The Toolbar
As with any Windows application, getting familiar with its Toolbar allows you to utilize the program much more efficiently. The following is a brief overview of the Toolbar components and how to use them-

These buttons allow you to move back and forth between pages you've already visited. They become available after you've visited at least one web site. Just as the name implies, this button stops the current browser operation, such as a file download. Useful for interrupting unwanted transmissions. If ever a web site does not fully load, or appears to load slowly, clicking this button might help. In addition, refreshing a web page usually updates it with the latest version of the page. The Home button whisks you back to your Start Page wherever you are at on the Web. This feature is best utilized when your Start page is a Search Engine or Directory. Clicking this button takes you to the Microsoft All-in-One search page. From here you can use a variety of directories to look up web sites by entering specific Keywords. Bookmarking web sites greatly reduces time searching the Web. This allows you to visit your favorite sites without having to remember the entire URL. See below for more details. Pretty obvious. Allows you to print anything on screen. The only requirement is that you have a printer hooked up to your system. Clicking this button allows you to change the size of any fonts on screen. The size will cycle until you find the one most comfortable to you. Opens up your default mail program. The program used can be specified under Options. This button also gives you access to your Internet News program.

How do I change my default start page?
At the top of IE ( Internet Explorer ), click on View and go to Options. In the Options window, click on the Navigation tab and look for the third line from the top. You must enter a complete and exact URL in the space provided. An example would be http://www.microsoft.com. Now every time you start your browser, it will begin with this page. In addition, whenever you would like to go back to this page, simply click on the Home icon in the toolbar. Every Unlimited Access Analog and ISDN account comes with 2MB of free web space for your personal home page.

How do I find a specific web site?

In the Address bar, you must type in a specific web site address. Generally, the address is not case sensitive and you do not have to type in http:// ( It gets entered automatically ). An example would be www.disney.com. You can visit specific pages on any web site if you know the exact address and the appropriate extension. For example, if you wanted to get to this page directly, you can type www.95net.com/iexplorer.htm. A misspelled address would result in a File Not Found error.

What if I don't know the web site address?
To find a web site without knowing the address, you can use a Search Engine or Directory much like you would use the Yellow Pages. To access different search engines, click on the Search icon in the toolbar. From here you may select the engine or directory of your choice and enter the appropriate Keywords. The more keywords you type, the more specific the search. In addition, many engines and directories allow you to use "and", "or" comments to help narrow or expand searches. Often times, by typing in keywords in quotes, only sites with all those words will be returned reducing the number of web pages that are listed. We recommend Yahoo! for beginners as it is very easy to use and usually gives good returns on queries.

Do I have to type in a web site address every time I want to access it?
No. You can save a lot of time by simply saving a web site address in your Favorites list. To add a site to the list, simply visit the site and then click on Favorites in the toolbar. You will be given the option to Add to the list or to Create in a specific folder. Most web sites have their own title, but you can change the name before adding it to your list. After you add the site to the list, you can go back to it simply by clicking on your Favorites icon and selecting the name. You may later opt to organize your Favorites into different folders such as Sports, Entertainment, and Search Engines.

How do I access sites I visited recently but didn't bookmark?
You can either use the Back and Forward buttons in your toolbar to go to previously visited sites or you can use the History menu of the Address bar. Do this by clicking on the arrow located at the far right side of the Address bar. The most recent web sites visited will be listed and you can click on any of them to go back to it.

How do I "Hyperlink" to another web page?
You only need to click once on a hyperlink to get to another page. Hyperlinks are generally a different color from normal text and are usually underlined.

I have a slow modem and would like to speed up my browsing. Is this possible?
Yes it is. If you have a slow modem, you can avoid the delays of image downloads by turning off the pictures. Click on View and go to the Options. In the General tab at the top, uncheck Show Pictures. This can greatly reduce the time it takes to download web pages. If you want to look at a picture in this mode, simply right-click on it, and the image will appear.

Is it possible to view the HTML source of a web page?
Yes it is. Click on View at the top and click on Source. The HTML source code will be displayed in Notepad. In this manner, you can edit your own web pages, or just see how other people have used HTML to make web pages. It is not possible to change a web page in this manner. Only those who have FTP access to the site can actually change it.