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This tutorial will provide you with an introduction to the most
useful features of a software program called Microsoft Internet Explorer
(IE). IE is a Web browser that enables you to interact with the Internet
(often referred to as the Net). The Internet enables you to gain access
to information in order to learn, work, shop, develop online communities
and interact with people all over the world. You can conduct
genealogical research, check for the latest weather or stock
information, listen to CD's, download new software, pay bills or last
week's parking ticket, take a university degree, read newspapers and
magazines, send email, buy a car, book your next vacation or use an
Internet phone to talk to relatives and friends, in far away places, at
reduced rate. The possibilities are endless!
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There is a lot of terminology or jargon connected with the Internet.
The following is a short description of network related terms that will
help you understand the structure of the Net:
- A Local Area Network (LAN) is formed when two or
more computers in the same location are joined together. A Wide
Area Network (WAN) is formed when two or more computers
in different locations are joined. The Internet is an
interconnection of networks and devices located throughout the
world.
- Computers that provide you with a connection to the Internet are
called "servers". These machines use a communications
protocol called Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
(TCP/IP) as a standard way of transmitting data.
- The Internet is platform independent. This means that it
doesn't matter which operating system the server is using (e.g.
Unix, Windows NT) because all servers share the common language of
the Internet. Data may be transmitted via modem, cable or satellite
with each of the servers working in collaboration with one another.
The data seldom takes the same path to get from point A to point B;
given the immensity of information transferred, the process is
relatively error free. The Internet transfers data at the speed of
light by way of its fiber optic "backbone". Hawaii is a mere blink
away!
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Each page of a site on the Net has its own Uniform Resource
Locator (URL). The URL is somewhat like an address. If you
know the URL/address of the site you want to visit, you simply
type it into the Address Bar at the top of the browser screen:
You'll note that some of the addresses can be quite long so it is a
good idea to make use of your browser's bookmarking capabilities
(Internet Explorer calls this feature 'Favorites') so that
you can navigate to the site much more quickly in the future.
If you don't know the URL/address of the site you want to visit, you
must make use of a search engine like Google (http://www.google.com)
to find the site. To find out more about search engines, see the
'Introduction to Internet Search Engines page
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In order to access information on the Net, a particular protocol must
be activated. The necessary protocol is reflected in the URL, which has
the following four components:
protocol://server[:port]resource
1 2 3 4
- Protocol
The protocol is basically defines an action. There are a variety
of protocols that are in use on the Net but HTTP is definitely the
one that you'll experience most often. Here are a few of the other
protocols that you'll likely run across:
| http |
Hypertext Transfer Protocol |
telnet |
Terminal Link Protocol |
| ftp |
File Transfer Protocol |
mailto |
Email Protocol |
When you 'surf the Net' you're using HTTP.
- Server
This is the Domain Name for the server where the information is
being stored. So, for instance, the domain name that provides access
to Sinck.com is as follows: www.sinck.com
- Port
The port further defines the server and is optional. You won't
see it used very often.
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Creating Favorites (Bookmarks)
Creating a bookmark for your favorite sight, by adding the
URL/address to Internet Explorer's 'Favorites' list will save you
lots of time and energy, particularly if you store them in an order
fashion. It is best to create folders for various topics and then store
each page in the appropriate folder.
To create a folder and store a page
- Click on Favorites/Add to Favorites. You'll see the
following screen:
- Click on New Folder and enter the appropriate folder name
in the input box as indicated below:
- Click OK
Accessing Saved Favorites
To make use of your bookmarks in your Favorites folders,
complete the following steps:
- Click on the Favorites icon at the top of the screen
- Move your mouse down to the appropriate folder name and click on
the site name.
Organizing and Managing Your Bookmarks
You may want to delete or rename bookmarks or move or remove folders.
- Click on Favorites/Organize Favorites. You'll see the following
screen:
- Follow the instructions on the screen and click Close
when you've completed the task.
Backup Your Favorites List
Why?
- IT does not back up local non-roaming profiles
How?
- In Internet Explorer, open the File Menu and click
Import/Export...
- Click Import and Export..., the Import/Export Wizard
dialog box appears.
- Click the Next button. Select Export Favorites,
click the Next button.
- Select the folder you want to export, click the Next
button.
- Select destination drive/folder, click the Next button.
- Click the Finish button.
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What is a History List?
The History list lets you explore the pages that you've
accessed most recently.
Sort or Search the History Bar
- On the Internet Explorer (IE) toolbar, click the
History button. This button may look different depending on
which version of IE you are using.
(History icon in IE 6.0)
- Click the arrow next to the View button at the top of the
History bar (IE 5.5 shown below)
- Select a view option.
- Click a Web site folder to display individual pages
- Click the page icon to display the Web page
Hide the History bar
- Click the History button. (This is a toggle on/off type
of button)
Return to the last page you viewed
- Click the Back button. (IE 5.5)
View one of the last pages you visited in this session
- Click the arrow to the side of the Back or Forward
button
- Click the page you want from the list
Empty the History folder
- Click Internet Options on the Tools menu
- Click the General tab
- Under History click the Clear History button.
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The Standard Toolbar
You can add and remove buttons to your toolbar to customize it
according to your preferences.
Add a toolbar button
- In the View menu, click Toolbars
- In the Toolbars sub menu, click Customize
- In left pane, click a button to be added to toolbar
- Click the Add button to add it to Current toolbar buttons
(in right pane)
- Click Move Up or Move Down button to place button
in preferred location on toolbar
- Click Close button
Remove a toolbar button
- In View menu, click Toolbars
- In Toolbars sub menu, click Customize
- In right pane (Current toolbar buttons), click button to be
removed
- Click Remove button
- Click Close button
Links Bar
Display the Links Bar
- In View menu, click Toolbars, then select Links
Add a Shortcut to the Links Bar
- Point to the Web page's icon in the Address bar & drag it
to the Links bar
- Links from the Favorites bar or the Desktop can
also be dragged to the Links bar
Remove a Shortcut
- Right-click a Shortcut & click the Delete button
Rearrange Shortcuts on the Links Bar
- Drag a Shortcut to a preferred spot on the Links bar
Customize Buttons on the Links Bar
- Right-click the Shortcut
- Click Properties, then click the Change Icon
button
- Select a different icon, then click OK
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At times, you'll find that a page may not load correctly. In that
case, you can stop the loading process.
A Web page isn't working or is taking too long to open
- Click the Stop button in the Internet (Standard buttons)
toolbar. The stop button may look
different depending on which version of IE you are using.
(Stop button in IE 6.0)
A Web page cannot display or you want the latest version of the
page
If you want to ensure that you are seeing the latest version of a Web
page (rather than one that is stored in your history cache) you can
instruct the browser to access and display the current page by
refreshing your screen.
- Click the Refresh button in the Internet (Standard
buttons) toolbar (IE 5.5)
(Refresh button in IE 6.0)
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Mail a Web page or Web link (Address)
- From the File menu, click Send
- From the Send sub menu, click either
Page by E-mail or
Link by E-mail
- A new E-mail form appears
- Complete the details& click Send
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Copy Text or Image
- Drag to select text or image, or Ctrl + A to
select entire Web page contents
- Press Ctrl + C simultaneously, or click the
Copy button
Paste Copied Text or Image
- Go to application where information is to be pasted
- Press Ctrl + V simultaneously, or click the
Paste button
Please Note: If your file name ends with the extension of
.PDF you may not be able to copy the text.
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Save an image to a file
- Right-click the image
- Click Save Picture As...
- In Save As dialog box, navigate to desired storage
location and click Save button
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Copyright is Important!
Before you download, save or use information from the Net, it is
important to know a few things:
Images Are Likely Copyrighted - You'll Require Permission to Use
Them!
It is wise to assume that most things on the Net are copyrighted.
That includes hand drawings, logos, photos, and animations to name a
few. Don't be fooled by sites that lead you to believe that you can
use all their images for 'free'. In many instances, the images have
been 'lifted' illegally from other sites. They may include a
traceable electronic watermark. Legitimate 'free' sites will have a
copyright notice that clearly outlines acceptable use of their
product. For example, many graphics artists will let you download
and use specific images for non-commercial or educational purpose.
In some cases, educational institutes are deemed commercial entities
so payment is required. You will also find sites that allow you to
use their graphics, text, video or audio files as long as you adhere
to their instructions for displaying copyright information or
provide a hyperlink to their Webpage.
Copying/Downloading Information From the Net and Reproducing it is
Prohibited - Ask for Permission To Do So
All information on the Net is somebody's intellectual property.
For example, it is not permissible to print an article from the Net,
reproduce it and then use it as a handout in your class. You also
cannot post it on your class Website. Netiquette states that you
should ask permission to link to external Websites. Malaspina has
the following information article on reserve:
Obtaining copyright permissions to use screen captures in
web-based instructional materials
Leger, Linda. Feliciter. 2001. Vol. 47, Iss. 5; p. 249-251.
It will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to
request copyright permissions.
You Must Cite Sources
The Malaspina University-College library has an informative
online tutorial entitled How To Cite Your Sources (http://web.mala.bc.ca/library/researchskills/citesources.htm).
It provides useful examples and links to other sites. You may want
to make use one of the suggested citation style guides as you
prepare your materials for the print publications, PowerPoint
presentations and Web postings.
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Print the entire Web page
- Choose Print from the File menu
- Choose All and click the Print button
Print a page of a long Web page
- In the Print dialog box, click Pages in Page Range
& type the page number, e.g. 1, 2...
Print a selection
- Select the image or text
- In the Print dialog box, click Selection & then
click the Print button
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Customize Internet Options
- Select Internet Options from the Tools menu
- In the General tab
- Change the Home page
- Delete Temporary Internet files
- Adjust History settings
Customizing the Home Button
You can easily customize your Home button. It resembles the button
below:
(Home button in IE 6.0)
It will provide you quick access to a preferred site. Many people use
the Home button to jump directly to the Malaspina University-College Web
site.
- From the Internet Options window, enter the web page to
set as your Home page. (Malaspina's address in the previous
screenshot.)
- Click OK.
Setting the Default Cache size
IT Services recommends that you change the setting of the IE
cache. It will help your system logon
and logoff much more quickly. The recommended size is 1 MB.
- From the Internet Options window, click on Settings...
in the Temporary Internet files section.
- In the Temporary Internet files folder section, change
the Amount of disk space to use: to 1 MB.
- Click OK.
- Click OK in the Internet Options window.
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