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One of the hottest areas of the Internet is the World Wide Web. To see the pages of the Web, you need a viewing tool called a web browser. MindSpring provides a licensed version of Microsoft Internet Explorer for browsing the sites on the World Wide Web.
Use the following information only as a brief description of the many options, preferences, and capabilities of the Microsoft Internet Explorer.
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To launch Microsoft Internet ExplorerMicrosoft Internet Explorer, click the Microsoft Internet Explorer icon on the PipeLine+ Access Panel. You will enter the World Wide Web at the MindSpring web page, as shown in Figure 14. |
Figure 15: MindSpring web page
From the MindSpring web page, choose any of the following suggestions to get started:
The following list explains the toolbar buttons that perform some of the most common tasks in the Microsoft Internet Explorer software.
Back - Displays the previous page in the history list. A history list references a hierarchy of pages you've already viewed.
Forward - Displays the next page in the history list. Forward is available only after you use Back or a history item.
Stop - Halts any ongoing transfer of page information.
Refresh - Redisplays the current web page, reflecting any changes made prior to the original loading, if any change to the page has occurred.
Home - Displays the start page designated in the View | Options | Navigation panel. The default is the MindSpring home page location.
Search - Loads a Microsoft Web page which displays multiple search engines. This button can be changed to display any search page.
Favorites - Adds the title of the current Microsoft Internet Explorer page to the list of pages in the Favorites file. Favorites, also called bookmarks, are stored as a list and represented by a file on your hard disk. The Favorites list can be viewed in the Favorites window.
Print - Prints the content area of the current web page you are viewing. A dialog box lets you select printing characteristics.
Font - Changes the font size on the web pages in the Internet Explorer window. Clicking this button cycles through larger or smaller font sizes.
The following list briefly describes each of the Microsoft Internet Explorer menu options. This list is provided only as quick reference information. For complete instructions on learning and using Microsoft Internet Explorer, refer to the online Microsoft Internet Explorer Help File.
The File Menu
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New Window - Creates a new window with the same history
items as the previous window while bringing the current
page to screen. Open - Produces a dialog box that lets you enter the Internet address of a document or folder into the content area. Save - Lets you save selected text. Save As - Lets you to save the current page to a file on your computer. This function saves only the text, not the graphics. Send To - Lets you send the currently displayed URL to a disc, or to attach to an e-mail message, or to your "Briefcase" file. Page Setup - Lets you specify printing characteristics associated with the current page. Print - Prints the content area of the current Microsoft Internet Explorer page. Create Shortcut - Creates a shortcut to the current page and saves it to the Windows 95 desktop. Properties - Displays the properties of the current page such as URL, size, dates created, and security information. Close - Closes this copy of Microsoft Internet Explorer. |
The Edit Menu
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Cut
- Removes the current selection and places a copy on
the clipboard. Copy - Places a copy of the current selection on the clipboard. Paste - Puts the contents of the clipboard into the current page if possible, at the position of the selection marker. Select All - Selects the entire document. Find (on this page)... - Lets you specify a word or phrase to locate within the current Microsoft Internet Explorer page. Press the Find button to begin the search. If a match is found, the text is selected and scrolled to a visible position in the content area. |
The View Menu
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Toolbar - Toggles the visibility of the toolbar
buttons. If checked, the toolbar buttons and
Address/Links are visible. Status Bar - Toggles the visibility of the Status Bar at the bottom of the page. If checked, the Status bar is visible. Fonts - Lets you select font sizes displayed. Check to display five font sizes ranging from smallest to largest. Stop - Stops the connection in progress that is loading a page to the screen. Refresh - Brings a fresh copy of the current Microsoft Internet Explorer page from the Internet to replace the one originally loaded. The refreshed page displays changes made to the source page from the time of the original loading. Source - Opens Windows 95 Notepad containing the current page in the HTML (HyperText Markup Language) format rather than the standard format. The HTML format represents the source document used to create the content and content style of a page. Options... - Produces a multi-tabbed dialog box letting you configure Microsoft Internet Explorer's general appearance, network connections, start page, programs, security, and advanced options. |
The Go Menu
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Back
- Displays the previous page viewed. Forward - Displays the next page. The Forward command is only offered after using Back command. Start Page - Displays the home page whose location is specified in the View | Options | Navigation panel. MindSpring's web page, http://www.mindspring.com/, is the default. Search the Web - Loads a Microsoft Web page which displays multiple search engines. This button can be changed to display any search page. Today's Links - Loads Microsoft's daily page of new or interesting links. |
| The Favorites Menu | |
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Add To Favorites - Adds the title of the
current Microsoft Internet Explorer page to the list of
pages in the Favorites file. Favorites are stored as a
list and represented by a bookmark file on your hard
disk. The Favorites list can be viewed in the Favorites
window. Organize Favorites - Lets you move, rename delete, or open Favorite URLs. |
| The Help Menu | |
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Help Topics - Microsoft Internet Explorer Online
Help contains a Contents Menu, an Index and the ability
to search Help files for specific words. Web Tutorial - A Microsoft Internet tutorial covering the basics through advanced topics. Microsoft on the Web - Menu options for loading Microsoft web pages including Microsoft Product News, Online Support, Services, FAQs and Free Stuff. About Internet Explorer - Version, copyright, and license information about the Microsoft Internet Explorer software. |
By clicking the right mouse button on a window, a pop-up menu appears with items that are shortcuts for several commands.
The items shown in the pop-up
menu depend on the type of contents your mouse is pointing to on
the window. For example, when pressing the mouse button over a
link, menu items refer to the page specified by the link; over an
image, menu items refer to the image file specified by the image.
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Open
- Displays the specified page in the current window. Open In New Window - Displays the specified page into a newly opened window instead of the current window. Save Target As... - Downloads and saves a copy of the specified page to a location of your choice without opening it. Save Picture As... - Downloads and saves the specified picture to a location of your choice. Set As Wallpaper - Saves the specified image as Windows Desktop wallpaper Copy - Copies the selection to the clipboard. Copy Shortcut - Saves a copy of the location of the specified page to the desktop or to a folder. Add to Favorites... - Saves the specified page to the Favorites list. Properties... - Saves the specified image to disk (instead of displaying on screen). Save Background As - Downloads and saves the specified Background image to a location of your choice. Copy Background - Copies the specified background image to the clipboard. Select All - Selects the entire document. Create Shortcut - Creates shortcut to the location of the specified page in a location of your choice, usually either on the desktop or in a folder. View Source - Opens Windows 95 Notepad containing the current page in the HTML (HyperText Markup Language) format rather than the standard format. The HTML format represents the source document used to create the content and content style of a page. Refresh - Brings a fresh copy of the current Microsoft Internet ExplorerMicrosoft Internet Explorer page from the Internet to replace the one originally loaded. The refreshed page displays changes made to the source page from the time of the original loading. |
Can I convert my Netscape bookmarks for use with Microsoft Internet Explorer?
Yes, in Microsoft Internet Explorer, you store and return to your favorite pages by using the Favorites menu instead of bookmarks. If you already have Netscape bookmarks defined, you can add them to your Favorites menu in Microsoft Internet Explorer.
How do I add my Netscape bookmarks to my Favorites menu?
Follow these steps to add your Netscape bookmarks to your Internet Explorer Favorites menu:
| Step | Action |
| 1 | In Microsoft Internet ExplorerMicrosoft Internet Explorer, click the File menu, click Open, and then click Open File. |
| 2 | In the folder that contains your Netscape files (usually C:\Netscape), double-click the Bookmark.htm file. Microsoft Internet ExplorerMicrosoft Internet Explorer opens the file. |
| 3 | On the Favorites menu, click Open Favorites. |
| 4 | Resize the Microsoft Internet ExplorerMicrosoft Internet Explorer window until it fits side by side on your screen with the Favorites window. |
| 5 | Drag the bookmarks you want from the Microsoft Internet ExplorerMicrosoft Internet Explorer window to the Favorites window. |
What is a URL?
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is an Internet "address". Each Web page has a unique URL. Because URLs can often be long and difficult to remember or to type, the Copy, Paste, and Save As commands are commonly used when dealing with URLs.
What do the Back, Forward and Home buttons do?
Each time you start a Web session, Microsoft Internet Explorer keeps track of where you've been. Clicking Back and Forward moves you through the list of places you've been, one at a time. Home returns to the MindSpring home page. Note that once you've clicked a link, it changes from blue to purple to help you keep track of where you've been. You can change the colors of links in the View | Options section.
Sometimes I click on a link and nothing happens . . . for a long time.
There are many reasons why this might happen. The site you are trying to visit could be really busy or undergoing updating or repairs. Occasionally, the Web seems to get hung up. The best thing to do is to press Stop, then press the Reload button and see if you can connect. If not, consider it a "no answer" and try again later.
Can I get Microsoft Internet Explorer to remember a place I like so I can visit it again later?
When you're viewing a site that you want to remember, click Favorites - Add to Favorites. The location (URL) will automatically be stored in your Favorites list. The next time you want to visit that site, click Favorites and then click the address you stored.
I found a URL in a magazine that I want to visit but I have no link to click on.
Click File | Open, type in the URL, and click OK. An easier way is to type the URL in the location box on the menu bar and press Enter on your keyboard.
How can I find available information about any given subject on the Internet?
One option is to click the Search button to go to a page where you can search by word or phrase (a search engine). There are many different search tools using different search methods. Therefore, different searches may return different results.
MindSpring offers a link to many search engines from the MindSpring home page at http://www.mindspring.com/ .
See additional Microsoft FAQs by clicking Help | Microsoft on the Web | Frequently Asked Questions.
Help is available while you are learning how to use Microsoft Internet Explorer. Click the Help button to find topics of inquiry while you are using the Microsoft Internet Explorer program.
