Visual Studio 2010 annoyingly opens documents in wrong MDI pane
Another solution - avoiding "Reset Layout" - is to reposition the windows in "area 2" (usually breakpoints/watch/debug-output) making sure you drag them to the circled "bottom-most" of the dockpositions (if you move it to the one crossed out in the below image, it'll open code-files in the wrong location).
Alternatively, at the very bottom of the screen there is another dock-position, but that one will cause area #2 to be stretched through the entire bottom of the screen (stealing some space from area #3).
Fix is instant & no need to restart Visual Studio.
I have this problem too.
I tried Josh's solution, and it worked. Actually it might be even simpler, it might be enough to just do Window -> Reset Window layout. But I can't test that since I don't know how the wrong behaviour started.
If Josh's solution does not work for you, someone at Microsoft support recommended to reset all settings ( Tools-> Import and Export setting... -> Reset all settings (see http://connect.microsoft.com/VisualStudio/feedback/details/635796/files-open-up-in-the-wrong-docking-window).
I did not want to do that because I didn't want to use all my settings - and it turned out to not be necessary.
Did you perhaps use the "New Horizontal Tab Group" command to split #1 into #1 and #2, then move your errors window into that?
I would just try resetting the window layout and see if that fixes it.
- First, Window -> Close All Documents
- Then, Window -> Reset Window Layout
- Exit VS to be sure, then go back in.