this before and i need help as im very new to computers and laptops

[Geek-9pm]

Maybe you have a problem with the mouse.

[beareina]

its not a problem with the mouse) using the touchpad doesnt change the problem

[Geek-9pm]

How do you know?
Unplug the mouse and use the keyboard. The will tell you if  the mouse is doing it.
Look here:
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000791.htm
How to navigate Windows using a keyboard

Navigating Microsoft Windows using the keyboard for many commonly performed tasks can dramatically increase your productivity. Also, a situation may arise when the mouse stops functioning or you need to work on a computer without one. The following sections contain many key combinations used to navigate Windows using your keyboard. You can navigate this document by clicking on one of the links below, or you can scroll through the entire document and learn all of the methods individually.
Note: Some of these key combinations have different effects or not work the same way for Windows 8 and 8.1
...
In the Start menu, you can use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move up, down, left, or right within the Start menu. Once you've located the program you want to run, press the Enter key.
...
Closing a window
Press the Ctrl and F4 keys on the keyboard at the same time to close the current open program or window.
Users may also press the Alt and spacebar keys at the same time, then arrow down to the Close or Exit option in the menu and press Enter.

Try it ans see. Unplug the mouse, it stutters too much.
This link helps explain what I am talking about.
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1227039
Yes, that is about the issue in Linux, but it also happens in Windows. The link below is about mouse trouble in  Windows 7.
http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2998176/mouse-audio-stuttering-usable.html
And it also happens with Apple PCs.  So, it can be  a common problem. You need to make sure it is not that mouse. If it is not the mouse, then we can look at another possibility.
The mouse problem has been widely reported and is not a new issue. It is caused by a dirty mouse, a broken mouse, or the wrong driver for the mouse. A broken wire inside the cable can cause very strange mouse behavior.
Example:

... I noticed that the mouse is basically clicking multiple times in 1 click. It just opened FOUR tabs when I clicked a link once.
If I try to close a tab with the middle button, it sometimes closes multiple tabs, too. ...

From  www.mozillazine.org forum. It is a support forum for Firefox.

[Lorraine walsh]

I am not quite sure about is but isn't it because the page that you are viewing is in a dialog window, Firefox may not be willing to open ANY new tabs in that window. Usually in this case the tab bar is missing or the "+" button doesn't work. But if you open a new window using Ctrl+n then links should work normally?