Netscape Navigator 3.X Tips #5



*1.  SCREECH AND DONG
  
When you open Navigator to initiate an Internet connection, do 
you still hear that awful noise when the modem connects? 
("Wreeeeee-ooooooooooock! Ding dong, ding dong!") You can get 
rid of that sound, you know. In Windows 95 or 98, choose Start,
Settings, Control Panel. Double-click the System icon and, in 
the System Properties box, select the Device Manager tab. 
Click the Modem icon and select your modem. In the Internal 
Properties box, click the Modem tab and slide the Speaker 
Volume to the Off setting.


*2.   THE FINE PRINT            
  
When printing out Web pages on a monochrome printer, do you ever
find it hard to make out the URLs? If so, consider changing the 
color of the URLs prior to printing. Go to Options, General 
Preferences and click the Colors tab. (Before making any 
changes, note the original colors so you can change them back 
afterward.) Click the Links check box and click the Choose 
Color button. In the Color box, click a suitably somber color, 
then click OK. Repeat these steps for the Followed Links 
category (and maybe Text, too, if it isn't black already).


*3.  NEWSGROUP EFFICIENCY EXPERT            
  
Does the relatively small number of Usenet newsgroups your ISP 
offers disappoint you? Perhaps you would take advantage of a
service that notifies you whenever a newsgroup addresses a 
subject of particular interest to you. Want to search a 
newsgroup's archives? Or maybe you'd just like a spam-free 
newsgroup experience. Check out Deja News, which offers all 
this and more. A Deja News feature allows you to create your 
own Deja News discussion group, an interesting alternative to 
the often cumbersome process of creating a Usenet group. 

http://www.dejanews.com


*4.   DON'T FEAR THE COOKIE            
  
Want greater control over cookies? Consider using a free 
program called Anonymous Cookie. Anonymous Cookie allows you to 
target and control your acceptance of cookies by switching 
between anonymous and nonanonymous modes. The only downside for 
Netscape Navigator 3.x users is that if you have both Navigator 
3.x and 4.x installed, it ignores your 3.x install and work 
with 4.x only. To download Anonymous Cookie, visit 

http://www.pcworld.com/fileworld/file_description/
0,1458,5358,00.html


*5.   WHEN AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED            
  
Don't be completely put off when dismal-sounding error messages 
greet your attempts to reach Web sites. Always try again, at 
least once. Though a '404 Not Found' message may mean exactly 
that, sometimes it just indicates a Web site reorganization has 
taken place--one you may be able to outsmart. Erase the end of 
the URL to see if it gets you back on track. For example, in 
the fictitious URL http://www.mydomain.com/pages/pagefour.html  
you could delete the "pagefour.html" part of the URL and press 
Enter to find out if there's an index assigned to the /pages 
directory. Experiment to find out what works.   

When a message tells you it couldn't locate a DNS entry for a 
particular server, don't walk away mad. The server may be down 
but not out, so definitely try again later.   

The 'Document contains no data' message is notoriously 
inaccurate. Always try to reach this one again immediately, 
maybe two or three times.


*6.   AMNESIA            
  
Over the years we've given you detailed instructions on how to 
remove URLs from Navigator's Location drop-down box, clear your 
Netscape cache, delete your Netscape history files, and remove 
cookies from your system. (Yes, you can edit cookies.txt files 
using a text editor, even though it tells you not to, but we 
don't necessarily recommend that unless you really know what 
you're doing.) How would you like to be able to do some or all 
those things in one swell foop? 

Just go get yourself the HistoryEraseButton program. You can 
download it from the Netscape UFAQ page--it appears in the 
Downloads section. 

http://www.ufaq.org/downloads.html 

Make sure you get the version for Navigator 3.x, #16, unless 
you're actually using 4.x. (Unsure which version you're using? 
From the Help menu, choose About Netscape.) After the download, 
we just opened the folder and found the button--no further 
installation was necessary. If you expect to use the utility 
often, you'll probably want to make a desktop shortcut to it. 
Also, even though no instructions come with the button, it's 
probably a good idea to close Netscape before you click Go.


*7.   CLOSEOUT

Navigator routinely saves certain sorts of changes, such as 
additions to the Bookmarks and Address Book, only when you exit 
Netscape. If you have a tendency to shut down your computer 
without first closing Netscape (or if your computer is crash 
prone), you won't find those entries when you start up again. 
In that case, it's probably a good idea to get into the habit 
of saving changes when you make them.


*8.   SAVE IT FOR LATER            
  
Last time we suggested you get into the habit of saving changes 
to the Bookmarks or Address Book if you have a habit of shutting
down your computer without first closing Netscape (or if your 
computer crashes often). Not sure how to save these changes? To 
save changes to the Bookmarks file, go to Bookmarks (Ctrl-B) and
choose File, Save As. The default file name should be correct, 
so just click Save. To save additions to the Address Book, open 
the Address Book (Window, Address Book) and do the same thing: 
File, Save As, click Save.


*9.   DRIVER'S SEAT            
  
Having problems printing Web pages? It may be time to check in 
with your printer manufacturer's Web site to download a new 
driver. A driver is a scrap of code that controls a device. It 
ensures communication between your system software and computer 
components. Sometimes, especially in the wake of a big change 
to your computer, you need to update these drivers. In addition 
to manufacturers' Web sites, the larger shareware repositories 
offer many drivers directly.


*10.   THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT            
  
Netscape Navigator does not include parental controls, but a 
number of add-on programs exist to block, filter, or monitor 
Internet browsing sessions. Cyber Patrol is a popular program 
among parents and teachers, and it can be downloaded from 

http://www.pcworld.com/r/tw/1%2C2061%2Ctw-0410%2C00.html
