I change my settings to open a the new tab page when I open a new tab. This works for one boot of Windows. Second boot, the settings have magically changed back to opening a blank page.
It worked to start with. I only just reinstalled Windows on this computer. Then a few days ago I didn't get my most recent sites when I opened a tab. Changed the settings. Next boot. They had reset.
It seems as if the settings do not save. I had this problem on my older computer as well. Never found a fix.
To clear up misunderstandings (there are some similar posts), when I select a link to open in a new tab, it always works.