TIP #1: CLICK AND DRAG TO MAKE A NEW HOME PAGE
In Internet Explorer, when you
open your browser, the home page you have set as a default appears.
Normally,, you'd go into Tools/Internet Options, and type in another Web URL
to change your home page. Another, Quicker way:
- go to the Web page
that you want to make your new home page
- click the icon
in the address bar (to the left of the URL)
- Drag it to the [Home
Page] icon on the toolbar and drop it
- When you release the
mouse, you'll be asked if you want to make the new site your new home
page!
TIP #2: ALL ABOUT "COOKIES" - Article Provided by
Microsoft Corporation
"A Quick Look at
Cookies
Cookies are among the least understood aspects of
using the Internet. Cookies have been accused of everything from spreading
viruses to sending personal information without a person's consent. This tip
provides a brief overview of cookies.
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a Web server places
on the hard disk of the client computer. The fact that a Web server can
write to a user's hard disk is the source of much concern about cookies.
Many users feel that if a Web server can write to their hard disks, the
server can do other things as well, such as deleting files. This is one of
the many myths about cookies.
Cookies are commonly stored on Windows® systems in
the \Windows\Cookies directory or in the \Windows\Temporary Internet Files
directory. They are easy to find, for they contain the word "cookie" in
their names. A common type of cookie is the persistent cookie, so-called
because these cookies have no expiration date and remain on a computer's
hard disk indefinitely.
Depending on which version and browser you use, you
can simply delete the cookie files from the directory in which they are
stored, or you can use the Delete Files button in the Temporary Internet
Files area of the Internet Options dialog box. Use the Internet Options
command on the View menu in Internet Explorer to display the dialog box.
An important fact in understanding cookies is that
only the server has access to the data in the cookie. Most sites store the
cookie information in an encrypted manner so the cookies are usually only
useful to the site that created them. However, it is equally important to be
aware that companies can sell cookies.
What Cookies Can
Do:
Cookies can provide a site server with information
about your computer that is useful to the people who maintain that site.
This information enables them to customize the Web site for individuals. For
example, the cookie might contain a user name and password, an account
number for the site, previous shopping cart selections, or whether to
display a page with frames or without.
A primary use of cookies is for sites that require a
user name and password. With a cookie on your machine, each time you request
access to a site that requires a password, the site can read the cookie so
you don't have to enter your user name and password each time you want to
visit the site. For example, if you regularly shop at an online site, a
cookie can streamline the process.
Another common use of cookies is to customize
advertising for a particular site. If you click an advertisement on a Web
page, a record of your click can be saved so that the next time you browse
to a site, you might see ads based on the previous ads you have clicked.
What Cookies
Can't Do:
Cookies can't get your e-mail address. The only way
that a site can get your e-mail address is if you type it in a form on that
site.
What Does a
Cookie Look Like?
Cookies are small text files that contain what is
known as "state information" about the Web client - that is, the computer to
which the cookie is written.
Let's take a look at a cookie. The following example
cookie is based on an actual cookie.
UIDC - This is an identifier
000.000.0.00:0926036053:890963 - This identifier
contains the address of your computer (the string that reads 000.000.0.00)
example.microsoft.com/ - (This is the domain name of
the server)
0
30141040 (variable)
1416906592 (variable)
29267998 (variable)
* (Indicates the end of the cookie)
The information contained in the variables could
include such things as a user name/password combination, or any of a great
variety of things.
Why Are They
Called Cookies?
According to a quote on CookieCentral.com, "A cookie
is a well-known computer science term that is used when describing an opaque
piece of data held by an intermediary." In the context of the Internet, the
opaque piece of data is the .txt file, and the intermediary holding that
.txt file is your computer.
Perhaps a better reason why the name cookie is
appropriate for these little text files is that they can leave a virtual
"trail of crumbs" along any path you follow on the Web.
What Can You Do
About Cookies?
You can control whether cookies are stored on your
computer. There are advantages to allowing cookies to remain, primarily
because they can help you avoid having to supply a name and password each
time you browse to your favorite sites. However, there are disadvantages,
for you do not have control over how cookies are used.
You have choices about whether to allow cookies:
allow all cookies all the time, warn before allowing cookies, or never allow
cookies. Both Microsoft and Netscape browsers allow settings for cookies.
Consult the documentation for your browser for the exact commands.
If you set your browser security to high, or if you
set it not to accept cookies, you might be faced with seeing an alert each
time a Web page attempts to write a cookie. For some sites, you can see this
warning literally dozens of times."
TIP #3: TURNING OFF COOKIES IN INTERNET EXPLORER
You can turn
cookies on or off by setting an option in Internet Explorer. To turn OFF
cookies on your machine:
- Select the
Tools menu and choose Internet Options
- Select the
'Security' tab
- Click on the
[Globe] icon and click the [Custom Level] button
<At this point, you
can 'disable' or 'enable' the cookies, or force a website to ask your
permission before creating a cookie on your machine.>
TIP #4: PRINTING ALL DOCUMENTS THAT ARE LINKED TO A
SPECIFIED WEB PAGE
You can print all
documents that are linked to a specific Web Page.
Select the 'File' menu, then 'Print'
and select the 'Options' tab. Select the 'Print All Linked
Documents' check box.
TIP #5: YOU CAN MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR FAVORITES
FOLDER (Bookmarks)
If Windows 2000 is
your Operating System:
- Open Windows
Explorer by clicking the Start button, Programs, Accessories
and Windows Explorer.
- Go into the Windows folder
- You'll see a
folder under the Windows folder named Favorites. This is where IE
stores your Favorites (also referred to as "bookmarks").
- Simply Copy
the entire folder onto your back-up media (usually a floppy disk, CD
RW, or a network drive).
If Windows XP is your
Operating System:
- Open Windows Explorer by
clicking the Start button, All Programs, Accessories
and Windows Explorer.
- Browse to
C:\Documents and Settings\Your_Username\Favorites
- This is where IE stores
your Favorites (also referred to as "bookmarks").
Simply copy the entire folder onto your back-up media (usually a
floppy disk, CD RW, or a network drive).
TIP #6: ADD A WEB PAGE TO YOUR FAVORITES FOLDER
(Bookmarks)
Want to have a
quick and easy way to add a Web Page to your 'Favorites' folder to refer
to later?
- Go to the Web
Page you want to add to Favorites
- Touch CTRL/d
<Your page will be
added to the Favorites list>
TIP #7: ORGANIZE YOUR FAVORITES (Bookmarks) INTO A
SINGLE LIST TO PRINT
(All Versions)
1. From the File
Menu, choose Import And Export.
2. Click Next
and then select Export Favorites and click Next again.
3. Select the the
main Favorites folder or select a sub-folder to export only certain
Favorites and click Next.
4. Select the
Export to a File or Address option button and Browse to or type in
the appropriate path to the file you want to select/create. Click
Next.
5. In the Select
Bookmark File dialog box, click Save. Click Next. Click
Finish and you will get a message saying your favorites file was
successfully created. Click Ok.
6. Open the file
you just created (from within Internet Explorer if you saved the file
with the .htm file extension) to view a complete list of your Favorites.
7. To print your
Favorites, select Print from the File Menu.
TIP #8: ELIMINATE TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES
Open Internet
Explorer and complete the following:
1. From the Tools
Menu choose Internet Options.
2. Select the
General tab and click the Delete Files button.
3. You can select
the Delete All Offline Content option. Click OK.
4. If you also want
to get rid of your cookies, click the Delete Cookies button.
Note:
When you next launch IE, it will rebuild the Temporary Internet files. If
you delete your "cookies" (see Tip # 2), you will have to re-supply your
password and any other additional information about you the next time you
visit sites requiring this information.
TIP #9: DOES
YOUR AUTOCOMPLETE SEEM TO BE SLOWING DOWN?
When you type in
a URL, Internet Explorer will compare what you're typing to the contents of
the history folder. If there is a match, AutoComplete will try to anticipate
the URL you want to type and complete it for you. With continued use, the
history folder accumulates lots of URLs and you may notice that AutoComplete
is slowing down...
If you find that your AutoComplete is slow, you can
clear your history folder to increase the speed.
- From the Tools
menu, select Internet Options
- In the History
section, click the 'Clear History' button.
- Click Ok
to close the Internet Options dialog box.
TIP #10: GET DIRECTION TO SOMEONE'S HOUSE
Visit
http://www.google.com,
type in a phone number in this format "814-555-5555" and click
the 'Google Search' button. If you phone number is listed, it will
show your name and address and give you two map options - Yahoo
and MapQuest. Choose either option to view a map to the location.
Note: Google
has an option to remove your telephone number from the database. You
will first need to check if your number is listed in this manner by
attempting a search, entering your full telephone number separated by
dashes (e.g. 555-555-5555). If the number appears in the mapping
database, an icon resembling a telephone will appear next to the
first or second entry on the results page. Clicking on this icon will take
you to a page containing a description of the service, and a link to
request your number be removed from the database.
TIP #11: DON'T NEED TO ADD "http://" TO URL
You do not have to type
"http://" for the beginning of a URL. For example, to go to Dell
Computer's home page, you can simply type
www.dell.com.
OR
You could also just type
dell, press and hold the CTRL key, and press the enter key.
Internet Explorer will add the http://www
and the .com parts of the address.
Tip #12 - BELOW ARE USEFUL
SITES FOR PSU Graphics…
You can get logo style pictures at:
http://www.psu.edu/ur/webstyleguide/marksnew.html
Scenes from around campus at:
http://www.psu.edu/ur/webstyleguide/campus.html
Page banners at:
http://www.psu.edu/ur/webstyleguide/marks.html
And if you go to
http://www.psu.edu/ur/webstyleguide, you will see an index
listing with the above options.
Tip #13 - SPYWARE AND
BROWSER HIJACKERS
Tips for Spurning Spyware
and Browser Hijackers
Is your Web Browser behaving
strangely? Maybe some other search program appears when you try to do a
search on Google or MSN@ Search. Or, even though you've reset your home
page, some other site displays. If this is happening to you, you may have
inadvertently downloaded spyware. Visit
http://go.microsoft.com/?linked=716712 for tips when it comes to dealing
with spyware.
Tip #14 - Time Saving
Keystrokes
Speed up your Web Browsing with these Keystrokes:
Ctrl+Enter - will insert
http://www
in front of text entered in the Address bar and a
.com following
entered text.
Ctrl+F5 - will force IE to go out and get
the latest copy of the current page.
Shift+Click on a link - forces IE to open
pages in a new window
Tip #15 - Save
and Reuse Google Searches and Be Alerted Through Email When There are
Changes in the Top Pages Returned from the Search.
To set up to receive email alerts when the top
pages returned from your search change, visit
www.google.com/alerts. You will
create an account to manage your alerts, and type in your search phrase
surrounded by quotes and remember that you can click on 'Advanced' to visit
Google's Advanced Search Page.
Tip
#16 - You can Quickly and Easily Open a Web Page in a New Window
- Right click on the link appearing on the
page and choose Open in New Window from the menu that appears.
- If using the Windows XP Operating System and
running IE 6.0 or higher, Shift/Click on the link to open it in a
new window.
- To see more than one opened web page at a time,
right click on your Windows task bar and choose either
Tile Windows Horizontally or Tile Windows Vertically
from the menu that appears.
Tip
#17 - Make Internet Explorer Run Faster by Turning Off Graphics
If your connection to the Internet is slow and you
want Internet Explorer (IE) to run faster, you can turn off graphics.
Instead of seeing graphics displayed, you would see an empty box.
Here's how you can set IE to not display graphics:
1. Choose 'Tools', 'Internet Options'. The Internet Options
dialog box opens.
2. Click the 'Advanced' tab.
3. Scroll down to the 'Multimedia' section and deselect the 'Show
Pictures' check box.
4. Click 'OK' to close the dialog box.
Tip #18 - Saving Web Graphics
(All Versions)
If you visit a site that
provides images for downloading, you can save the images by using one of the
following methods:
- Right click on
the graphic and select Save Picture As and save it to an area on
your hard drive.
- Right click on
the graphic and select Set as Background to use the image as your
desktop background image.
- Right click on
the graphic and select Set as Desktop Item to save the image to
your desktop. It will appear as an icon on your Windows desktop.
Note: Always
adhere to copyright laws and regulations when considering downloading
graphics from the Internet. |
