CHAPTER 3

Mastering the Internet

Now that you've spent some time on the basics, it's worth reading a little further to learn how to manage memory, protect your privacy, download files, and take advantage of exciting Internet technology.


Contents


Managing Your Cache

Internet Explorer automatically saves a copy of each Web page you view, placing a copy of the graphics, text, and multimedia elements in a cache on your computer. Represented by a folder named Temporary Internet Files, the cache is actually a part of your hard disk, so it's to your advantage to manage its size. Internet Explorer uses a cache so you can:

Tip   Automatically saving Web pages is different from downloading a document or program, though they also use space on your hard disk. For more information, see "Downloading Internet Files" later in this chapter.


To view previously viewed Web pages offline

When you ask to see a particular Web page, Internet Explorer first checks whether there's a copy of the page in the cache. If there is, Internet Explorer then checks to see how often you want to check for updated information. If it's time to check for new information, Internet Explorer checks the Web site. If nothing has changed since the last time you viewed the page, Internet Explorer displays the page from the cache. All this happens several times faster than downloading a new page from the Web.

Reducing the frequency of these checks causes Internet Explorer to display previously viewed pages faster, from the cache, but you risk missing recent updates. For more information, see "Refreshing a Page" in Chapter 2, "Exploring the Web with Internet Explorer."

You can enlarge the cache to save even more pages, or reduce it to free up space on your hard disk for other programs.

See Also   For more information about the cache, look up "cache, adjusting" in the Internet Explorer Help Index.


To change the cache settings


Protecting Your Privacy

Internet Explorer is one of the safest ways to browse the Web. With its built-in set of Internet security technologies, you can communicate privately, download software you can trust, and verify your identity to others on the Web. With secure communications guaranteed, you can send e-mail, buy consumer goods, reserve airplane tickets, or even conduct personal banking on the Internet.


Internet Explorer 3.0 also supports the following security technologies:

Another warning lets you know if you're about to send information across an unsecure Internet connection.

Internet Explorer is already set to high security levels, but you can change this by choosing how often you want to be warned about possible security breaches.


To change warning levels

See Also   For more information about security features, look up "privacy" in the Internet Explorer Help Index.


Downloading Internet Files

Sooner or later, you'll be tempted to take advantage of some of the hundreds of offers of free or nearly free software available on the Internet. Or you might come across a hyperlink to another file, such as a Microsoft Word document, that you can download instead of opening. When that time comes, you'll need to know how to handle the downloads.

If Internet Explorer fails to recognize a particular file type, or if the file is an actual program, you'll see a warning before the file is downloaded to your computer.


To download a file or program

Note   Computer viruses are fairly rare on the Internet, but they can damage your computer or files. If you are concerned about a particular download, you should click Save It To Disk and then run the file through a virus scanning program before opening it. If you don't already have one, virus scanning programs are available on the Internet.


Experiencing Multimedia with ActiveMovie

Internet Explorer offers you the opportunity to watch movies and listen to music with Microsoft ActiveMovie. ActiveMovie plays video and audio right in Internet Explorer, enabling you to view and hear the most popular content on the Web without having to download separate "helper" applications. You can view the most popular video file formats on the Web today (such as Video for Windows, MPEG, and QuickTime), and hear the most popular audio file formats, including WAV, MIDI, AU, and AIFF audio files.

ActiveMovie also provides support for progressive playback, simultaneously downloading and playing many video and audio files without waiting for the entire file to be downloaded.

It's all possible once you install ActiveMovie from the Internet Explorer Starter Kit compact disc.


Listening to audio

Web authors often use different kinds of sounds, such as sound effects and music, to add excitement and convey information that cannot be presented in any other way:

Note   You must have a sound card installed in order to hear sounds.


To check Internet Explorer sound settings


To play a background sound

See Also   For more information about playing sounds, look up "sounds" in the Internet Explorer Help index.


To play a WAV, MIDI, AU, or AIFF sound


1. Sound length
2. Elapsed time
3. Pause button
4. Stop button
5. Sliding play indicator

Playing videos

Web authors sometimes use video, and even film clips, to turn their sites into a movie theater. They can include video in several ways:

Unless you've changed the settings, Internet Explorer is already set up to play videos.


To check Internet Explorer video settings


To play a video


1. Video screen
2. Video length
3. Pause button
4. Stop button
5. Sliding play indicator
6. Elapsed time

In addition to support for popular multimedia audio and video files, Internet Explorer supports other multimedia capabilities, such as animation and 3-D virtual worlds through the use of ActiveX™ Controls, an innovative set of programs that add interest and interactivity to the Web. For more information, see Chapter 4, "Internet Extras," or the Internet Extras page on the Internet Explorer Starter Kit compact disc.


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