Microsoft Internet Explorer Tips #2



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*1.   INTERNET EXPLORER BY DEFAULT 

Here's a browser question from reader Howard B.: 

"I have been using Microsoft Internet Explorer 3 for quite a while
 and have had no problems. I recently installed some software that
 set up Netscape on my system. Now, when I start Microsoft
 Internet Explorer, I get the message that Internet Explorer is
 not my default browser. Unfortunately, I need to use Netscape
 with another program, so I can't uninstall it. Is there a way to
 tell Microsoft Internet Explorer that it's the default browser?" 

Without knowing all we might need to know about your problem, we
 can only suggest that you answer No when Netscape asks if you
 want it to become the default browser. If it won't keep running,
 then you'll probably have to continue clicking Yes to both
 Microsoft Internet Explorer 3 and Netscape. 

If you didn't need Netscape, we would simply suggest you
 uninstall it. You could check with the third-party program
 vendor to see if there's a way to use Microsoft Internet
 Explorer 3 in place of Netscape. Many programs can use
 either browser. 


*2.   HEY, BABY, WHAT'S YOUR URL? 

Rob F., a new subscriber, asks this Microsoft Internet Explorer
 3 question: 

"I like to have as much room as possible in the Microsoft
 Internet Explorer window. One way to do this is to eliminate the
 toolbar. The problem is that I sometimes need to enter a URL,
 which gets frustrating because I then have to choose View,
 Toolbar to get my Address Bar back temporarily. Is there an
 easier way to activate the Address Bar only when it's needed?" 

If you don't want to have the toolbar present, you can still type
 in a URL. All you have to do is press Ctrl-O, and Microsoft
 Internet Explorer 3 displays the Open dialog box. You can type
 in a URL and click OK to navigate to the new page. 

For those of you who would like to eliminate the toolbar, choose
 View, Toolbar to toggle the toolbar off. If you want to turn it
 back on, choose View, Toolbar again. Since Toolbar is a toggle
 switch, this turns it back on. 


*3.   A TIP TO CALL YOUR OWN 

If you have your own Web page, perhaps you'd like to add a
 tip-of-the-day feature. Too much work? Not if you download
 Auscomp's Tip of the Day from 

http://www.pcworld.com/r/tw/1%2C2061%2Ctw-msie0210%2C00.html 

This tip engine is easy to install and use. You can test it for
 30 days free of charge. If you like it and wish to register,
 the current cost is $20. 


*4.   IE 3 AND WINDOWS 98: STRANGE BEDFELLOWS 

We get tons of mail from people who are thinking of upgrading to
 Windows 98, but want to continue using Microsoft Internet
 Explorer 3 to surf the Net. Sorry, it won't work. When you
 install Windows 98, a big chunk of the Microsoft Internet
 Explorer 4 browser also gets installed. This portion of
 Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 prevents you from using IE 3. You
 can run Netscape in Windows 98, but not Microsoft Internet
 Explorer 3. 

If you really want Windows 98, go ahead and bite the bullet.
 Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 has been out for quite a while
 now, and is a stable product. You might even like it. 


*5.   CHECK THE SPELLING 

This question about spelling checks in Microsoft Mail comes
 from Marty L.: 

"I recently bought a new computer and transferred all my Mail
 files from the old computer. My problem is that the Mail
 spelling checker no longer works. How can I get the spelling
 check feature back?" 

The problem is that Microsoft Mail doesn't actually have a
 spelling checker. If you have Microsoft Office installed on your
 computer, Mail uses THAT spelling check dictionary. 

Our guess is, your old computer had Microsoft Office (or
 Microsoft Word) installed, and your new one doesn't. We can't
 speak from personal experience, but some users report that Mail
 can use the Microsoft Works spelling checker as well. 

Although you may want to use your new software rather than the
 Microsoft programs you had on the old computer, it might be
 worthwhile to install at least Microsoft Word (or whatever you
 had on the old computer) on the new computer just to have
 spelling checks in Mail. 


*6.   BODY ART 

In response to a reader question, we recently reported that there
 is no way to paste a picture into the body of a Microsoft Mail
 message. A number of readers responded that you CAN paste
 pictures into Mail messages. Unfortunately, all of the suggested
 methods resulted in the picture's placement in the message as
 an attachment. 

Some of the confusion comes from the fact that Outlook Express
 can view attached pictures in the message itself. Several
 readers reported that they pasted pictures into Mail messages
 and sent them to a friend who uses Outlook Express. The pictures
 appeared in the Outlook Express messages because that program
 can make provisions for viewing attached pictures inside the
 message itself. 

As far as we can tell, there's no way to paste a picture into the
 body of the message. If you have a method that works, please
 let us know. 


*7.   NEED VB300? 

Have you ever downloaded a shareware program so cool you could
 hardly wait to try it? Aching for the thrill, you decompress it
 and double-click its icon. But all you get is a message telling
 you the program can't find Vbrun300.dll (or VB40032.dll). Don't
 get caught without a file format--download those run-time files,
 then copy them to your \Windows\System folder. 

You can find all the basic run-time files at 

http://www.pcworld.com/fileworld/category/0,1460,essential,00.html 


*8.   PICTURE SHOW 

Reader Lyle A. asks this question: 

"I sometimes like to copy a picture from a Web site. I
 right-click the picture, then choose Save Picture As. I can
 rename the picture if I want and save it. This all works fine,
 but I'd like to save some of the pictures in a format other than
 GIF. What do I do?" 

When you right-click a picture in Microsoft Internet Explorer and
 then choose Save Picture As, the Save Picture dialog box opens.
 The default file format is always the format of the original
 picture loaded into the Web page. The second choice is BMP. 

It sounds as if you've usually encountered GIF files. GIF files
 are probably most common on the Web, but it's by no means the
 only format you'll find. If you look around, you'll find many
 pictures are in JPG format. 


*9.   SMOOTH OR NOT? 

Subscriber Wayne C. sends this question about scrolling in
 Microsoft Internet Explorer 3: 

"I'm confused about smooth scrolling. If you choose View, Options
 and click the Advanced tab, there's a check box labeled 'Use
 smooth scrolling.' I can't see any difference whether the check
 box is selected or not. Is there any distinction between the two
 methods of scrolling?" 

Microsoft Internet Explorer 3 uses smooth scrolling by default.
 Frankly, we don't see any practical difference on a fast
 computer. To try it out for yourself, go to a page with a lot of
 text and press the Page Up and Page Down keys. Watch the action
 closely. Now choose View, Options and click the Advanced tab.
 Deselect "Use smooth scrolling" and click OK. Now try the Page
 Up and Page Down keys again. You'll notice that the pages switch
 abruptly when smooth scrolling is off. 

As we said, the scrolling is so quick on a fast computer that it
 makes the difference between the two scrolling methods
 inconsequential. Most users probably won't even notice
 the change. 


*10.   ANIMATION NATION 

Working on a new Web page? You'll probably want to use some
 animated objects to jazz it up a little. To take a look at
 what's available at low cost or no cost, go to 

http://www.pcworld.com/fileworld/category/
0,1460,graphics+web_clip_art,00.html 

and check out some of the files. You'll find animated arrows,
 animated icons, buttons, and background art
