Internet options allow you to configure Internet Explorer 6.0. You can specify the first Web page you see when you start Internet Explorer, delete temporary Internet files stored on your computer, use Content Advisor to block access to objectionable materials, and set your security level. This lesson introduces you to configuring Internet options.
To access Internet options, you would do the following:
Windows XP Professional displays the Internet Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 13.8.
Figure 13.8 The General tab of the Internet Properties dialog box
The Home Page section in the General tab of the Internet Properties dialog box allows you to change the page you use for your home page, the page you see each time you start Internet Explorer. This is also the page you are returned to each time you click the Home icon on the toolbar.
The Temporary Internet Files section in the General tab allows you to delete all cookies and temporary Internet files stored on your computer. A cookie is a file created by a Web site that stores information about you on your computer. To delete all the cookies stored on your computer, click Delete Cookies. Windows XP Professional displays a Delete Cookies message box for you to confirm that you want to delete all the cookies stored on your computer. Click OK to delete all the cookies or click Cancel to leave the cookies stored on your computer. A temporary Internet file is a file downloaded from a Web site on the Internet to decrease your access time to the Web site the next time you view it. To delete all temporary Internet files on your computer, click Delete Files. A message box will be displayed for you to confirm that you want to delete all temporary Internet files on your computer. The Delete All Offline Content checkbox allows you to delete any sites you have configured to be available offline. Click OK to delete all the temporary Internet files on your computer. Click Settings to specify when your system should check for newer versions of stored files and the size and location of the folder that stores these temporary files.
The History section allows you to specify the length of time links to pages you have visited are kept and to clear all saved links. The General tab also allows you to configure the colors, fonts, languages, and accessibility options used.
The Security tab of the Internet Properties dialog box allows you to assign Web sites into zones, so you can customize the security for each zone. The first zone is the Internet, which contains all Web sites not assigned to another zone (see Figure 13.9).
Figure 13.9 The Security tab of the Internet Properties dialog box
The second zone is for your local intranet. The third zone is for trusted sites, and the fourth zone is for restricted sites. To add Web sites to any of these zones, click the zone and then click Sites.
The Security Level For This Zone section allows you to customize the security settings for each zone. To customize a zone's security level, click the zone and then click Custom Level. Windows XP Professional displays the Security Settings dialog box (see Figure 13.10).
The Security Settings dialog box allows you to control what gets loaded onto your computer from the Internet. For example, for Download Signed ActiveX Controls you can choose one of the following three options:
Figure 13.10 The Security Settings dialog box
Other settings on the Security Settings dialog box include the following:
Internet Explorer 6.0 and Windows XP Professional do not contain the Sun Microsystems Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The first time you connect to a Web site that requires JVM support, you must download JVM.
One other setting located in the Security Settings dialog box is Software Channel Permissions. The options you can set for it are as follows:
The Privacy tab allows you to determine how cookies are handled on your computer for all Web sites in the Internet zone. Table 13.5 explains the available privacy settings.
Table 13.5 Privacy Tab Settings
Setting | Description |
Block All Cookies | Blocks cookies from all Web sites and makes existing cookies on your computer unreadable by Web sites. |
High | Blocks cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy and those that use personally identifiable information without your explicit consent. |
Medium High | Blocks third-party cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy and those that use personally identifiable information without your explicit consent. It also blocks first-party cookies that use personally identifiable information without your implicit consent. |
Medium | Blocks third-party cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy and those that use personally identifiable information without your implicit consent. It also restricts first-party cookies that use personally identifiable information without your implicit consent. |
Low | Restricts third-party cookies that do not have a compact privacy policy and those that use personally identifiable information without your implicit consent. |
Accept All Cookies | Allows all cookies to be saved on the computer. Existing cookies on this computer can be read by the Web sites that created them. |
You can also click Advanced to override automatic cookie handling and manually define whether to accept, block, or prompt first-party and third-party cookies.
The Content tab gives you access to the Content Advisor, which allows you to control what can be viewed on the Internet. This is a valuable tool for parents who want to protect their children from areas of the Internet suitable only for adults. You can control access based on language, nudity, sex, and violence. You can also create a list of Web sites that are always viewable or never viewable, no matter how they are rated.
The Connections tab helps you set up an Internet connection and the Programs tab allows you to specify which program Windows XP Professional automatically uses for each Internet service.
The Advanced tab allows you to fine-tune accessibility, browsing, HTTP 1.1 settings, multimedia functionality, and security. Accessibility provides the following two check boxes:
Browsing provides many options that allow control browsing, including the following check boxes:
The HTTP 1.1 settings allow you to specify whether you want to use HTTP 1.1. Many Web sites still use HTTP 1.0, so if you are having difficulties connecting to some Web sites, you might not want to use HTTP 1.1.
The Multimedia section provides many options including the following check boxes:
The Printing settings allow you to specify whether you want to print background colors and images.
The Security settings (see Figure 13.11) allow you to fine-tune your security settings.
Figure 13.11 The Advanced tab of the Internet Properties dialog box
The Security section provides many options including the following check boxes:
For information about any of the other check boxes located in the Advanced tab of the Internet Properties dialog box, click on the question mark in the upper right corner of the dialog box and then click the check box.
The following questions will help you determine whether you have learned enough to move on to the next lesson. If you have difficulty answering these questions, please go back and review the material in this lesson before beginning the next chapter. The answers are in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers."