One of the most important features of Internet
Explorer is the capability to tailor it to your specific needs. Every
user sets up IE differently based on programs used, favorite websites,
bandwidth capability, security needs, and so on.
You
can make most customizations in the Internet Options dialog box, which
you can access either through the Control Panel or by clicking the
Tools button and then clicking Internet Options. The dialog box
contains seven tabs, each holding a number of unique preference
settings. Figure 1 shows the General tab.
Check each tab in the dialog box to customize your own IE8 settings. Table 1 describes some of the key Internet Options settings you can change.
Table 1. Important Internet Options
| Tab | Option | Description |
|---|
| General | Home Page | The
home page is the first page that appears when you open IE. It is
probably set to the MSN home page or has been customized by your PC’s
manufacturer. Consider changing this page to your company’s home page
or something else you find more useful. |
| | Browsing History | IE8
maintains a record of the websites you have visited. You can change the
length of time these records are kept or clear the history altogether,
including all cookies, saved passwords, and web form information. A
cookie is a message from a website that IE8 stores on your computer.
When you return to that website, IE8 sends the message in the cookie to
the site so that it loads more quickly and can also provide customized
web searches. If you don’t want cookies on your computer, you can
delete them. |
| | Search | You can change the default search provider for IE8. |
| | Tabs | You can tell IE8 whether you want to have tabbed web pages and how to open pop-ups and links from other programs. |
| | Appearance (Colors, Fonts, and so on) | You can customize default colors, fonts, and languages, and set accessibility options here. |
| Security | Zones and Levels |
|
| Privacy | Settings | This area defines how and when cookies are sent.
|
| | Pop-Up Blocker | You
can turn on the pop-up blocker to keep most pop-up windows generated by
a website from appearing and annoying you. If you want to see these
pop-up windows, you can also turn off the pop-up blocker. |
| | InPrivate Filtering | You can enable InPrivate Filtering data collection and disable toolbars and extensions when InPrivate Browsing is in effect. |
| Content | Parental Controls | You can specify time-of-day settings, enforce activity reporting and control access to Web-sites, games, and Internet programs. |
| | Content Advisor | You can set ratings for each website you visit to control which users can see that content on your computer. |
| | Certificates | When
a web page tries to run a script or install a piece of software on your
computer, you can accept certificates from the publisher to
authenticate their identity and trustworthiness.
|
| | AutoComplete | You can enable or disable AutoComplete when typing web URLs, email addresses, or form data. |
| | Feeds and Web Slices | You can specify how often you receive a web feed and updated content from a website. |
| Connections | | You can set up preferences for your Internet connection, whether it be through a dial-up or network connection. |
| Programs | | You can select default programs for various actions.
|
| Advanced | | You
can set various (but obscure) options for browsing, multimedia, web
page printing, searches from the Address bar, and security. You can
also enable and disable automatic downloading of graphics, videos,
audio, and more. |
