No matter what web browser you use, you can create quick access to your favorite web sites by creating a desktop icon. Here's how:
That's it! Now you can double-click on the icon you just made to reach your the web sites you visit the most faster.
General shortcuts
table with 2 columns and 9 rows
Turn Full Screen Mode on or off
F11
Cycle through the Address Bar, Refresh button, Search Box, and
items on a web page
TAB
Find a word or phrase on a page
CTRL+F
Open the current webpage in a new window
CTRL+N
Print the page
CTRL+P
Select all items on the page
CTRL+A
Zoom in
CTRL+PLUS
Zoom out
CTRL+MINUS
Internet Explorer 7 finally became final last week and is starting to be deployed as a Windows Update. While I believe that IE 7 is a huge step in the right direction, the changes in the look and feel of the browser will throw many for a loop. Even after working with IE 7 for the past five or so months as it made its way through the beta stages of development, I don't think it holds a candle next to the Firefox browser . If you aren't afraid to learn the new nuances of IE 7 and don't want to change to Firefox, I say go for the upgrade. However, if you are perfectly comfortable where you are right now with Internet Explorer 6, then you might want to download and install this tool , made available through Microsoft, that prevents the automatic installation of the new Internet Explorer 7.
Specifically, I'm talking about the Internet. If you have been working along merrily on the Internet for weeks, months, or years and all of the sudden you aren't able to get email or connect to the Internet, DON'T PANIC. Instead, calmly turn off your computer, shut off your computer and if you have high speed Internet, shut off your high speed modem and router if you have one. Then slowly walk away from the computer and have a nice cool or warm beverage of your choice, take a nap and or a walk.
After about an hour or two, walk back to your computer, turn on the high speed modem and router (if you have one), wait a few moments, then turn on your computer. If the Internet is working, great. If it isn't working, then repeat the steps above and try again.
Firewalls became a hot topic in the latter part of this week at HMR (a web site visitor abbreviated our name that way and it works pretty well). I decided to bring up this tip and updated it for 2006.
As recently as 2003, I recommended against dial-up users using firewalls. My reasoning for this advice included the substantially decreased time most dial-up users spend online in one stretch, ISP's provide firewall services into and out of their modem banks, and most 'hacking' at the time centered around denial of service attacks and other activities that was meant for computers with 'fat pipe' connections (DSL, cable, etc).
Today, however, I believe that a firewall is becoming an essential piece of our security arsenal. Firewalls (either hardware based or software based) prevent unauthorized access to and from your computer. The most recent threat of unauthorized use is spyware and adware. Spyware and adware can bring a system to its knees if not properly and completely stopped. A firewall can help reduce the toll of spyware and adware.
At the very least, every computer user using Windows XP should perform the following few steps to enable the XP firewall. If you have updated to XP Service Pack 2, the firewall will be enabled by default. Here's how to enable the Windows fiewall:
Click My Computer from the Start menu (or your desktop)
Click My Network Places from the task pane on the left
Click View Network Connections again from the task pane on the left
When the windows opens, RIGHT click on your Internet connection
Click Properties
Click the Advanced tab
Check the box that says "Protect my computer and network by limiting…"
Click OK
If you want a more industrial strength firewall that you can tweak and configure, try one of these free or commercial firewalls:
For broadband users who use a router to share access with other computers, the router acts as a firewall as well. Adam made some accurate points this week about the usability of firewalls. Too many computer users, hope to 'set it and leave it', but most firewalls require careful initial setup and a good knowledge of how to interact with the messages that it will generate. Read through your manual or go to the manufacturer's web site to learn how to best utilize your router and software firewall's capabilities.
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We love the Mozilla Firefox web browser because of its safety, speed, and customizability. One of my favorite customizations is the ability to add sites to the built in search engine that let me quickly search web sites I visit most often…weather, recipes, downloads, movies, etc. Occasionally, it is nice to be able to remove one that I'm not using any further or maybe isn't working at all. Here's how to do that:
If you travel with a laptop computer and like to use wireless Internet at hotesl, coffee shops and libraries, it helps to know a simple troubleshooting technique or two for finicky wireless connections.
These three techniques will get you out of a jam more often than not and make you a happy wireless Internet traveler.
Since many of us are now using high speed connections to the Internet, we run into new problems. A customer of mine called me today and said she couldn't get email any more. When I asked if she was connected to the Internet, she thought she was. Knowing she had DSL, I asked how many lights were on the DSL modem (thingy from the phone company that connects the computer to the Internet with a cable running from phone line to it, and then another cable from it to the computer). She saw three lights on her particular modem, an Actiontec, which should have a minimum of four lights on it.
The solution: unplug the power from the modem for about fifteen or so seconds, plug it back in and wait for about a minute or so until the four (or five if wirelss is enabled) light up. We waited, she checked her email and presto, it worked.
For nearly ten years, I have preached the importance of keeping your anti-virus software up-to-date. Two of my clients today alone were not keeping their software updated and problems arose because of it. Every month more than 500 new viruses are released by hackers and their ilk. If your anti-virus software doesn't know about these new problems (via updates), it can't protect your computer from them.
If you have a high speed Internet connection, chances are very good that your software is staying updated by itself. However, you need to check it at least weekly to make sure the program is updating. When you open any anti-virus program (we recommend AVG and vigorously oppose the use of Norton), you will see a date next to a section marked "Virus definitions or database". This date should never be more than two week old. If it is, initiate an update immediately.