Explorer Basics Internet 104

The Microsoft Internet Explorer browser is very well integrated into Windows 95/98 and normally comes installed on many computers. This allows for the Browser to easily incorporate other Microsoft products seamlessly.

For the most part Internet Explorer and Netscape look and react much in the same manner. However, Internet Explorer allows much more customization of the top menu bars.

After opening Internet Explorer you will find more buttons. The text below will attempt to help you navigate the web by using all of these buttons.

At the very top of the window you will find the title bar. The title bar will tell you the name of the page you are viewing. You will also notice that this information is down at the bottom of your screen on the task bar.

Located just below the title bar is the menu bar. This bar has text menus along with the familiar graphical menu bar. Some of the menu items on the menu bar will open up sub-menu's when clicked on. The graphical menu bar contains most of the frequently used options.

Below the toolbar is the address bar. This is where you enter the web page address you wish to visit if you know it. If you are already at a web page the complete web page address will be displayed in the address bar.

Underneath the address bar is the browser window. This is where the web page you are visiting will actually be displayed.

At the very bottom of the browser you will find the status bar. The status bar gives you the progress of the browser as it downloads the web page. You will also notice that the status bar will show the address of a link when you put your mouse over the link. If a web site is located on a secure server, you will see a 'padlock' on the right hand side of the status bar. Some web site programmers also put messages in the status bars. Unfortunately this is sometimes more of a pain than its worth.

Internet Explorer Toolbar

There are several buttons on the main toolbar and more can be added to further customize it.

Back Button: The back button works much like it sounds. If you press it once you will go back one page. Pressing it twice, two pages etc.

Forward Button: Pressing the forward button after pressing the back button will take you forward. You can go forward to as many pages as you have visited. Once you reach the last visited page the forward button will be 'grayed out'.

Stop Button: If for any reason you wish to discontinue downloading a web page you can press the stop button.

Refresh Button: The refresh button will cause a web page to be downloaded again. For example: If you're at a web site with the current score of the Lions game and you were at the page for several minutes you could click on refresh and the page would be updated with any new information that has been added since you first arrived at the web page.

Home Button: Clicking on home will take you to the page that first starts when you open Internet Explorer.

Search Button: The search button will open up the search window allowing you to enter words or phrases you would like to search on the Internet for.

Favorites Button: Favorites are web pages that you have visited previously and would like Internet Explorer to remember for future visits. To add a web page to your favorites just click on the favorites button and click on add. A new window will open asking where to save the favorite. Just click on ok to add in the default folder, or select a folder, and then click on ok. You can also create a new folder to save the favorite in. To revisit a favorite click on favorites, find the link you wish to revisit and click on it. Viola! You're taken back to the web page.

History Button: Clicking on the history button will open a new window showing the sites you have visited in the past. If you want to go back to a page but can't remember the address try checking through your history.

Print Button: Hmmmm. What does this button do? Oh yeah. It prints the page you're on.

Mail Button: Clicking on the mail button will give you several options including read mail, send mail, and a few others.

Edit Button: If you have a web page editor installed on your computer this button will allow you to edit the code in your editor program. Not all browsers have this button.

There. That should give you plenty of information to keep you browsing for hours. Don't forget the ever helpful 'help' menu item on the text menu bar.