Objective 1. Start Internet Explorer and Identify Screen Elements

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 is a software program that allows you to view the contents of the World Wide Web. Software of this type is called a Web browser. By using Internet Explorer as your Web browser, you can connect to the Internet to search for information, display Web pages, and receive e-mail. Internet Explorer also assists with downloading and transferring files from the Internet, displaying the graphics on a Web site, playing audio and video files associated with a Web site, and executing small programs found in Web sites.

Activity 1.1. Starting Internet Explorer

In the following activity, you will start Internet Explorer 6.0 and identify features of the Internet Explorer program window. The way you start Internet Explorer will vary depending on the version of Windows you are using and the way your system has been set up by you, your college, or your organization. The standard installation of Windows places Internet Explorer at the top of the Start menu.

1.

On the Windows taskbar, click the Start button , and then using Figure 1.2 as a guide, locate Internet Explorer on your system.
 

Figure 1.2.

(This item is displayed on page 129 in the print version)

Organizations can customize the arrangement of programs on the Start menu. If Internet Explorer is used as the standard browser program on your computer, it displays at the top of the Start menu along with the standard e-mail programMicrosoft Outlook. In other cases, Internet Explorer may display on the All Programs list. If the Internet Explorer logo displays as an icon on your desktop, you can double-click the desktop icon to start the program.
 

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Alert!: Be Sure That You Have an Internet Connection

To complete the activities in this chapter, the computer at which you are working must be connected to the Internet. This connection might be through your college or organization's network or your personal Internet Service Provider (ISP). An Internet Service Provider is a company that provides an Internet connection through a regular telephone line, a special high-speed telephone line, or a cable. These services are provided by companies such as AOL or Earthlink, or by local cable and telephone companies.

2.

On your system, click Internet Explorer. In the upper right corner, Maximize the window if it is not already maximized.

Each time you start Internet Explorer when you are connected to the Internet, the home page that has been set on your computer displays. Your home page is the Web page that displays every time you start Internet Explorer and can be any Web page. In a college environment, the home page is usually set to the college's home page. On your own computer, you can select any page. The default home page for Internet Explorer 6.0 is the MSNMicrosoft NetworkWeb page.

A Web page is a document on the World Wide Web that displays as a screen with associated links, frames, pictures, and other features of interest. A Web site is a group of related Web pages published to a specific location on the World Wide Web, for example, all the various screenspagesthat comprise your college's Web site. Each Web site has its own unique address, called a Uniform Resource Locator or URL.
 

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3.

On the Standard Buttons toolbar, click the Favorites button. In the Favorites task pane that displays on the left, click MSN.com to display the MSN.com home page, and then in the Favorites task pane, click the Close button . Take a moment to study Figure 1.3 and the table in Figure 1.4.
 

Figure 1.3.

 

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Figure 1.4. Microsoft Internet Explorer Screen Elements

Screen Element	Description
Title bar	Identifies the program as Microsoft Internet Explorer and also displays the name of the active Web page.
Menu bar	Contains a list of commands; to display a menu, click it with your mouse.
Minimize, Restore, and Close buttons	Provide a way to vary the size of the screen you are viewing.
Standard Buttons toolbar	Contains buttons for some of the most common commands in Internet Explorer; buttons provide a one-click way to perform a command that would otherwise be performed with multiple clicks from the menus.
Address bar	Displays the address of the active Web page.
Categories of information	Links you to other main pages in this Web site; this arrangement varies from site to site.
Mouse pointer	Displays as a pointing hand when you point to a link.
Links	Text that, when clicked, displays other Web pages in this site, or other Web sites. Links can also take you to a document, e-mail address, picture, or sound clip.
Scroll bar	Allows vertical or horizontal navigation of a Web page.
Status bar	Provides information about the security of a site and information about a link's destination as you roll over a link.

 

More Knowledge: Home Pages and Portals

The default home page installed when Windows is set up on your computer is a Microsoft site because Internet Explorer is a Microsoft program. Schools, organizations, and individuals that have Web sites often change the default settings to display their own site as the home page. As part of the installation process, ISPs such as AOL and Earthlink and sites such as eBay and Yahoo! offer to change the home page to their Web sites to make accessing e-mail and other frequently used features easier. These home pages, including MSN, act as portals or launching sites to other Web pages. They contain links to frequently visited sites, up-to-the-minute news, weather reports, and maps and directories. The portal pages are also customizable so that you can replace the standard links and information presented on the page with features you use.

On school, lab, and business computers, changing the home page is usually not recommended. However, on your personal computer, you can change the home page. To do so, display the page you want to set as the home page. Then, on the menu bar, click Tools, click Internet Options to open the Internet Options dialog box, click the General tab, and then under Home page, click the Use Current button. Click OK to set your new home page.

Objective 2 Navigate the Internet