Internet explorer: a guide for using some features

Internet explorer: a guide for using some features

Even if anyone does not use Internet Explorer as primary browser, at some point of time, we need to use it for proper rendering of certain webpages. This tutorial shows you some of the advanced features of Internet Explorer and how to use them.

This is your Internet Explorer's "top section"; you will see lots of buttons, tabs are visible (and there are invisible too!).

1. Lets Start with right top search bar. By default, its set to Bing search. However, you can change it as per your wish. Just click the down arrow to get the options, click on "Bing (Default)" to provoke a selection window.

2. Just below it, if you use Windows Live passport (= have Live or Hotmail account in short); your name and profile picture will be seen. You can change your profile, profile picture or sign out directly from here:

3. Just below the above, you will see this panel with some tabs:

(A) Click the home icon directly to go to your homepage, or click the downward arrow on right side of it to get this drop down menu:

You can change, add or remove any tabs from this menu.

(B) The right next to this home button is Feed button (See screenshot above point 3(A) ).

It can be used for saving either RSS Feeds (If the webpage supports) or Web Slices (Same, if webpage supports). For example, I am viewing SevenForums.com home page; now, if I click the Feed button:

I can get the option for RSS feed of the website. I just click that:

Note: Feed Tab will remain grayed out in Internet Explorer, if there is no feed for the page; on the other hand, it will be active (become orange colored) if there RSS / Web Slice present.

Now, I have clicked the "Subscribe to this feed" link:

Rename if you want, check the "Add to Favorite Bar" if you want to access it in one click from the browser and finally click "Subscribe". It will appear in the left side of your Internet Explorer:

Right click over it and select properties:

Clicking it will bring this Window:

If you select "Settings" tab, you will get:

(C) Next right to the above button is "Mail" button. I am not going to explain it.

(D) Next right button is "Print button". You can print the webpage directly by clicking it or can get the options by clicking the downward arrow key, just right to it:

(E) Next right to it is "Page button" Clicking the downward arrow key will bring a big menu:

This guide will get very bigger, if I explain each and every options; I guess almost every user knows their use, just explaining two options here:

i) View Source: This gives you the opportunity to examine the HTML source Code for any page. This can be helpful for Web Developers, particularly, those are crafting their own website, without much theoretical knowledge:

ii) Caret Browsing: In this mode, you can select the text or images in the website:

(F) Right to it, is "Safety Button" ; You can choose InPrivate browsing, Filtering, can control blocking a website or even can get updates:

(G) Next button is "Tools"; another big menu:

I will show two advanced things here;

i) Developers tool: Very useful for Web developers. If you click the option, this window will come:

Its itself so much option enabled, it itself deserves a complete tutorial of its own! Yoy can examine the HTML, CSS codes from here, Validate your website (CSS,

HTML or combined), pick a color, measure the website content/area by using a ruler from a point to other, and can save the CSS and HTML too.

ii) Internet options: Our old good Internet option:

Click "Colors" tab:

Your Interner Explorer will get synchronized with any color change you make for Windows Explorer.
You can Manage the Add ons, from Programs> Manage Add Ons:

(H) Next is "Help" button:

(I) By default, the last button in this group appears only if you have Office OneNote installed on your PC:

4. The next Tab group is nearly in the middle:

You can access these online services on one click on them.


5. Just right to it, there is a group:

The mouse in over the Language option; clicking the downward arrow of the first button will give you these options:

Clicking the second tab will give you one click access to news:

6. Hitting the [f10] key from your keyboard will give you the old good menu:

You can save any page, as a single document, by selecting to save in *.mht format from File > Save as... Menu:

You can make this old menu remain unhidden by going to View>Toolbars and check the "Menu Bar" option:

Yeah Greg, I face that too

TheIntruder said:

InPrivate filtering is turn off by default, to turn it on by default go in regedit to the key: HKEY Current User\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Safety\PrivacIE (if it don't exist, create Safety and PrivacIE).
Select PrivacIE and in the right panel you create a new DWORD value that you call StartMode, double-click on StartMode and give it the value 1. Valid and close regedit. Now InPrivate Filtering is alway on when you open internet explorer8.

Fantastic tip

mw2 said:

If i try doing all that on ie8 my computer will crack. IE8 IS SO SLOW!!!

Agreed. I use Opera for casual browsing because of faster rendering speed.
But IE is safe for bank transaction things, in my opinion :)