Help me learn I.E.

[bhess]

I changed subject line because it was misleading. The original post:

OK I just installed WinMe. It has IE5.5 on it. I've been a netscape user for 7 yrs and have tried IE before. I'm trying to convert, so I'll give it a try again. Any help from all of you IE users would be appreciated.
See if there is a way to fix these.
Things that I hate:
1. When I click on a link I don't get an hourglass or a fast indication that the click worked.
2. When I right click and open a new window it opens small and I have to maximize it everytime.
3. When I go to file open anf type in an address I have to type in the www. and .com or it usually won't work. It comes up with page cannot be displayed.
4. If I have 2 or more windows open, and I'm using window #2, and I go to favorites and go to another web site it opens the new site in the first wiindow.

What I'm asking is: is there any way to change these with settings?
Thanks for any help.
Brian

[gyoung]

I don't know about 1,2, or 3. But #4 has been p!$$!ng me off! It started doing that to me when I upgraded from 5.0 to 5.5.

The way I get around it is to drag my favorite into the browser window. That way it stays in the window I have selected the "favorite" from. Very annoying.

[BFlurie]

#1. Mine does. I don't know why yours wouldn't. Do you have the thin toolbar @ the bottom? This shows a dialog of what's going on like connecting, etc. This is what I watch. In any case, go to Toolbars, Customize. This isn't used often enough & can give you a better look -- like small icons w/no text labels.

#2. Mine opens the exact same size as my first IE window -- offset a bit. A third window offset from the second one a bit. If IE works like Explorer, get the window how you like it, then hold the Ctl key down when you close it -- it might save it. The general registry entry to enable windows to save settings is:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoSaveSettings"=dword:00000000

#3. That SHOULD work too. The first reg entry below shows the "default" http:// prefix on what you type in. The second defines prefixes more explicitly -- you'll understand:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\URL\DefaultPrefix]
@="http://"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\URL\Prefixes]
"ftp."="ftp://"
"gopher."="gopher://"
"home."="http://"
"mosaic."="http://"
"www."="http://"
"members."="http://"
"support."="http://"
"users."="http://"
"ftp"="ftp://"
"gopher"="gopher://"
"home"="http://"
"mosaic"="http://"
"www"="http://"
"members"="http://"
"support"="http://"
"users"="http://"

Don't mess with the registry unless you're comfortable -- I show these in case you are.

#4. I tried that w/my IE5.01, and it worked fine. I dunno, but maybe you should "upgrade" to IE5.01.

[This message has been edited by BFlurie (edited 09-07-2000).]

[bhess]

Thanks gyoung. It works using that method. It is a pain to have to do it that way though.
Thanks BFlurie. Yes I can look at the bottom or the globe at the top R/H corner. It would be nice if the hand just turned into an hourglass so you wouldn't have to look around.
I tried the ctrl-close method several times. No luck. I remember in netscape it does the same until you maximize it once then close it. It then remembers.
I tried this: open-logitech. no good. open- www.logitech. (http://www.logitech.) no good. I have to type www.logitech.com (http://www.logitech.com) in.
I might mess with the registry later tonight. I should learn it sometime huh?
Thanks agian
Brian

[Richard_Cranium72]

No 1. Alternative Mouse Pointers are easy-to-see mouse pointer schemes designed to work with Windows 95/98/Me and Windows NT 4.0.

and
Using the Alternative Mouse Pointer Schemes http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q154/5/00.asp

No 2. Check internet options, under View.
Advanced->check "Launch Browser in a Full Screen Window"
If no joy, stretch small window full, then close. (ie5.01 yes, 5.5?)

No. 3 Isn't that the search engines doing or rather NOT doing. yahoo will correct a missing or wrong .net or .com , sometimes.
Direct hit at the bottom of the second page during a search at Yahoo gives much more choices !!

No. 4 Instead, drag a IE icon to the taskbar and click on it. Push stop, then open the favorites.

DrVette

[bhess]

Thanks DrVette.
#1 Under the mouse pointers it only says:
Windows Black
Windows Black (large)
Windows Black (extra large)
Windows Inverted
Windows Inverted (large)
Windows Inverted (extra large)
Windows Standard (large)
Windows Standard (extra large)

nothing about an hourglass.

#2 I don't have that view option under internet options. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/frown.gif I couldn't find anything saying launch in a full window.

#3 It doesn't go to a search engine. Just a "The page cannot be displayed" yada yada...

#4 I'm not sure I understand?

[bhess]

Ok I fixed #2
registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\IE\main
delete the window_placement file.
No I'm not smart, I found it on another board. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/biggrin.gif

[bhess]

Double post.
anyway I tried the reg hack for adding the www. to http://
It worked but still won't work unless I add the .com at the end.

[This message has been edited by bhess (edited 09-07-2000).]

[BBA]

to add the www and dot com in one step, type the name of the site without www or dot com and press control and enter together, to automatically set them.

Also go into tools internet/ options/ advanced and set the auto fill in radio boxes to your liking. Autocomplete rules in my book, I browse common sites by typing 2 letters usually and hitting enter, because with autocomplete, thats all that is required.

[bhess]

I tried the ctrl/enter. no luck.
I have autocomplete turned on. I'm using 5.5 it should be an improvement right? It doesn't seem so.
thanks

[BFlurie]

Bhess, I tried this tiny hack, and it worked putting the www. in front (I don't use Auto-complete -- too much registry junk).

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\URL\DefaultPrefix]
@="http://www."

I tried some other things to get .com added -- no joy yet. Like @="http://www.%1.com"
Apparently "variables" aren't passed in this instance. Still experimenting.

PS -- 'Course this will cause a boo-boo w/an address that DOESN'T have www. in front.




[This message has been edited by BFlurie (edited 09-08-2000).]

[bhess]

Thanks for the extra effort BFlurie. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif
If you guys with 5.0 don't have this problem, can't we compare between 5.5 and 5.0 registrys? Why wouldn't it work in the latest version? Microsoft is strange indeed.
Brian

[BFlurie]

Well, once they get a prog polished up (IE5.01), they have to get a new version out just to keep up w/the "Jones". Also gotta keep all those employees working. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[Win_98]

I never liked IE much myself, at first they lacked alot of feature that netscape had and until they caught up, they just decide to integrate it into windows9x making it as the only choice you have. thought you can install netscape on top of it but why bother when IE being intergrated is already taking up 50meg of space. obviosly microsoft hates netscape and they did everything they can to put them out of business. Intergrate this into windows98?! to hell with microsoft, why didn't they just give us the option of uninstalling it? obviously to get rid of the competition for good. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/frown.gif oh well, they want to rule the world and doing just that! http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/frown.gif http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/frown.gif

[Fingers]

bhess, Regarding #3:
In IE 5.01 under Tools>Internet Options>Advanced there is section near the bottom that lets you choose how you want IE5 to perform searches. If "Do not search from the Address bar" is checked, then my browser also displays the "Page cannot be displayed" message.

[bhess]

Thanks fingers. I don't have that option in 5.5. I did find that if I use the address bar instead of the file-open method, it will open a search page with yahoo.
I just know that with netscape, if you type it in it adds the www. and .com, if that doesn't work that it opens a "best match" page.
I'll keep playing with it. There are some nice things about it. I'll give it a while to get used to it.

[Fingers]

IE seems to be pretty good at hiding those little idiosyncrasies in places where you can't easily find them. Keep looking though, the setting you after is probably hidden in some obscure little corner.
Wish I could help more, but I'm not about to "upgrade" to IE5.5 http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif

[gyoung]

bhess,

I am running 5.5 and in the Internet Options there is an "Advanced" tab. There is a heading called "Search from Address bar."

"When Searching" use the "Most likely site" radio button.

That should allow you to just do abcnews instead of www.abcnews.com. (http://www.abcnews.com.)

[BBA]

bhess, if the control+enter does not work, then something is wrong with your IE. It works in IE4, 5 and 5.5

Maybe you are confusing what I said. To cover it again:

Lets say you want to go to www.yahoo.com... (http://www.yahoo.com...)

all you need to do is type in "yahoo" in the address bar and press control and enter together. IE will then add the www. to the front and .com to the end.

If you have autocomplete turned on from Tools/Internet options/Advanced/Use inline autocomplete then the nmext time you want to go to www.yahoow.com, (http://www.yahoow.com,) all that you need to do is type in "ya" and a drop down menu comes up with all the possible sites you have been to starting with ya... or www.ya..., (http://www.ya...,) so only 2 or 3 button presses are necessary.

[bhess]

BBA, I think that we were misunderstanding each other. I was trying to use the File-open method. That is how I do it in netscape. You were telling me to use the address bar. I tried it your way and it worked. thank you.
Brian

[Fingers]

bhess, I missed that too. Sorry, I guess I just assumed that you were typing in the address bar.

Did you see gyoung's message, you should be able to bypass the Yahoo sight by doing what he suggested... if that's what you want. After I set things up properly, IE5 behaves almost exactly like Netscape 4.06 did, except for that little unresolved problem I'm still having...hint,hint. http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/smile.gif http://sysopt.earthweb.com/forum/Forum1/HTML/007738.html

[Richard_Cranium72]

BHess, I installed 5.5 and you're quite right on No.1 , no nothing.. gee thanks MS

It is Faster than 5.01 on MY machine, but time will tell.

[BFlurie]

Bhess, another trick is to click the down arrow & cascade your address bar at the top -- it contains alot of your previous URLs.

Fingers, I assume you tried the "repair" option w/IE for your nuisance problem?

[This message has been edited by BFlurie (edited 09-10-2000).]

[Dave_H]

As for #1 (hourglass or a fast indication that the click worked.)
On mine, as soon as I click on a link it becomes outlined with a line made out of little dots. It's kind of hard to see unless your looking for it, although using a contrasting "hover color" might make it stand out a little better.
To set a hover color go to:
Tools\internet options and hit the color button.
Dave