2,001 Tips
The Web
Browsers

Internet Explorer 3.0

Run, Don't Walk

Gain instant access to your favorite Web sites through the Run program on your Start menu. Type the URL into the dialog box, then press Enter. Win95 will launch Internet Explorer (IE) and go straight to the site.

Give Your Hands a Hand

When you type a URL in IE, just start it with www. Your browser will automatically fill in http://. This also works in Navigator.

The Key to Faster Cruising

Use the keyboard rather than your mouse to cruise the Web more quickly. Press the Tab key to move from link to link, even within image maps, and press Enter to click on a link. Press Ctrl+D to add the current page to Bookmarks or Favorites.

Editing HTML in Context

If you edit HTML files regularly, add an Edit function to the context menu of Web documents. From the Windows Explorer, select View/Options and click on the File Types tab. Select Internet Document, then click on Edit. Click on the New button, type Edit in the Action box, click on the Browse button and select your favorite HTML authoring tool.

Faster Web Shortcuts

IE offers a fast way to create a shortcut to the current page: Just right-click on the page and select Create Shortcut.

Make Internet Shortcuts

Create shortcuts by dragging and dropping Web links directly to your desktop. Those links become shortcuts that can be e-mailed and shared over a network. To create a new shortcut, open Notepad and type [InternetShortcut] on the first line, then URL= followed by the address of your choice on the second line. Save the file with a .URL extension.

Shifty Maneuver

To open your Favorites list as a normal Win95 folder, hold down the Shift key while selecting Favorites/Organize Favorites.

Shortcuts for All Browsers

If you have IE installed, when you drag a URL to your desktop as a shortcut, double-clicking on it will launch your default browser-which may or may not be IE-to go to the site.

Print to HTML Pages

Microsoft offers a Win95 printer driver that outputs not to a printer but to an HTML file. The driver works with most applications and supports basic tables and other formatting options. Download HTML Driver 1.0 from the WINDOWS Magazine Web site at http://www.winmag.com/win95/software.htm.

The Shell Game, Part 1

Get a taste of the forthcoming IE 4.0's integration into the Windows shell. Type a local path into IE 3.0's Address box. Your files and folders will pop up in the browser window as if it were Windows Explorer. You can also add local folders from your system or LAN to your Favorites folder.

The Shell Game, Part 2

Launch OLE 2.0-compliant applications within IE 3.0 by dragging and dropping them onto the title bar. You can launch multiple applications and cruise the Internet in one window by using the Forward and Back buttons.

Quick-Launch Web Browsing

Here's how to turn the Run Command dialog into a neat Web launching pad. Create a batch file called GO.BAT with the text: start http://www.%1.com. Place it in your Windows folder. Now, whenever you want to go to a Web site, simply bring up the Run command dialog and type GO followed by the Web address, and press the Enter key. For example, GO WINMAG.COM would bring you to http://www.winmag.com.

Take Favorites on the Road

Want to take your favorites with you by using Briefcase? Select Favorites/Organize Favorites, right-click on the white space, and select New/Briefcase from the context menu. The folder will appear on your Favorites menu, but from a Win95 folder or Explorer it works like an ordinary Briefcase.

Cascading Favorites

Is your list of favorites too long to fit on your screen? Categorize them into cascading menus. Select Favorites/Organize Favorites and click on the folder icon. Name the folder, then drag and drop the appropriate shortcuts into the submenu.

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