Mechling/Mechcom Support Group   

Browser Basics

A web browser is the software program you use to access the World Wide Web. Although many different browsers are available, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Firefox and Netscape Navigator are the most popular.

Outfitted with a browser, you can surf to your heart's content, but it's easy to get lost in this vast electronic web. That's where your browser really helps, as it comes loaded with all sorts of handy features. Fortunately, you can learn the basics in just a few minutes, then take the time to explore the more advanced functions. 

When you first launch your web browser, usually by double-clicking on the icon on your desktop, a predefined web page appears. This page is referred to as your home page or start page. If you want however, you can easily change your start page.

The row of buttons at the top of your browser, known as the toolbar, helps you travel through the web of possibilities, keeping track of where you've been. Since the toolbars for Navigator, Internet Explorer and Firefox differ slightly, we'll describe what the buttons in common do. 

The Arrows are Back button returns you the previous page you've visited. Use the Forward button to return to the page you just came from. 

The Address Bar - is the area just beside the Arrow Buttons. This is where you type the address or URL of a website you want to visit. After you enter it, press the Return or Enter key to access the site or click on the "Go" or Arrow button to the right of the address box. 

By clicking the small triangle to the right of the Location box, you will get a drop-down list of the most recent websites you've visited. To revisit a site, just click on the address.

The Stop button or "X" stops the browser from loading the current page. 

Reload or Refresh does just that, loads the web page again. Why would you want to do this? Sometimes all of the elements of a web page haven't loaded the first time, because the file transfer was interrupted. Also when you download a web page, the data is cached (pronounced "cashed"), meaning it is stored temporarily in your computer's memory. The next time you want that page, instead of requesting the file from the web server, your web browser accesses it from the cache. But if a web page is updated frequently, as may be the case with news, sports scores or financial data, you won't get the most current information. By reloading the page, this timely data is updated from the web server. 

Home takes you to whichever home page you've chosen. (If you haven't selected one, it will return you to the default home page.) 

Search connects to directories and search tools on the Yahoo, Bing or Google websites. 

Bookmarks or Favorites lets you can record the addresses of websites you want to revisit. Once you add a URL to your list, you can return to that web page simply by clicking on the link in your list, instead of retyping the entire address. 

The "Help" button (located at the top) is a standard help feature included by Microsoft to answer questions and explain features to you.

If you would like to set your home page or change security settings, etc. you can click on the "Tools" button and scroll down to the bottom of the dialogue box and select "Internet Options". Here you will find multiple options to improve your browser and web experience.