With "offline browsing," you can view your favorite Web pages without being connected to the Internet. This is handy if you don't always have access to the Web when you want to browse Web pages. You might be using your laptop computer at a location that does not provide any network or modem access. Or you might be at home and not want to tie up your only phone line.
Offline browsing allows you to mark which Web sites you want available offline, specify how much content you want available, such as the first page, or several pages deep, and choose how you want to keep that content updated on your computer.
You can update the content manually, using the Synchronize command on the Favorites menu, or have Internet Explorer check your favorite Web sites for new content, according to the schedule you specify. Then you can choose to either be notified that there is new content available or have the updated content automatically downloaded to your hard disk (for example, at night or when your computer is idle) so you can view the pages at your convenience.
You can create individual schedules for updating each offline item, or you can add them to existing schedules. You can use or create daily, weekly, or monthly schedules.
Another way of marking and viewing Web pages for offline viewing is "channels." Channels are Web sites that are automatically updated on your computer according to a schedule specified by the channel provider. Channels can be displayed in the browser like other Web pages, as a full-screen window, or on your desktop. Some channels are also designed to be used as a screen saver.
For information about how to set up favorites, offline items, and channels on your computer, see the following topics: