Internet Explorer is still the most used web browser out there. Around 55% of users worldwide favour it, even though the continued growth of Firefox, Chrome, Safari and the rest continue to eat into its market share.
Here are my three top tips for using and getting the most out of Microsoft’s often maligned browser.
1. Make sure you have the latest version installed. For users of Windows 7 and Vista that simply means Internet Explorer 9 which was released earlier this year. For XP users I’m afraid you’ll have to stick with IE8 as Microsoft have no plans to release their latest browser version on the XP platform. This is a shame. IE9 is a big improvement on earlier versions in terms of it’s overall speed, a trimmed down interface and HTML 5 support. It gives the maximum amount of space for displaying the actual web page of any of the current browsers by dramatically cutting down on the window frame. Perhaps most importantly, it continues to implement safety improvements over earlier versions and safety has always been IE’s weakenss in the past.
2. Reset IE. If your Internet Explorer browser stops responding or working, if you encounter errors indicating that the browser needs to close, or if your browsing just feels slow, you might want to try resetting your Internet Explorer settings. First of all, exit all programs, including Internet Explorer (if it is running). Then follow these steps:
- If you use Windows XP, click Start, and then click Run. Type the following command in the Open box, and then press ENTER:
inetcpl.cpl
If you use Windows Vista, click Start
Type the following command in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER:
inetcpl.cplThe Internet Options dialog box appears.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Under Reset Internet Explorer settings, click Reset. Then click Reset again.
- When Internet Explorer finishes resetting the settings, click Close in the Reset Internet Explorer Settings dialog box.
- Start Internet Explorer again
Remember however that by resetting IE, you will lose some of your personalised browser settings, your homepage and any saved passwords etc.
3. Adding a Favourite Web Page. Browsing the web with IE and you’ve come across a page you’d like to save quickly as a favourite? Well, just hold down the CTRL key and press the ‘D’ key. Simple eh!
Internet Explorer has improved dramatically in later releases. Even if you don’t use it as your preferred browser of choice, it still make sense to keep it up to date. There are still websites out there which are either optimised for IE or which don’t perform very well with other browsers. Go on, update IE today.