|
Internet Explorer 7 |
By Dave
5 Star Support Security Specialist
When the final version of Internet Explorer 7 is released, users should be
pleasantly surprised with a much more secure browser. Microsoft has
addressed many of the security issues that have plagued earlier versions of
IE for years. I know many readers and writers think that using the words
Microsoft and security in the same sentence is laughable. I am a writer who
disagrees. Microsoft has taken security very seriously for some time now and
they have been working hard to improve security on all of their software
releases. Considering the sheer volume of those releases, and the fact that
they Microsoft, makes them the single biggest cracker target on the planet.
Only time will tell us how secure Internet Explorer 7 truly is, but things
look very promising from my perspective. One of the first things I
discovered from researching the new browser is that SSL 2.0 is gone. It is
nowhere to be found under Internet Options. In prior versions of IE, when a
user visited a site requiring HTTPS encryption, IE used SSL 2.0 to encrypt
the session by default. The user could manually switch to TLS which is more
secure, but I can tell you that outside of my own machines, I have yet to
encounter one where TLS was even turned on in Internet Explorer, let alone
used. Internet explorer 7 no longer supports SSL 2.0 but uses TLS instead.
From my viewpoint, this is a welcome change.
Another welcome change is the way IE 7 responds to a Web page encrypted in
HTTPS, but also contains HTTP content. If it were IE 6, a message would be
displayed asking the user if they would like to display both secure and
insecure items. Most users do not understand the potential risks and
consequences associated with displaying insecure data within a secure Web
page, so most users will always choose to display both, thinking that they
don't want to miss any information. To eliminate this risk, IE 7 does away
with this choice and will only display the secure content within the pages
being accessed by HTTPS.
The next thing I discovered about IE 7 is changes in the security zones.
Microsoft created four security zones for IE many years ago. In the past,
they have always been Internet, local Intranet, Trusted Sites and Restricted
Sites. The plan here was that any site visited by IE would fall into one of
these four categories, and IE would limit its permissions in accordance with
the settings for each of the zones. This still happens in IE 7, but if you
are using a computer that is not connected to a domain, the local Intranet
zone is not displayed. It is disabled by default unless the computer is
networked. The vast majority of home computers are not networked, so I'm
sure most users will not even notice the Intranet zone is not shown.
A totally new feature I discovered in IE 7 is the Phishing filter. If you
choose to activate this filter, it will analyze the URL of each site you
visit to make sure it is a legitimate site. Many site URL's will display a
question mark followed by more information. In ASP the question mark is used
as a mechanism for passing variables from one Web page to another. The Phishing filter eliminates the question mark, and anything following it, and
then compares the remaining URL to a list of known legitimate sites. Once
the filter has made its determination regarding the authenticity of the
site, the user will see a message warning that this might be a phishing
site. If the site
looks to be genuine, nothing is displayed.
To wrap things up, I am personally glad to see the new features in IE 7, and
honestly believe it will be a safer and more secure browser than any version
of IE before it. Lets all give it a chance and prepare ourselves for what
just might be a very pleasant experience. Microsoft has put a lot of effort
into this new browser, and I give them full credit for all their work and
concern for our safety and security while on the Internet.
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Keyboard Shortcuts |
| F1 |
Display
Help |
| F11 |
Toggle
between full-screen and regular views of the browser window |
| TAB |
Move
forward through the items on a webpage, the Address bar, or the
Links bar |
|
SHIFT+TAB |
Move
back through the items on a webpage, the Address bar, or the Links
bar |
|
ALT+HOME |
Go to
your home page |
|
ALT+RIGHT ARROW |
Go to
the next page |
|
ALT+LEFT ARROW or BACKSPACE |
Go to
the previous page |
|
SHIFT+F10 |
Display
a shortcut menu for a link |
|
CTRL+TAB or F6 |
Move
forward through frames and browser elements (only works if tabbed
browsing is disabled) |
|
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB |
Move
backward between frames (only works if tabbed browsing is disabled) |
| UP
ARROW |
Scroll
toward the beginning of a document |
| DOWN
ARROW |
Scroll
toward the end of a document |
| PAGE UP |
Scroll
toward the beginning of a document in larger increments |
| PAGE
DOWN |
Scroll
toward the end of a document in larger increments |
| HOME |
Move to
the beginning of a document |
| END |
Move to
the end of a document |
| CTRL+F |
Find on
this page |
| F5 |
Refresh
the current webpage |
| CTRL+F5 |
Refresh
the current webpage, even if the time stamp for the web version and
your locally stored version are the same |
| ESC |
Stop
downloading a page |
| CTRL+O |
Open a
new website or page |
| CTRL+N |
Open a
new window |
| CTRL+W |
Close
the current window (if you only have one tab open) |
| CTRL+S |
Save
the current page |
| CTRL+P |
Print
the current page or active frame |
| ENTER |
Activate a selected link |
| CTRL+I |
Open
Favorites |
| CTRL+H |
Open
History |
| CTRL+J |
Open
Feeds |
|
CTRL+click |
Open
links in a new tab in the background |
|
CTRL+SHIFT+click |
Open
links in a new tab in the foreground |
| CTRL+T |
Open a
new tab in the foreground |
|
CTRL+TAB or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB |
Switch
between tabs |
| CTRL+W |
Close
current tab (or the current window if tabbed browsing is disabled) |
|
ALT+ENTER |
Open a
new tab in the foreground from the Address bar |
| CTRL+n
(where n is a number between 1 and 8) |
Switch
to a specific tab number |
| CTRL+9 |
Switch
to the last tab |
|
CTRL+ALT+F4 |
Close
other tabs |
| CTRL+Q |
Toggles
Quick Tabs (thumbnail view) on or off |
|
CTRL+PLUS SIGN |
Increase zoom (+ 10%) |
|
CTRL+MINUS SIGN |
Decrease zoom (- 10%) |
| CTRL+0 |
Zoom to
90% |
| CTRL+E |
Go to
the Toolbar Search box |
|
ALT+ENTER |
Open
your search query in a new tab |
|
CTRL+DOWN ARROW |
Open
the search provider menu |
| ALT+P |
Set
printing options and print the page |
| ALT+U |
Change
paper, headers and footers, orientation, and margins for this page |
|
ALT+HOME |
Display
the first page to be printed |
|
ALT+LEFT ARROW |
Display
the previous page to be printed |
| ALT+A |
Type
the number of the page you want displayed |
|
ALT+RIGHT ARROW |
Display
the next page to be printed |
| ALT+END |
Display
the last page to be printed |
|
ALT+MINUS SIGN |
Zoom
out |
|
ALT+PLUS SIGN |
Zoom in |
| ALT+Z |
Display
a list of zoom percentages |
| ALT+F |
Specify
how you want frames to print (this option is available only if you
are printing a webpage that uses frames) |
| ALT+C |
Close
Print Preview |
| ALT+D |
Select
the text in the Address bar |
| F4 |
Display
a list of addresses you've typed |
|
CTRL+LEFT ARROW |
When in
the Address bar, move the cursor left to the next logical break in
the address (period or slash) |
|
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW |
When in
the Address bar, move the cursor right to the next logical break in
the address (period or slash) |
|
CTRL+ENTER |
Add
"www." to the beginning and ".com" to the end of the text typed in
the Address bar |
| UP
ARROW |
Move
forward through the list of AutoComplete matches |
| DOWN
ARROW |
Move
back through the list of AutoComplete matches |
| CTRL+D |
Add the
current page to your favorites |
| CTRL+B |
Open
the Organize Favorites dialog box |
| ALT+UP
ARROW |
Move
selected item up in the Favorites list in the Organize
Favorites dialog box |
|
ALT+DOWN ARROW |
Move
selected item down in the Favorites list in the Organize
Favorites dialog box |
| CTRL+I |
Open
Favorites Center and display your favorites |
| CTRL+H |
Open
Favorites Center and display your history |
| CTRL+J |
Open
Favorites Center and display your web feeds |
| CTRL+X |
Remove
the selected items and copy them to the Clipboard |
| CTRL+C |
Copy
the selected items to the Clipboard |
| CTRL+V |
Insert
the contents of the Clipboard at the selected location |
| CTRL |
Select
all items on the current webpage |
| ALT+N |
Move
focus to the Information bar |
|
SPACEBAR |
Click
the Information bar |
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Web Page Print Options |
Internet Explorer 7 makes it
possible to make various changes to how a web page will print. Here's how:
- Go to File>> Page Setup
- In the 'Margins' boxes, type the
necessary margin measurements in inches.
- To setup the page to print either
vertically or horizontally, choose the Portrait or Landscape options.
- If you would like to print only
specific information, you can type in Variables into the Header or
Footer boxes (see table below).
Note: Variables can be
combined with text (as an example; Page &p of &P).
|
To Print: |
Type |
|
Window title |
&w |
|
Page address (URL) |
&u |
|
Date in short
format (as specified by Regional and Language Options in Control
Panel) |
&d |
|
Date in long format
(as specified by Regional and Language Options in Control Panel) |
&D |
|
Time (as specified
by Regional and Language Options in Control Panel) |
&t |
|
Time in 24-hour
format |
&T |
|
Current page number |
&p |
|
Total number of
pages |
&P |
|
Right-aligned text
(following &b) |
&b |
|
Centered text
(between &b&b) |
&b&b |
|
A single ampersand
(&) |
&& |
Additional
Notes:
- If you would like to
use millimeters for your margins, that setting can be changed at the
Regional and Language Options:
Start>> Control Panel>>
Regional and Language Options
- To view or change how
your web page will print, go to File>> Print Preview.
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100% CPU Usage |
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When you've installed Internet
Explorer 7 and notice that you have 100% CPU usage listed in CTRL + ALT +
DEL, it is most likely due to an older version of the IE Developer
toolbar being installed on your computer. Try uninstalling IE Developer from
Control Panel>> Add/Remove Programs, then, go here for an updated version
that no longer hangs.
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Text Zoom |
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In Internet Explorer 7, there
are a few different ways that you make the text you're viewing increase or
decrease in size. Here are your choices:
<>Scroll Mouse Control:
Increase or decrease the
text size by holding the CTRL button down on your keyboard while using the
scroll wheel on your mouse.
- Scroll forward to
increase
- Scroll backward to
decrease
<>Keyboard Control:
Hold down the CTRL button on
your keyboard and press the minus (-) or add (+) buttons.
- Minus button will
reduce text size
- Add button will
increase text size
<>UI (User Interface)
Control:
By pressing the ALT button
on your keyboard, you can toggle the text zoom feature on and off. The text
zoom feature will appear at the lower right of your screen. Click the down
arrow to select the desired text size.
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Going Back or Forward |
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In Internet Explorer 7, you can
always use the traditional method of going backward or forward between web
pages by using the left and right pointing buttons on the toolbar located at
the top left of your screen.
There is also an additional
method supplied that you may find a little quicker. Simply hold down the
SHIFT key on your keyboard and use your scroll mouse to page forward or
backward.
- Scroll the mouse
forward to move to ahead.
- Scroll the mouse
backwards to move back.
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Choose your own programs |
If you would like to choose
your own programs that you would like to run with Internet Explorer 7, such
as; e-mail, newsgroups, calendar or Internet calls, here's how:
1. Open Internet Explorer 7
2. Click the Tools menu>> Internet Options>> Programs tab
3. Under Internet programs, choose the program you would like to use for
each category listed.
4. Once you have finished making your selections, click Apply, then OK.
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Create a Favicon Image |
I had some trouble making IE7
show a Favicon image so I decided to help those of you that are doing the
same thing. Please keep in mind that only IE5+ supports the favicon image.
Here are the steps:
1) Create a .gif image that you would like to use as a Favicon.
2) Use a suitable conversion program that will make this image a Favicon
image with a .ico file extension. Here is the one that I used:
http://www.chami.com/html-kit/services/favicon/
3) Once you have created the
image and converted it, you are now ready to upload the image to the root
directory of your web site.
4) This should now be enough to make the Favicon show up in Firefox, but it
may not show up in IE5+. So, let's continue.
5) Place the favicon.ico image in to your "image" directory. (eg:
www.yoursite.com/images/favicon.ico)
6) Place the Favicon image on your Index.htm(l) page ensuring that the
complete path is www.yoursite.com/images/favicon.ico
7) Now, once you have uploaded all of the above files, it is time to clear
out your cache. here's how:
A. Open IE 5+
B. Go to Tools>> Internet Options
C. Delete your Temporary Internet Files (include offline content)
D. Delete your History as well.
8) It may be necessary to place
a "link" (<link rel="shortcut icon" href="http://www.yoursite.com/favicon.ico"/>)
tag within your <HEAD> </HEAD> tags.
9) Close IE5+, then reopen IE5. Now, type in the URL of the web site that
you have your Favicon uploaded. It may be necessary to press F5 on your
keyboard to reload the page in order to force IE to show the Favicon.
If you have followed the above instructions to the letter, you will now have
a Favicon showing on your browser. If you are still having trouble, please
use the support form to get help.
Free Computer Support
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Force the File Menu to the top |
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If you would like the file menu
to reside where it did in IE6, here's how:
Warning: Be sure that you make
a backup copy
before making any changes to the Windows Registry.
- Go to Start>> Run. Type
in: regedit [Enter] or click OK.
- Navigate to the
following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar\WebBrowser
- Left click once on the
"WebBrowser" entry to view its contents in the right pane.
- Right click an empty
area of the right pane.
- Select >> New>> DWORD
- Name the DWORD:
ITBar7Position [Enter]
- Double click your newly
created DWORD and enter a value data of: 00000001
- Click OK and exit the
registry editor
Close Internet Explorer (if
open) and re-open Internet Explorer. Your change should now be visible.
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Set as Background option is disabled |
|
If you're trying to set a
background to your desktop in Internet Explorer but the right click option
"Set as Background" is greyed out, follow the instructions below to enable
this command.
Warning: Prior to making any changes to the Windows Registry make sure
that you have made a
backup copy.
- Go to Start>> Run. Type
in: regedit [Enter] or click OK.
- Navigate to the
following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ActiveDesktop
- Single left click on
the entry titled: ActiveDesktop
- In the right pane,
locate the entry titled: NoChangingWallPaper
- Double click the
NoChangingWallPaper entry and then change the DWORD value to 0 (zero)
Note: The DWORD values are:
[Top] |
|
Repairing Windows XP causes Internet Explorer 7 to
fail |
If you perform a repair
installation of Windows XP, you must first insure that you uninstall
Internet Explorer 7 first. Otherwise, once the repair installation is
complete, Internet Explorer 7 will no longer function. The reason this
happens is because the repair installation will not restore earlier versions
of the files in the Program files\Internet Explorer folder. This will make
IE7 incompatible with the IE6 files that are installed in the
Windows\System32 folder.
To uninstall Internet Explorer 7, follow the instructions below:
<>Uninstall IE7 on a Windows XP SP2 system:
- Go to Start>> Run. Type
in: appwiz.cpl [Enter] or click OK.
- The Add or Remove
programs windows will now appear. Scroll the currently installed
programs list to find Internet Explorer 7.
- Click the Internet
Explorer 7 entry and select the Remove button.
If Internet Explorer does
not show in the currently installed programs list, follow the instructions
below:
<>Restart Windows XP in the Recovery Console, here's how:
- Insert either the
Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the
Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.
Note: If prompted, select
any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive.
- Press "R" when the
"Welcome to Setup" screen appears. This will start the Recovery Console.
- In the event you have a
dual boot or a multi-boot system, you will need to select the
appropriate installation.
- Type in the
Administrator password when prompted. If there is no Administrator
password, simply press ENTER.
- At the command prompt,
type:
CD ie7\spuninst
batch Spuninst.txt
Note: Press ENTER after each
command.
- To exit the Recovery
Console, type: exit [Enter]
At this time, it is OK to
perform the Windows XP repair installation. Once the repair installation is
complete. Open Internet Explorer 6 and be sure that it is functioning
correctly. If IE6 performs correctly, you can now safely reinstall IE7.
<>Reinstall Internet Explorer 7:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/default.mspx
Note: If after performing a repair installation of Windows XP the IE6
browser does not function, you will need to use a functioning web browser to
install the IE7 installation package.
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Make IE7 remember to open a link in a maximized window |
Q: Every time I click a link in
Internet Explorer 7 the window opens in a small window. I have to maximize
it. It just won't remember the last setting. How can I get it to open
maximized all of the time?
A: Try this:
- Click the hyperlink to
open Internet Explorer 7.
- Maximize the window.
- Click the "X" at the
top right.
- Click the hyperlink
again.
It should now open maximized
from now on.
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Put the IE7 Icon on the Vista Desktop |
To Add the IE7 Icon to your
Vista Desktop:
- Click the "Download
Now" button (below):
- Click Run at the
Security prompt
- At the UAC prompt,
select "Continue"
- When you receive a
prompt asking if you would like to continue, select Yes.
- You should receive a
prompt notifying that all the values have been successfully added to the
registry, click OK.
- Click an empty area of
your desktop and press F5 on your keyboard to refresh your desktop. The
icon should now reside on your desktop.
To remove the IE7 icon
from your Vista Desktop:
- Click the "Download
Now" button (below):
- Click Run at the
Security prompt
- At the UAC prompt,
select "Continue"
- When you receive a
prompt asking if you would like to continue, select Yes.
- You should receive a
prompt notifying that all the values have been successfully added to the
registry, click OK.
- Click an empty area of
your desktop and press F5 on your keyboard to refresh your desktop. The
icon should be removed from your desktop.
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Controlling Cookies |
Introduction:
Cookies were developed as a time saving feature. Their purpose is to tell
the browser that you have returned to a previously visited web page so that
it can recall all of the pages information very quickly through the
previously stored cookie. The different types of cookies are:
- Persistent:
These cookies are written directly to either your Windows Directory
Cookie folder (Windir\Cookies) or your User Profile Cookie folder. These
cookies will remain in these folders until manually deleted from your
system.
- Session:
These cookies are stored in your systems memory and are created only for
the specific session. Once you exit your browser, these session cookies
are purged from memory.
- First-Party:
These cookies are originated at a host domain.
- Third-Party:
These cookies are cookies that are set from other web pages off of the
host domain.
In Internet Explorer 7, you
can control how you would like to handle the cookies that install when
visiting websites. You can block, accept or have IE7 prompt you when a
cookie is trying to install. Here's how:
- Open Internet Explorer
7
- Select Tools
- Select Internet Options
- Select the Privacy tab
- Select the Advanced
button
- From here, you can
select to override IE7's automatic cookie handling by placing a
checkmark in the checkbox titled: Override automatic cookie handling.
Then you can choose Accept, Block or Prompt from both the First-party
and Third-party cookie sections.
- Click OK when finished
with your setting changes
You can also control how
cookies are handled on a per-site basis. You can store website addresses to
always allow or always block cookies. Here's how:
- Open Internet Explorer
7
- Select Tools
- Select Internet Options
- Select the Privacy tab
- Select the Sites button
- Under the "Address of
website" category, type in the website that you would like to control
cookies
- Select either of the
two buttons to the right of the web address to always "Allow" or always
"Block" cookies. To remove a websites address from the list, simply
click to highlight the website and then select the "Remove" button.
- When finished making
your setting changes, click OK
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