Internet Explorer

Posts Tagged: Internet Explorer

Riding Shotgun with Rick — 17 Comments
11
Jan 09

Windows 7 – First Impressions

Windows 7 Desktop

I just finished installing the Windows 7 Beta version released by Microsoft on Friday. I installed it on my Toshiba Intel dual-core processor with 4 GB of RAM. It was running Windows Vista which took more than 4 minutes to fully boot (I consider the boot up process to be finished when the hard drive stops spinning and I don’t have to compete with a still booting computer to do what I want to do), and running any applications was like walking through molasses. I can say that my expectations were pretty low, but I am pleasantly surprised…so far.

It took exactly 21 minutes from when I inserted the install DVD until I reached a workable desktop. Very impressive! The setup was painless and required very little input. In fact, it was so easy, I think that the folks at Microsoft must have taken a page out of the Linux/Ubuntu installs. It was easily the fastest and easiest install of any version of Windows. I hope it doesn’t change much with the final version.
Bootup time is faster than Vista too. With my fresh install of Windows 7 and no security software, boot time was just under 2 minutes.
Overall, the new OS feels snappy and clean. I haven’t seen any User Account Control (UAC) pop-ups yet.
On my Toshiba laptop, like Linux, I didn’t have to install a single driver. Once the quick install finished, my wireless, Ethernet, sound, video, SD card, and web cam all worked perfectly.
Microsoft has revamped and simplified the wireless connectivity…again very Ubuntuish in my opinion.
This beta version of Windows 7 also includes the new Internet Explorer 8 which doesn’t feel much different than 8, but is supposed to be more compatible and flexible than 7. I will test it a little, but still prefer Firefox. I will probably install Google Chrome as well to see how it runs in Windows 7.
The revamped Start menu has a new feature that when you hover on a recently used program it will also present to you your most recently used documents for that program. Nice.
The taskbar has also been changed, but I need to work with it some more before deciding exactly how those features affect uability and productivity.
I plan on installing AVG or Avast antivirus and OpenOffice to test them and will report more about speed and usability.

I’m writing this article and took the two screenshots in Windows 7 using the Snipping Tool introduced with Vista. I did use picnik.com to edit the photos, however, since the updated Paint program, although it does have a new Crop and Resize feature, the resize feature doesn’t have much flexibility.

Stay tuned for more articles about Windows 7 leading up to its release later this year, or early next year. If there are questions YOU have about Windows 7, leave a comment below and I will test them out for you.

Windows 7 taskbar

Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 4 Comments
16
Dec 08

Switch TODAY!

Just say NO to IE On my way out the door today, I came across this article outlining one of the largest security breaches yet with Internet Explorer. I have been recommending for years that you switch to Mozilla Firefox. Today, I’m taking a harder line and recommending that you should never use Internet Explorer except in the extremely rare instance where a site truly requires Internet Explorer (IE) to run properly. For your safety and the safety of all of us connected to the Internet, please download and use either Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.

Internet Tips — No Comments
28
Oct 08

Backup Your Favorites (Bookmarks) – Video Tip

Many years ago, I shared with you how to back up your address book. We have talked about how to back up your favorites, but never written it down. This tip will walk you through saving your favorite places in case of a disaster. Even if you have thousands of favorites, they will easily fit on a floppy disk (if you still have one) or better still, a USB Flash drive.

Open Internet Explorer
Click File from the menus
Click Import/Export
Click Next
Click Export Favorites
Click Next twice
Click the Browse button and choose your flash drive or whatever drive you are saving the favorites to
Click Next
Click Finish

Mozilla Firefox 3.0

Start Firefox
Click Bookmarks –> Organize Bookmarks from the menus
Click Import and Backup
Click Export HTML
Choose where to save the bookmarks
Click Save

Mozilla Firefox 2.0

Start Firefox
Click Bookmarks –> Manage Bookmarks from the menus
Click File –> Export from the menus
Choose where to save the bookmarks
Click Save

AOL

Start AOL
Click the Favorites menu, and click Favorite Places
Click the Save/Replace button. The Save and Replace Your Favorite Places screen will appear
Click Save the Favorite Places for your current screen name
Click Ok. The Save As dialog box will appear
Choose where to save the favorite places
Click Save

If you need to restore your favorites for any of these browsers, follow all the same steps as above except use the Import function instead of Export. For a visual tour of this tip, watch the video below:

Internet Tips — 2 Comments
22
Oct 08

7 ways to become a more efficient web user – Video Tip

This is a reintroduction and retitling of a previous video/tip because of a copyright infringement complaint from Franklin Covey. Hopefully, the new title and verbiage will satisfy their legal staff.

All week long I help computer users of all ages and experience levels. Too often, I see that many computer users (beginners and experienced alike) do not utilize or know about some basic web browsing skills that will speed their work and give them less problems when using the Internet.

In this week’s tip, I will highlight the inefficient habits computer users use and replace them with tips that will make YOU a quicker and more profecient web user.

1. Using an old browser

No matter how old your computer is or what operating system you are using, DO NOT USE INTERNET EXPLORER 6 (IE 6). IE 6 is late 20th century technology and is not compatible with much of the web today and it also poses the greatest security risks.

Instead, use Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or if you must use Internet Explorer, use version 7.

2. Using a search engine instead of the address bar

If you know a web address you are trying to visit, do NOT use a search engine to type that address, type it directly into the address bar and press Enter on your keyboard.

3. Closing the web browser or clicking the Home icon before going to another web site.

When changing channels on a television, you don’t always go back to channel 1, then go to the channel you wanted do you? Likewise, with the web, you can simply click a bookmark or type web address in the address bar to move on to a new web site. You don’t need to close the window or click Home first.

4. Keeping the default browser home page

Your Internet provider often installs their web site as your “home page” (the first page you see when you launch your browser). However, if you never use that page, change it to something you will use.

5. Overuse of the back button

With older browsers (see Habit 1 above), we had little choice but to click on links, then the back button to reach our previous page. True, some people learned to use multiple browser windows, but even that is a dated technique now.

Modern browsers give us the efficiency and elegance of opening multiple pages in what are known as tabs. Tabbed browsing will drastically cut your use of the back button and change your web browsing life forever…for the better.

6. Wasting paper, time, and money by printing more information than necessary

The Internet definitely gave paper companies a new lease on life because we print more today than ever before. However, too often, Internet users want a certain amount of information from a web site and end up getting 6-8 or more extra pages of information they don’t need.

Instead, take advantage of this easy to follow tip that lets YOU select exactly what you want to print and print only that.

7. Search from a search engine site

Searching the Internet is by the greatest, in my opinion, function available for our computers. However, with modern browsers, again see Habit 1, there is no need to visit the search engine site to start your searches. Instead, use the built-in search bar in your browser. You can find it in the upper right corner of IE 7, Firefox, Safari, and Opera.

Watch the short video below to see all these tips in action and also use the links in this article for more details. Master all of these tips and you will be a web surfer with 7 highly effective habits!

Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 11 Comments
20
Oct 08

Firefox or Internet Explorer doesn’t display all pictures or backgrounds

For some reason, I have seen this issue about six times in the past few weeks with Windows XP computers. The browser (both Firefox and/or Internet Explorer) symptoms include:

Web sites don’t display all images
Text seems distorted
Backgrounds don’t display

The solution to your browser not displaying the images or backgrounds properly is removing the high contrast setting in the Control Panel. Here’s how:

Click Start
Click Settings –> Control Panel
Double-click the Accessibility options
Click the Display tab
Un-check the “use high contrast” box
Click Apply
Click OK

If your web site viewing is looking a little goofy, and pictures, menus and text aren’t displaying properly, give these steps a try!

Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
15
Sep 08

What kind of computer do 3 teenagers use?

An extremely slow and sick computer!

Today, again, I ran across a family who has multiple teenagers (3 in this case) who use a computer that has become polluted with spy and adware. I see this situation again and again, week after week. This computer was less than 2 months old!

Give the typical teenager a Windows based computer (doesn’t matter if it is XP or Vista) and within weeks (sometimes hours) the computer is almost useless. Parents always ask me the next logical question, “Why did it happen?”

The first problem is not enough or the right type of anti-virus and anti-spyware protection. For Windows users, I recommend using AVG Antivirus as the first line of defense. Windows Vista users also have the almost useless Windows Defender automatically installed, but also need to utilize the anti-spyware components in AVG and also either Super AntiSpyware and/or SpyBot Search and Destroy. These programs need to be updated weekly, at a minimum, and thorough scans be performed weekly as well. I have links to all these programs in the Links and Resources section listed at the top of this page.

The second problem is using the wrong browser. No teenager should be allowed to browse the web with Internet Explorer. Most of the junk that enters computers from the web comes in via the huge security holes found in Internet Explorer. Keeping up to date with Microsoft updates and patches helps, but most people simply don’t keep up with these updates leaving the computer like a wounded lamb. Instead, use a safer browser like Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or the new Google Chrome. These browsers prevent a large percentage of the junk programs that can easily penetrate Internet Explorer.

The third problem revolves around the general browsing habits of teenagers. Teens typically like to visit a combination of music download sites, wallpaper download sites, ring tone sites, social networking sites, games sites, and celebrity sites. Unfortunately, the Internet evil-doers know these patterns as well and will setup cheap knock-off sites that pretend to be legit, but throw adware and spyware as bonus add-ons to these unsuspecting computer users. Teens need to realize that their computer is not impenetrable and there are people on the web that are there to wreak havoc on their computers and wallets. Beware of deals that seem to good to be true…they are. Also, they should never give our their email address or IM (ask your kids what that is) info to any netizen asking for it. As with life, it pays to be vigilant and a little jaded when it comes to web sites and the people who run them.

My best advice to parents with teens in the household is to either invest in a Macintosh computer or install Linux on a computer that will be used strictly for the web and browsing. Linux and the Mac operating system are almost (not completely, but very close) immune from all these problems. These operating systems don’t give kids license to run rampant on the Internet, but certainly will cut down on the repair bills and down time that accompany Windows computers.

IF, parents and teens follow the steps outlined in this short article, any computer can be a safe computer. Prevention is the best medicine, but it is up to the computer user to administer and maintain the prevention.

Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 8 Comments
9
Sep 08

Google Chrome Overview – Video Tip

Last week, Google released their own web browser, Chrome, to compete with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. Many of you have asked my opinion and wondered what it all means. In a nutshell, I think that any competition is good competition. And with a name like Google behind the project, that adds even more fuel to the fire.

Google Chrome is fast, easy on the eyes, but offers few features that aren’t already available in Firefox, Opera, and other browsers. However, I think that more people are likely to use it because of the Google name, and they won’t be disappointed. Watch my video below for a quick introduction to Google Chrome and more commentary.

I would love to hear your comments about Google Chrome as well.

Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick / Windows Tips — 3 Comments
3
Sep 08

Internet Explorer 7 – Tabbed Browsing – Video Tip

I posted this article nearly 2 years ago, but with the release of Google’s Chrome browser yesterday, I thought it was appropriate to bring this important tip back to the forefront again. Also, read my tip on the new Firefox 3 browser released earlier this summer.

I have downloaded and tried out the new Google Chrome browser and look for a video and more comment about it coming up soon.

Windows XP users will all have to deal the upgrade to Internet Explorer 7. ..eventually. Microsoft released the upgrade three weeks ago and has started to roll it out as an automatic Windows Update. Since this is the first new release of Internet Explorer in more than five years, a lot has changed. Microsoft promises that it is safer, easier to use, and more flexible than ever. We will see about the first claim in weeks to come, but with a little help, it will be easier to use and more flexible. Overall, we still highly recommend using the Mozilla Firefox browser which also released a new version last month, but if you want to stick with Internet Explorer, moving to version 7 is worth the work.

One of the biggest additions to the new Internet Explorer is ‘tabbed browsing’. An unbelievable feature that you will wonder how you did without once you start using it. Tabbed browsing was first introduced by the lesser known Opera browser, and brought fully to life with Firefox. Tabbed browsing allows you to open multiple Internet windows without cluttering your taskbar and makes them easy to find with easy to read tabs in your window.

Explaining tabs is difficult, so instead, watch the short video tutorial (by clicking here) that I have put together for you explaining what tabs are and how to use them in Internet Explorer 7.