Just about everybody with a Windows computer has some version of Internet Explorer (IE) installed on their system. It’s the most popular browser on the Web today, with the latest release at version 6.0.
Even if you’re an old hand with IE, have a look at the tips below. You may find something old that you’ve overlooked, or something new that you didn’t know existed. Take a new look at your browser. All tips tested on my PC (a Windows 2000 system).
Note: Most of these tips cannot hurt your computer, but any tip involving the registry should be approached with great caution.
Tip #1 – Speeding up your browser
This one does involve the registry, so you may either want to avoid it or back up your registry before you begin (see this site for information on backing up your registry: http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/techinfo/tips/BackupTip01.asp). It works on Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, and 2000 (though I personally have only tested it on Windows 2000).
- 1. Start your registry editor (For Windows 95, 98, and ME: click your Start button, then click Run, and type REGEDIT in the box. For Windows NT/2000: click the Start button, click Run, then type REGEDT32 in the box).
2. Navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersion ExplorerRemoteComputerNameSpace
3. Highlight this value: {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}.
4. Once it’s highlighted, press your Delete key to delete it.You don’t have to reboot after making this adjustment. Just restart Internet Explorer. This tweak eliminates a few default delays and should speed up your browsing somewhat.
Tip #2 – Script Errors
Don’t you hate when you visit a page, and Internet Explorer tells you about every error on the page? While this information is much appreciated when debugging your own site, it’s merely annoying when you’re stuck on someone else’s site. After all, it’s not up to you to fix it, and responding to every script error can be a headache. Fortunately there’s an easy way to turn off these useless message.
- 1. Click Tools on your menu bar, and select Internet Options from the dropdown menu.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Under the Browsing section, you’ll see an option called “enable script debugging.” Uncheck this option and Internet Explorer won’t bother you with script errors again.
Just remember to check the box again if you are looking for errors on your own site! Remember, just because you don’t see the errors doesn’t mean everything is working.Tip #3 – Image Toolbar
This feature is new in Internet Explorer 6, and I have never liked it, although I’m sure someone out there has found it indispensable! The Image Toolbar is the small, 3-option floating bar that appears over certain large images when your mouse moves over them. Again, Microsoft does offer us a way to turn this off. The next time you see it, right click once on it, and select from the menu to disable it. Or, do the following:
- 1. Click Tools on the menu bar, and then select Internet Options from the dropdown menu.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Under the Multimedia section, you’ll see an entry for “Enable Image Toolbar.” Uncheck the box.
4. Restart IE, and you never have to see that pesky bar again.
Tip #4 – Locking your toolbars
Sometimes it’s convenient to drag your IE toolbars to different places, but more often I think this happens by accident. I know I’ve clicked and dragged when I just meant to click, and my toolbars have migrated to unexpected locations. If this sounds familiar, you can lock your toolbars in place to keep this from happening again. Begin by positioning the bars in the way you’d like them to remain. When everything looks perfect, right click on one of the bars, and click on Lock the Toolbars in the popup menu. Now it’s impossible to drag the bars around. You can always unlock them later if you decide you want to do some rearranging. Tip #5 – Use Windows Update
Have you ever noticed the Windows Update icon that pops up when you click the Start button? Go ahead and click on your Start button right now. See, the Windows Update option is there, up there at the top.
Windows Update is a helpful feature that will scan your computer for possible security holes. Considering the number of bugs found in IE on a routine basis, not to mention Windows and other Microsoft products, updating frequently is extremely important. Microsoft does offer patches quickly after new security problems are found, but it’s sometimes difficult to navigate through Microsoft’s site to find what you need. Windows Update is the solution. Click on Windows Update and you’ll arrive at Microsoft’s site, where they’ll scan your computer and provide you with a list of updates you should install.
Tip #6 – Free up some hard drive space
If you’ve upgraded to IE 6 and you like it, why not delete your backup files you’re your previous installation? You won’t be able to uninstall IE 6, but you will regain about 10 MB of hard disk space. Follow these steps:
- 1. Click the Start button; click Settings, then click Control Panel.
2. Click Add/Remove Programs.
3. Select to uninstall Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (follow along – this will not uninstall IE 6).
4. Under Windows 2000, you’ll have 3 options – Add a Component, Repair Internet Explorer, and Restore the Previous Windows Configuration. Select the Advanced button.
5. Choose the option called Delete the backup information for Internet Explorer.
Voil! It freed up 14 MB on my Windows 2000 system.Tip #7 – Command line switches for Internet Explorer
When you run IE from the command line (click Start, click Run, then type iexplore.exe), you can add additional commands that affect the way IE runs or appears.
Here are a few of your command line options. Just type them in the Run window after iexplore.exe. All work with Internet Explorer 6.
- -e Launches the browser in Explorer mode, with your system’s structure displayed in the left pane and the browser window in the right pane. This feature is especially helpful when you’re trying to locate local graphics, Web pages, etc. and view them in IE.
-new Opens up a new instance of Internet Explorer. You can also do this by clicking the IE shortcut again.
-k Kiosk mode – a great mode for demonstrating a site. It prevents users from clicking away to irrelevant sites. In this mode there are no toolbars, and only one screen. Set the site you plan to demo as the home page and start in kiosk mode. The only way users can navigate is by using links present on the screen (no typing in URLs). Use Alt-Tab if you need to switch to another program, and use Alt-F4 to close the window when you’re finished.
These command line switches have been around since IE 4 but they work just as well with IE 6, too.
I hope you’ve found something useful in these tips today to improve your experience with Internet 6.0. Happy browsing!
Jackie Rosenberger is an editor with murdok
