by Richard O. Johnson TUGNET
From the October, 2005 issue of the I/O Port Newsletter
Internet Explorer, despite inroads made by Firefox and other browsers,
overwhelmingly remains users' browser of choice (perhaps because it comes
bundled with all new Windows computers). The following pointers are designed to
help you get the most out of your use of Internet Explorer. They're written with
IE6 in mind, although most will apply to earlier versions, and some may apply to
other browsers as well.
Use keyboard shortcuts
My regular readers will know that to increase efficiency I strongly encourage
the use of keyboard shortcuts in preference to the use of the mouse. Here are my
favorite IE keyboard shortcuts:
Use Alt-Home to bring up your home page.
Use Ctrl-H to open or close your history pane.
Use Ctrl-I to open or close the Favorites pane.
Use Ctrl-B to organize your Favorites
Use Ctrl-N to duplicate the active page in a new window.
Use Ctrl-F to find a word, partial word, or phrase on the current webpage.
Use Backspace (or Alt-Left) instead of the IE Back button, to navigate back.
Use Alt-Right to navigate forward.
Use F11 to toggle full-screen mode.
Use Alt-D to move to the address bar. (Or use Ctrl-O, and you won't need the
address bar! See "Other" Tip 3, below, for details.)
Once in the address bar, use Enter to bring up the specified webpage or
Ctrl-Enter to first surround what you've typed with "www." before and ".com"
after, and then bring it up.
Use F5 or Ctrl-F5 to refresh a page. It's a good idea when refreshing to
routinely hold down Ctrl (whether you're using the keyboard or the mouse), to
bypass the IE cache and give you a more effective refresh.
Optimize the toolbar
Unless you maintain only a dozen or so Favorites, you'll want to take full
advantage of the Links option for the IE toolbar, which you activate with the
right-click toolbar menu. Drag the Favorites you'll want to have most prominent
into the Links section of the toolbar. Using the right-click Properties menu of
each "Link," you'll probably want to assign it a unique icon and, to save space,
rename it to a shorter form.
Tip: You can save additional space by shortening the "Links" title on the
toolbar. Unfortunately, simply renaming the "Links" folder won't work. You'll
need to open the Registry Editor, by choosing Run from the Start menu and typing
regedit. After pressing Enter, drill down to HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software >
Microsoft > Internet Explorer > Toolbar. On the right-hand side you'll see
LinksFolderName="Links." Change the word within the quotation marks to a
one-character name you'd like to use instead, perhaps "." or "+," and close the
Editor. (Use extreme caution, as making a wrong entry in the Registry Editor can
have dire consequences!)
You should unclutter the toolbar by instructing it to "Remove" nearly all the
toolbar buttons. These not only occupy valuable space but can actually interfere
with efficient browsing (by discouraging use of the keyboard shortcuts described
above). You get to the Remove command via "Customize," on the right-click menu.
Of the built-in IE toolbar buttons, the only ones I recommend displaying are
those for Size and Back. All the other button functions can better be
facilitated via the keyboard or by other means. (For a complete list of IE
keyboard shortcuts, go to http://snipurl.com/bskn. The reason for keeping the
Back button is its associated pull-down menu.)
Keep IE secure
It goes without saying that you need to keep IE fully patched, perhaps with the
use of Windows Update or Microsoft Update. But what of the Internet Explorer
security settings (accessible via Tools > Internet Options > Security)?
In the "Internet Zone"--the default zone for a webpage--it's prudent to be more
rather than less restrictive. (Better safe than sorry!) The easiest way to go is
simply to move the "Default Level" slider to High. Or you could use the "Custom
Level" to make a determination for each setting. In that case you may want to
consult a guide such as the one at www.techspot.com/tweaks/ie6/ie-5.shtml.
Remember that if your security restriction interferes with the proper viewing of
a page, Windows will let you know--although most often you'll be able to view
the page just fine notwithstanding what Windows says. To remove the restriction
for a given page, you can add that page to your "Trusted" sites, against which
the restriction won't ordinarily apply. (You may have to refresh the page after
adding it.) To simplify moving webpages to your trusted list, a free program is
available at www.geeksuperhero.com/zones.shtml.
An alternative method does not require you to move all such sites to the Trusted
zone. For this you'll need the laudable Push the Freakin' Button software,
available at modest cost at www.tlhouse.co.uk/PTFB.shtml. With PTFB in place,
use IE's Custom Level to choose "Prompt" instead of "Disable" for every feature
except any that you're absolutely sure you'll never want to use. Then instruct
PTFB to push the "No" (disallow) button when the prompt appears. Should you
decide to permit the feature in question, you can with a double click disable
PTFB, and just as easily re-enable it when done.
To execute a link in a new window, hold down Shift.
Is IE acting strangely? You can often fix it by using the IE Repair utility
accessible via Add/Remove Programs (in the Windows Control Panel), upon
selecting "Microsoft Internet Explorer" and then "Add/Remove."
You can dispense with the address bar, by using Ctrl-O to open a webpage or
other location. You can then completely hide the address bar (using the IE
toolbar's right-click Customize function) or shrink it down to its title only
(having first "unlocked" the toolbar, also with the right-click menu). Losing
the address bar will eliminate the temptation to go there with the (less
efficient) mouse, and can free up space that may be better put to other use. On
the downside, you'll also lose the functionality of the Ctrl-Enter address bar
shortcut (see Keyboard Shortcuts, above).
You might be able to save considerable time if you bypass your home page
(start page) when you don't need to see it. Here's how: Enter "about:blank"
[without the quotes] in the IE address bar, to create a blank quasi-webpage.
Then use Right Click + F to turn that page into a Favorite, and drag the new
Favorite's icon into the Quick Launch section of your Windows task bar, before
deleting the Favorite. You may want to assign a different icon to your new IE
shortcut with the use of its right-click Properties menu. (You can use this same
technique to set up a "secondary home page" instead of a blank page.)
Add-ons
Useful IE add-ons, free except as noted, include:
Google Toolbar, at toolbar.google.com, which enables too many useful
features to even hint at here. Highly recommended.
Favorites Search, at www.dzsoft.com, which lets you speedily locate a
Favorite, no matter how many you've stored.
Y!Q DemoBar, at yq.search.yahoo.com/splash/demobar.html, which enables
context-based searching. This can easily be squeezed onto the same line as the
IE address bar.
ieSpell, at www.iespell.com, which will quickly spellcheck all the text
you've entered in any Web form.
AddaButton, at www.harmonyhollow.net/aab.shtml, which will let you fit more
buttons onto the IE toolbar. These buttons can open documents and applications
(not just websites) and don't require space-consuming displayed names.
Shareware, $11.95
Richard Johnson is a writer and editor, and founder/administrator of FREE FOR
ALL The Skills Pool, a 29-year-old membership organization
(http://theskillspool.org). He is a volunteer with TUGNET HelpContact for
assistance with Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and Gmail. He welcomes
feedback, at rj@theskillspool.org.
There is no restriction against any non-profit group using this article as long
as it is kept in context with proper credit given the author. The Editorial
Committee of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an
international organization of which this group is a member, brings this article
to you.
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