Getting back to basics: Stuff you wanted to know about Internet Explorer but were too shy to ask
Published: June 9, 2006
By Sandi Hardmeier
It wasn't all that long ago personal computers were a luxury and an exception in the family home. If there was a computer in the home it was the domain of the young.
Everybody is a 'newbie' at some stage or other. If we don't get out there and try new stuff, asking questions along the way, there is no way we will learn and grow.
So I got to thinking: what knowledge do we take for granted? When we turn on Internet Explorer for the first time, what do we need to know?
Internet Explorer versions
OK, this can be a little confusing. Click the Help menu, then select About. Note the version (build) number on the screen, and then go to Microsoft to determine which version of Internet Explorer is installed.
Determine what version of Internet Explorer you are running.
Changing a home page
When we purchase a new computer Internet Explorer's home page will be set to the seller's preference, most often their corporate Web site. Sometimes if you use, for example, an ISP set-up disk to create a dialup or broadband account, your home page may be changed at the same time. And sometimes your home page may be set by malware (malicious software).
To change your home page to your preferred site, click Tools, and then click Internet Options. The home page controls are on the General tab.
Internet Explorer 7 allows multiple home pages; earlier versions of Internet Explorer allow only one home page.
Clicking Use current will set your home page to the currently displayed site. Clicking Use default will set your home page to an MSN portal which differs depending on your computer's regional settings. Clicking Use blank will set your home page to about:blank (an empty page).
Tip: The home page capabilities of Internet Explorer 7 are far more powerful than they are in Internet Explorer versions 6 and earlier. For further information about what you can do with Internet Explorer 7, check out my Web page at http://www.ie-vista.com/tabs_groups.html.
Sometimes the Use current, Use default, and Use blank buttons are inactive, meaning we are unable to change our home page to a site of our choosing. This is caused by a registry restriction. Microsoft has released Knowledge Base article Q320159 that discusses this problem in detail and describes the necessary fix: Home page setting changes unexpectedly, or you cannot change your home page setting.
If your home page was changed by malware it is essential that you check your system carefully to make sure that the malware is not still on your computer. My article, Bug busting: Getting Rid of Spyware, describes the steps that should be taken to check a system for malware.
Working with Search
Internet Explorer versions 6 and earlier include a few different ways to search the Web: Search Assistant, Search Pane, Search Companion (Search Companion is Windows XP only), and search from the Address Bar.
Search Pane.
Search Assistant.
By clicking on the customize button in the Search Assistant or the Search Pane, we can swap between the two facilities and change the search provider. Search Pane is used solely to search Web pages for particular words. Search Assistant, on the other hand, is a more powerful search option. Not only can you search the Web, you can also search your computer's files or folders, or search for people using the Windows Address Book search options. By selecting Files or Folders, Computers, or People we access the Search Companion (Windows XP only).
Search Companion.
Search using the Address Bar
If we want to maximize the space available to a Web page we can search the Internet using the Internet Explorer Address Bar.
An Address Bar search is controlled on the Internet Explorer Advanced tab. The options available differ depending on what version of Internet Explorer is being used.
Address bar search options in Internet Explorer 6.
I strongly recommend NOT using the Just go to the most likely site option, which was removed from Internet Explorer 7. Search engines do get things wrong sometimes and you may end up at a malware or other unsavory site.
Address bar search options in Internet Explorer 7.
Internet Explorer 7 – the Search Bar
The Search Assistant and Search Pane have been removed from Internet Explorer 7, and replaced with a Search Bar. Up to 19 search providers are available at time of writing. Simply type the word(s) you want to search for in the Search Bar then click on the hourglass. A search can be re-run using different providers by clicking on the drop down arrow and selecting a different search provider.
The Internet Explorer 7 Search Bar is simple yet powerful.
AutoComplete
Internet Explorer will automatically record Web addresses, forms data, and passwords. The first time that we fill in a Web form we will be prompted to decide whether to allow Internet Explorer to record password and form data.
Whichever decision we make is easily reversible. In addition, as the Web address, password, or forms cache gets overly-large its size may impact performance. In extreme cases, any attempt to delete the cache will cause Internet Explorer to freeze.
To access the Internet Explorer AutoComplete options, click Tools, click Internet Options, and then click the Content tab. In Internet Explorer 6, click AutoComplete; in Internet Explorer 7, click Settings.
The AutoComplete Settings window in Internet Explorer 7.
Internet Explorer 6 is slightly different to the screen pictured above. AutoComplete data is deleted in the AutoComplete Settings screen.
Cookies
Cookies are little text files that are used by Web sites to store information such as username, site preferences, and date of last visit.
There are two types of cookies: first party cookies and third party cookies. There are also per session cookies. First party cookies are set by the Web site that you are visiting. Third party cookies are most often set by advertisers—providers of box or banner advertisements and pop-up windows. Per session cookies are most often used when logging into a Web site, and will be deleted automatically if we log out of a site. Per session cookies are often not deleted if you simply close a browser window.
Cookies are controlled by settings on the Privacy tab. My preferred setting is medium, which is the setting which allows most first party cookies, but blocks third party cookies.
Internet Explorer now allows for very fine cookie control.
History and Favorites
Internet Explorer History is a record of all Web sites that have been visited during a particular period of time. The default History setting is 20 days, which most people find sufficient. Generally there is no reason to change this setting for any other reason other than personal preference. Be warned though, if your History folder gets too large it may corrupt, so don't try to keep the maximum number of days in history (99 days).
To reduce or increase the number of days a site is kept in history
In Internet Explorer 6, click Tools, click Internet Options, and then under History, adjust the number of days.
In Internet Explorer 7, click Tools, click Internet Options, and then click the Settings button for Browsing History.
We can control how our browsing history is displayed in the History pane. To access the History pane in Internet Explorer 6, click the History button on the toolbar. In Internet Explorer 7, click on Tools, then Toolbars.
We can select view by date, view by site, view according to most visited sites, and viewed in order visited today. I personally find the view by date to be the most useful when searching an extended history. The ability to search in the History folder is simple yet powerful, but will only work if we type the search terms exactly as they appear on cached Web page, or in its URL or page title.
Sometimes people use their History folder as a type of pseudo-Favorites folder. This is not really a good idea. The History folder is dynamic and URLs may disappear if left unvisited for long enough (for example if you go away on holiday and do not turn on your computer for an extended period of time). The sites that you want to ensure are preserved should be saved as a Favorite (click the Favorites menu, and then select Add to Favorites).
An added benefit of saving URLs as Favorites is that you are able to export a backup of your Favorites for safe keeping, or to copy to another computer. It is not possible to export and import the History folder in this way.
To export your Favorites, click the File menu, and then select Import and Export to start the Import/Export wizard. Decide what you want to import or export, and have a floppy disk or USB key ready to copy the file to.
An in-depth discussion about the advanced features of Internet Explorer History and Favorites can be found in my article Data in depth: Get more from Internet Explorer's Favorites and History.
The last word
A comprehensive Help manual is included with Internet Explorer. Click the Help menu, and then select Contents and Index. It is well worth browsing in order to learn how to make the most of Internet Explorer. You can bet that if you have a "how do I do this?" question, the answer will be right there.
