Internet Explorer Deciphered

Internet browsers allow the computer user to accomplish a range of tasks on the internet, from simple website browsing to downloading files; from listening to music to uploading videos.  As previously discussed in the blog entry Internet Browsers... What's the Diff? there are various internet browsers available to all users.  This entry will delve a little further into the basic functions of Internet Explorer, the browser that comes installed on every Windows computer.

To start up Internet Explorer, simply double-click the  icon found on your desktop. Once Internet Explorer (IE) has been launched, you can begin browsing the internet however you would like.  The first function that you need to know is how to enter the address of a website you would like to visit.  

To enter an address:

1)  Click on the IE address bar which will highlight the current website address
2) Type the address of the website that you wish to view (e.g. www.google.ca) and press Enter
This will then take you to the website you wish to view.  If you do not end up on the website you were trying to access, please make sure that you have spelled everything correctly and that all parts of the website address are included (i.e. www.google.ca, not just google).

Once you’ve located a website that you visit often, you can add the site to your Favorites so that you only need to click a link to retrieve it, as opposed to typing in the website address every time.  


To add to Favorites (or bookmark) a website:

1) Navigate to the desired website by entering the address into the address bar.
2) Once at the website you wish to bookmark, click Favorites - located in the top left-hand corner of your browser next to a star , and then click Add to Favorites
3) Once you’ve clicked Add to Favorites, a new box will pop up and you will be able to enter any information you want to add about the website, like the name and where you want the favorite stored.Once your information is entered, click Add.  Ta-da! The website has now been added to your Favorites, and can be accessed simply by clicking Favorites.



Adding and Deleting Toolbars

A Toolbar is a strip of icons that are located underneath the address bar in your web browser that, when clicked, allow you to access different functions or commands. Within Internet Explorer you have 4 additional options for toolbars.  You can access those options by right-clicking your mouse cursor when hovering next to the home  icon.

Menu Bar:  This brings your File, Edit, View, Favorites, Tools, and Help options into a tool bar underneath your address bar for easier access.  To add this toolbar, simply click it after right-clicking next to the home icon.  To remove it, follow the same process.



Favorites Bar:  This adds a toolbar that includes an icon for any website that you have added to your favorites, allowing more streamlined access to them. To add this toolbar, simply click it after right-clicking next to the home icon.  To remove it, follow the same process.

You can also add website icons to this toolbar by clicking and holding on the icon located to the left of the website address and dragging this icon onto the tool bar.To add this toolbar, simply click it after right-clicking next to the home icon.  To remove it, follow the same process.



Command Bar:  This adds icons for your command functions like Print, Home, Safety etc to a toolbar. To add this toolbar, simply click it after right-clicking next to the home icon.  To remove it, follow the same process.



Status Bar: Unlike the rest of the toolbars, the status bar appears at the bottom of the browser window and updates the user about what is being viewed in the window, and any background tasks that are being performed (i.e. downloads, printing, formatting etc). To add this toolbar, simply click it after right-clicking next to the home icon.  To remove it, follow the same process.

Toolbars that are created by websites or programs can also be added to your web browser (e.g. AVG Anti-virus Software Toolbar, Google Toolbar, Yahoo! Toolbar etc).  Always read the information when downloading a program or software, because often a toolbar is included in that download.  This toolbar will be installed in your web browser unless you specifically un-click that option.



Setting Your Homepage
The first page that your internet browser brings up when you start it is called your Homepage.  Usually you want your homepage to be the website that you visit most, that way you don’t have to waste time navigating to it.

Setting your homepage is easy!  Navigate to the website you wish to set as your homepage.  Find your homepage icon  in the top right-hand corner of your browser and right-click on it with your mouse.  


Once you’ve right-clicked, click Add or Change Home Page. This will bring up a small window asking you if you would like to use that page as your home page.  Click Use this page as your only homepage if you would like to use that page as your only homepage.  You can also select that page as one of many tabbed homepages.  To do this, choose the option Add this webpage to your home page tabs.

Clearing Your History

Another important function you should know about your web browser is how to clear your information from it.  When browsing web sites, your computer automatically saves information about each visit.  It is important to know how to clear this information so that anyone who uses your computer, lawfully or otherwise (i.e. friends, family or hackers), cannot access your important information.  To delete your browsing history, click the Tools  Safety; and then finally click Delete browsing history.

Once you’ve clicked delete browsing history, another window will pop up asking you which information you want to delete.  To be safe, always delete all of your history.  To do so, make sure all of the boxes have a check mark, and then press Delete.  


Those are the most basic, but important functions Internet Explorer can perform for you.  


Need to know how to complete a function, but it's not listed here?  Leave a comment and one of our knowledgeable computer staff will get back to you!