Internet Explorer

   Internet Explorer (not to be confused with Windows Explorer) is an Internet Browser (i.e., allows you to surf the web and view web pages). The other major internet browser is Netscape Navigator. Earthlink and AOL use their own browser configured in their software. Regardless of the browser used, internet browsers are necessary to view web pages (it is your interface to the World Wide Web (www).

   One of the reasons Internet Explorer (IE) is so popular, is that it is already configured in the system when you buy a new computer (all the others must be downloaded and configured) and it is very intuitive (making it user friendly). IE is probably the best choice for new computer users and will therefore be described below.

The icon for IE is the big blue "e" seen on the desktop.

Double click the icon to open IE.

The address bar is one of the most important things viewed at the top. This is where the address (or URL) of the web page can be found. If you know the address of the site you wish to visit, you could type it in directly here. Note that almost all web pages will begin with http://www and be followed by the rest of the address. The http is the internet protocol that allows you to talk to other computers. The www means that you are accessing the World Wide Web. There are some exceptions to these rules, but as a rule of thumb, will you usually find this to be the case.

The buttons most frequently used are BACK and FORWARD, which are sometimes portrayed as arrows ( < or > ). When you view several web pages at a time, you may wish to go back to the previous page or forward to the one just viewed. These buttons are invaluable!

The X button, is used to stop a page from loading. Sometimes you will select a page and change your mind. Rather than wait for the entire page to load (which can take time), you can stop it immediately.

The page with double green arrows is used to refresh the current web page. This feature is used to reload a page that got hung up. It is also used by web developers during testing.

The button with the house on it, is a shortcut back to your home page (i.e., the first page displayed when you open IE).

SEARCH allows to search the web. Another option for searching the web are to use a search engine (such as Google, Alta Vista, Yahoo, etc.). A search engine is called up by going to it’s web address.

FAVORITES is a list of "bookmarks" of your favorite web pages. This is another very important feature of the browser. Some web pages you want to visit again and again (such as the Arizona Diamondbacks scoreboard). Rather than typing in the web address each time, you can bookmark the web page (or ADD TO FAVORITES) so that you can easily access again in the future. To do so, call up the web page and click FAVORITES, and then ADD TO FAVORITES.

When you first connect to the Internet and open IE, some home page will be displayed. This page will be different for every user. Often, the page displayed is your ISP’s home page. However, this page can display anything you want it to! All you need to know is the address of the page you desire (such as http://www.computersolutionsbychris.com )

Once you know the address of your desired site, open IE and click on TOOLS, and then INTERNET OPTIONS. Then on the GENERAL tab type in the address (Web Site) in the address field for the site you want as your main page to open every time you open IE and then click OK

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Note that also on this window, you can delete Temporary Internet Files (which are saved on your hard drive every time you visit a web page ….. which takes up disk space). You can also specify the number of days of history to keep (all files will automatically be deleted which are older then the time specified). I like to keep 7-10 days of history. This can be helpful when you are trying revisit a web page from a few days earlier (which you forgot to bookmark) or you would like to keep a watchful eye on what others are viewing on the web (i.e., your kids).

Also protect your Children from harmful sites with these filter programs below:

|  Netnanny |  Cyber Patrol  |  SurfWatch  |  CyberSitter  |