Customize Your Web Browser II
By: Scott Hendison   ·   Published: September 2000

Last month we left off in the middle of Microsoft Internet Explorer, on the Tools pull down menu - Internet options - in the content tab. We talked about Content Advisor In depth, and the Certificates button is best left alone. If you have a need for added security, then reading about Certificates in the Explorer Help file is a good idea.

Auto complete is very handy, and I recommend having it all enabled. Having your passwords, user names, and forms all remember your information is a real time saver. It's not very secure though, since all users have to do is double click on an empty field in a form, and see what has been typed there before.

Wallet and My Profile are really neat ideas. Combined, they allow you to enter all of your personal and credit card information, so that when you shop online, you don't have to fill in all the forms. I don't use this myself because the website you're shopping at must be "Microsoft Wallet enabled" to allow you to use these features. According to Microsoft, there are less than 50 online merchants participating in the program. Don't bother with it, because as of the new release of Internet Explorer 5.5, Microsoft Wallet is gone. I always tell people that I don't hesitate to punch in my credit card online, and I know I'm only liable for minimal fraud on my credit cards, but I still don't feel right storing the card number and expiration date on my computer. I don't think twice about handing it to a stranger at a gas station who disappears for 3 or 4 minutes. Go figure!

The Connections tab is where you go to set your computer to use different Internet connections, automatically dial when you open Internet Explorer, and generally do things you probably don't need to do if you're a beginner. Don't make changes here without making a note of what you do, so that you can undo them if your not happy with the results.

The Programs tab is where you can choose which software is the "default" or automatic program that you computer will use to perform each listed function. You don't need to change these either unless you have a reason.

The final tab is marked Advanced and it is very well marked. Look, but unless you understand it, don't touch!

Other options for improving your web browsing are built in to Windows too. For example, nearly all websites look better when the screen resolution is set to at least 800 x 600, but computers generally come from the manufacturer set to 640 x 480. You'll be amazed at how much better sites can look at a higher resolution.

To check your resolution, go to an empty area of your desktop. Right click and go to properties. Hit the Settings tab. Look for the slider bar on the right, and see what it's set to. If it's set to 640 x 480, here's how to change it. Just put the mouse cursor over it, click and hold the left mouse button, and slide it to the right one notch. Then hit the OK button. You should get a box asking you if you want to do it. Say OK, then you should see things get a little smaller. Now go to that favorite website and see how much better it looks.

If you're happy with the appearance, but the text itself is too small and hard to read, you can adjust that too. From inside Internet Explorer, go to the View pull down menu, and select text size. Windows has 5 sizes for you to choose from.

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