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I have Windows XP running IE 8 with service pack 3. When I open it, it says connecting but it doesn’t. If I do one or two more times, it connects right away. When browsing the same pages, sometimes they load, other times a blank page loads on top of it. I also have Foxfire and it runs just fine. Help?

Internet Explorer 8

Internet Explorer 8 is the latest version of Internet Explorer offering additional features such as accelerators and Web slices to the popular Web browser from Microsoft. However, if Internet Explorer doesn’t open properly, you can’t take advantage of its cool new features. Since, IE 8 opens intermittently and you have Firefox as a backup browser, you are in the fortunate position where this is more of an annoyance than a crisis. Let’s see if we can get IE 8 to cooperate with your computer so you don’t have to be annoyed anymore.

Check Windows Update

First, let’s make sure that your computer is updated with the latest updates from Microsoft. Go to your Control Panel and click on the Windows Update icon and install the latest updates. Look through the list for any optional updates that may not have been applied and apply any that are related to Internet Explorer.

Check Internet Connection Settings

Next, let’s check to make sure that you have Internet Explorer set up to connect to the Internet properly. This will only apply if you are using dialup networking. Go to Start and right click on the Internet Explorer icon. Choose Properties. Click on the Connection tab and make sure that you have it set to dial a connection. You may need to make sure that the phone number is the correct one for your Internet Service Provider.

Reset Internet Explorer’s Settings

Resetting Internet Explorer’s settings back to their default settings often clears problems with the browser. Go to the Advanced tab of Internet Options (Tools > Internet Options) and then click on the Reset button.

Run Internet Explorer without Add-ons

Add-ons often interfere with Internet Explorer. Try running IE8 without add-ons and see if that solves the problem. You do this by closing any current IE8 windows and then going to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Internet Explorer no add-ons. If that barebones version of Internet Explorer runs fine, then you will need to isolate the offending add-on and remove it. Do this by launching your regular version of IE8 and then going to Tools > Manage Add-ons. Disable each one and then re-enable them one at a time until the problem appears again. You’ll then know which add-on is causing Explorer to fail.

Temporarily Turn off Pop-up Blockers

Temporarily turn off any third party pop-up blocking software as it may be interfering with Internet Explorer. If IE8 runs fine without the pop-up blocker, then you may need to disable it permanently and use the built-on pop-up blocker instead.

Hopefully one of these tips will do the trick for you. If not, you might try a fresh download of IE 8. It’s also possible that the browser has been hijacked by malware so update your computer security software and then run a complete system scan to rule out this possibility.

Hi! Can someone please help me? I have an HP Computer and I can’t get into my computer’s memory to clean out the memory and what I have downloaded. I want to keep my passwords and sites I have in favorites.

It seems to me that you are trying to delete your web browsing history and downloads from either Firefox or Internet Explorer while keeping your favorites. This is an easy process, no matter what browser you are using, although the methods are slightly different.

Clearing Out Internet Explorer

If you are using Internet Explorer, most of what you want to access is located on the toolbar. If you want to delete your browsing history so that other people can’t log onto your computer and see where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing:

• 1. Open up the Internet Explorer browser.
• 2. Click on Tools on the toolbar and then click on Internet Options.
• 3. Choose the General tab and find “Browsing History”.
• 4. Click on the button beside Browsing History to delete everything from the system.

If you want to clean out your temporary Internet files cache, the process is similar:

• 1. Open up Internet Explorer.
• 2. Choose Tools and then choose Internet Options.
• 3. On the General tab, find Temporary Internet Files and click to delete them.

In this same section of the Tools option, you can choose to delete or keep everything from temporary files, passwords, web form information, tracking cookies and history. Clicking on the button next to the item will allow the system to delete it, while leaving it blank will allow the system to keep the information intact. All of these shouldn’t affect your favorites list at all.

Clearing Out Firefox

The easy way to clean out your downloads in Firefox, is to choose Tools on the toolbar and then click on Downloads. This will bring up the Downloads box and will show everything that has been downloaded onto your computer and placed in the Downloads folder. Click on the “Clear List” button to delete all of these downloads, or delete them one by one. Make sure that anything you have downloaded and want to save has been saved in a different file.

To clear your browsing history in Firefox, follow these steps:

• 1. Open Firefox and click on Tools on the toolbar.
• 2. Click on Options and then choose Privacy.
• 3. In the History box, choose “Clear your recent history”. You can choose a time frame to clear the history ranging from one hour to the entire history file.

Once you have found out how to navigate the browser’s toolbar, you will find all of this information at your fingertips.

My computer won’t download any files. How do I fix this?

It’s frustrating when your computer won’t download any files, but there’s usually an easy fix. Let’s take a look at your Internet Explorer settings and see if we can set your computer up for downloading. The two main areas to focus on are the security settings and Active X controls settings.

Setting Security Settings for Downloading Files

First, open Internet Explorer and go to the Tools menu. Choose Internet Options. Click on the Security tab and then click on the button labeled “Custom.” You should see a lengthy list of settings. Scroll through the list until you come to the Download section. Now look at “File Download.” Is this option set to “Disable”? If so, that’s why your computer won’t download any files. Change this setting to “Enable” and confirm your decision by clicking OK and exiting the Internet Options dialog box. Restart Internet Explorer for the change to take place.

Adjusting ActiveX Controls for Downloads

Another common problem with downloads involves your ActiveX settings. Many download programs require the use of a Web browser add-on known as an ActiveX control. Add-ons and ActiveX controls add additional features to the Web browser such as the ability to download a file. However, if your browser’s security settings are set too high or are actively blocking these controls, your computer won’t be able to download files.

You may have noticed ActiveX options when you were scrolling through the list of security settings earlier. Let’s go back into Internet Options and make a few adjustments to your ActiveX controls. Go to Tools > Internet Options > Security > Custom and scroll through the settings until you come to ActiveX Controls and Plugins. Make sure that “Download signed ActiveX controls” is set to “Enable” or “Prompt.” Make sure that “Download unsigned ActiveX controls” is disabled. Signed controls are generally considered safe while unsigned ones are questionable.

If your browser is set to prompt you before downloading signed ActiveX controls, when you run into a file requiring an ActiveX control as part of the download process, a small yellow bar will appear just below the browser’s toolbar area prompting you to authorize the download. Once you click the link, the download process will begin.

Over the last couple of weeks every time I try to add a photo from “My Pictures” to an email the files start to load then Firefox crashes. The same happens when I try Internet Explorer 7. Can you help, please?

Attachment File Types and Sizes

This issue could be related to the type of photo file that you are trying to attach - it is possible that the type is not supported, or that the file is just too big for your browser to handle it. Before you try to upload your photo attachments to email, you should probably try resizing them to a more manageable size.

Resize Your Photo in Windows

To resize your photos in Windows, follow these steps.

1. Open the folder containing your pictures and click to highlight the ones you want to resize.
2. On the right side you’ll see the amount of KB of each photo, as well as a file type - depending on your email client, you might also need to change the type of file you have the photos saved as.
3. With the selected photos highlighted, right click them and a popup will open - choose Resize Pictures
4. This will open another box - choose the size that you want - small is recommended - or, depending on your operating system, you might also see a special email size option
5. You can also click Advanced for more options - such as making copies so that you can keep an original at the existing size
6. When you have made the changes, click OK
7. You can now move or drag and drop the photos into a new folder for easy storage and organization

Resize Your Photo in Your Email

When you are using Windows, it is also possible to resize the photos during the attachment process in your email.

1. Open the folder containing the photo files and click to highlight the ones you want. You can also hold the CTRL key while clicking to select several that aren’t in a list and skip others
2. On the left side of the window you will have File and Folder Options - click to open, then choose Email the Selected Items
3. This will open a popup with options. Choose Make My Pictures Smaller - or Show More Options for more options

Change the Photo File Extension

Changing the format might also help. Depending on the email client that you are using, the photo’s file extension might not be compatible. Changing the file type is easy, just open the photo on your desktop and then click the File tab at the top of the screen. Choose Save As, then select a format from the drop menu - jpeg is a fairly universal format.

Update Your Software

It is also possible that you are missing some updates that would help your programs run smoothly. Firefox issues automatic updates, users just need to permit them to install. If you haven’t been accepting the updates, you can visit the Firefox Mozilla website and install the latest version manually. The same applies for both Windows and Internet Explorer. If you are running Windows XP, there are currently three service packs of updates available at Windows Updates, and there is one service pack available for Vista. Internet Explorer can also be updated to version 7 or 8. If you are using a different email client or photo program, make sure that you have the most recent versions of that software as well. Keeping your software current will help ensure compatibility and optimal performance.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

I just bought a laptop installed with Windows Vista and downloaded AOL 9.1.When browsing with Vista’s Internet Explorer, I enjoy the ability to zoom in on Web pages with the zoom function found in the lower right hand corner of my screen. However, when I use the AOL 9.1 browser, that zoom function is missing from the screen corner. Where is it on AOL 9.1? How do I access it?

This was a bit tricky to figure out as I tried in vain to download and install AOL 9.1 on my computer. It simply wouldn’t cooperate. However, I’m not one to give up so quickly. I explored AOL’s help files on line and found out the answer.

Web Browser Features

First, AOL 9.1 and Internet Explorer are two distinct Web browsers made by two different entities: AOL and Microsoft. The zoom feature that you described in Internet Explorer is indeed helpful. In fact, I used it when researching this problem for you by zooming in on screenshots of AOL 9.1 in search of a similar tool. However, because they are different browsers, it makes sense that each browser would have its own set of features. I worried that perhaps AOL 9.1 might lack a zoom utility.

AOL Desktop’s Power Browsing and Page Display Features

Note: the instructions that I found were for AOL’s Desktop Browser version 10.1, so the steps or wording may be a little different for version 9.1.

Fortunately, it looks as though my fears may be unfounded. I found out that AOL’s Desktop browser has a “Power Browsing” feature. Within the Power Browsing feature are options for viewing a specific Web page - including zooming in and out of the page.

In order to access the Power Browsing tools, go to a Web page using the AOL browser. Now, right-click somewhere within the Web page. A sub-menu should appear listing Power Browsing as a choice. If not, another way to access this feature is via the Tools menu of the browser. Click Tools > Power Browsing. Now, you should see a list of options. Choose Page Display. Now choose either Zoom Page In or Zoom Page Out depending on your preferences.

Windows Display Options

Another option that is available to you is using Windows Vista’s zooming utilities. Go to the Control Panel and click on the Ease of Access Center. Click on Start Magnifier. This will start a magnifying glass-like feature that you can use when browsing the Web, reading e-mail, working with documents, and so on. A rectangular bar will appear at the top of your screen, magnifying the immediate area surrounding your cursor. It takes a bit of getting used to, but is helpful for zooming in and magnifying certain areas of the computer screen. You can adjust the Magnifier’s settings by double-clicking its icon in the Taskbar. For instance, you can change its docking position, scaling, magnification level, and tracking options.

My normal Internet Explorer has abandoned me. How do I get it back?

Internet Explorer Icon is Missing

First, let’s determine if the program itself is missing or its icon. Normally, your desktop will have an icon for Internet Explorer as well as your Start menu. Let’s test both to see if either works. Click the desktop icon for Internet Explorer, if present. Does it work? If not, delete it. We’ll replace it later.

Now, click the Start button and test the Internet Explorer icon there. Any luck? Not there?

Finding the iexplore.exe File

Now, let’s go into Windows Explorer and see if we can launch Internet Explorer directly from its iexplore.exe file. This file is located in: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe

Double click the file and see if Internet Explorer launches. If so, we simply need to create new shortcuts. If not, you may need to reinstall Internet Explorer.

Recreating IE Shortcuts      

To create new shortcuts, simply right-click the iexplore.exe file and choose Send To > Desktop. This will place a new shortcut on your Desktop, replacing the icon that you earlier deleted. You may need to “refresh” the Desktop by right-clicking a blank area and choosing Refresh. If you want to place a shortcut in your Start menu, right-click iexplore.exe and choose Pin to Start Menu.

Internet Explorer and Windows 7

If you’ve recently upgraded to Windows 7, you may notice that the Desktop doesn’t have an Internet Explorer icon. This is due to compliance issues. No worries, you can manually add an icon as discussed above.

Other Possibilities

Another thing to try is to make sure that Show Desktop Icons is turned on. Right-click a blank area and choose View (Vista) or Arrange Icons by (XP) and make sure that Show Desktop Icons is enabled.

You can also check to make sure that Internet Explorer is enabled. Go to Start > Default Programs (Vista) or Set Program Access and Defaults (XP). Look for Choose a Configuration and then click Custom. Look for Internet Explorer and place a check mark in the “Enable access to this program” box.

Reinstall Internet Explorer

Finally, you may need to download and reinstall Internet Explorer. The latest version is IE8, however, if you want an earlier version, you can also download IE6 or IE7 on the same download page.