Silver Surfer Guide
Lesson 10: Surfing The Web
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Surfing the web is one of the joys of using a computer; it is amazing just how much information is out there and it is all available at the click of a button. However, before you can get to that information you need to know how to go about accessing it. This is where Internet Explorer comes in; Internet Explorer is your gateway to the world wide web.
Launching Internet Explorer 7.0
Internet Explorer can be launched from either the Start menu or, if you have it displayed on your task bar, the Quick Launch tool bar. So let's go and launch Internet Explorer.
a) Click the Start Button
b) From the Start Menu, Click Internet Explorer (You should find this option at the top of the left hand pane of the Start Menu.)
c) Internet Explorer should now open and you will see a window similar to the one in Fig: 1, below. You may not see the same home web page, so don't worry about that.
Fig: 1 Typical Web Page Layout
Let us now concentrate upon the Internet Explorer window itself and go through it step by step. The numbers displayed in Fig: 1, Above correspond to the descriptions below.
1: Address Bar
Right at the very top you will see the Address Bar. The address bar contains the basic address (better known as URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the website you wish to view. Without the web address you won't be able to access the web page. The web address in our screen shot above takes the form of 'http://www.bbc.co.uk'. The 'http://' part is always displayed in the address bar, all you have to do is type in the rest of the address; for example, say you wanted to visit Google's home page you would type: www.google.com into the address bar after the 'http://'. Once you have typed in a web address just press the Enter key on your keyboard and watch as the website you requested appears.
2: History
The details of every web site you visit is stored on your PC in the History folder. If you click the Down arrow (marked 2in Fig: 1) your web history will be displayed. Clicking on any web site in the history list will take you back to that web site.
3: Forward Button
Every web site consists of a number of pages. As you visit each page on that web site the forward button will become highlighted. If you don't visit any further pages past the home page the forward button remains greyed out. To move quickly forward from one page to the next, click the forward button.
4: Back Button
The Back button does the same as the forward button only in reverse. To see previous pages you have visited, press the Back button.
5: Refresh Button
Pressing the Refresh button updates the current web page that you are viewing. This button is also useful if you happen to get a 'web page not available' error. Rather than re-typing the web address (assuming you typed the correct address in the first place), Click the refresh button to get Internet Explorer to attempt to reconnect to that site/page again.
6: Stop Button
If you type a web address in the address bar and then realise that you have typed the wrong address, pressing the Stop button will prevent the web page from loading. You can then re-type the correct address in the address bar.
7: Search
To the Right of the address bar you will see the Search box. This box allows you to search the web for the topics you are looking for. By default Windows Live Search is your search engine. Don't worry if you prefer another search engine, you can always change this option later.
8: Close Button
The Close button shuts down Internet Explorer completely. You will find this same close button (displayed in the form of an X) on all application windows. Alternatively to close the application you can (assuming the toolbar is visible in Internet explorer, it is not by default) Click on File and then choose the Close or Exit option.
9: Favorites Center
Clicking the Favorites button displays a list of all web sites you have added to your favorites list (see also 10). Use the favorites option to store web sites you visit regularly.
10: Add To Favorites
Before you can use the Favorites option you need to add web sites to the favorites list. You do this by tying the web site address in the address bar and then pressing Enter to load the page. Once the page is open, Click the Add Favorites button.
Fig: 2 Add Favorites menu
When you click the Add favorite button a drop down menu appears, see Fig: 2. Now click the Add to Favorites option. A box will appear with the web page address details, see Fig: 3.
Fig: 3 Add a Favorite dialogue box
Check the details - you can rename the page if you want to make the name more memorable - and then Click the Add button. To check that the site has been added to your favorites list, Click the favorites button (see 9)
11: Page Tab
The Page Tab displays the name of the page you are currently viewing.
12: Tools Menu
Clicking the Tools menu option displays an extended context menu, giving you access to other Internet Explorer options: see Fig: 4.
Fig: 4 Internet Explorer Tool Menu
Right at the bottom of the list is an option marked 'Internet Options.' Clicking on this will open Internet Explorer's properties window where you can customise Internet Explorer.
As you can see from Fig: 4 you have a number of options open to you such as Clearing Browser History; Pop Up Blocker; Phishing Filter; Work Offline: Menu bar, and access to other Toolbars. You should note that you may not have all the options available on your own PC; for example, unless you have Microsoft Office OneNote installed this option will not appear on your menu.
13: Page Menu
The Page Menu displays another context menu, see Fig: 5, which allows you to, amongst other things, save to your hard drive the page you are currently viewing.
Fig: 5 Internet Explorer Page Menu
Again, as you can see from Fig: 5, you have quite a few options available to you. Probably the most useful will be Cut, Copy, Paste and Save As..
14: Print
The Print option send details of the current web site to your selected printer, enabling easy printing of the current page.
15: RSS Feed
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) enables you to have updated feeds delivered directly to your desktop; ideal for such things as News updates, Blog updates, etc.
16: Home Page
Clicking the Home Page Icon takes you directly to the page you have nominated as Home. Your Home page is displayed every time you open Internet Explorer. By default this is usually MSN.Com; however, you can nominate your own Home page simply by making changes in Internet Options available from the Tools menu (see 12, above)
17: Zoom
Zoom gives you control over how large or small everything looks on your screen. By default the zoom level is set to 100%. However, by clicking the Zoom down arrow, you can select an alternative Zoom level; anything from 50% to 400%
18: Scroll Bar
The Scroll bar enables you to quickly move up and down (or left to right, using the bottom scroll bar if available) the web page. Simply drag the scroll bar up or down depending upon where on the page you want to go.
19: Protected Mode (Windows Vista Only)
Clicking in this area will open the Internet Security settings window.
Fig: 6 Change Internet Explorer Security Settings
In most cases there is no reason to change any settings here as the default ones are usually suitable for general use.
If you look at the area marked '19' in Fig: 1 you will see an important piece of information. The words you need to see are 'Protected Mode ON' This option is usually turned on by default, but if it isn't then you can turn it on via the Internet security window by placing a tick in the box next to the 'enable protected mode (requires restarting Internet explorer) option.
Protected Mode really makes it difficult for malicious software to be installed on your PC, therefore, for your own protection, it is essential that this option is enabled.
20: Web Page
Your current web page is displayed in this area of the Internet Explorer window.
21: Quick Launch Button
While you can open Internet Explorer via the Start menu, a quicker option is to place a short cut in the Quick Launch toolbar at the bottom of your screen. This is easily accomplished by Clicking on the Start button then Left clicking the Internet Explorer option on the Start menu and, while holding the Left mouse button down, dragging the Internet Explorer option from the Start menu to the Quick Launch toolbar.
Once the Internet explorer option is over the Quick Launch toolbar simply release your finger from the Left mouse button and the Internet explorer shortcut will drop onto the Quick Launch toolbar.
Alternatively, you can always copy the short cut and then Paste it onto the Quick Launch toolbar.
Well that explains the main areas of the Internet Explorer window. Familiarise yourself with all the options and then explore your current home page or open web page to get the feel of things.
Once you are clear on what everything in the Internet Explorer window does, try typing an alternative web address into the Address bar and start to explore the World Wide Web.