One thing to watch for when surfing the Web is that many servers run Unix and are case-sensitive. This means that `Index' and `index' are not the same. If you get an error message after you manually enter a name in the Address box, check the case.
Don't you just hate it when you're viewing a lengthy Web page and the links are at the bottom? You don't have to scroll through the entire page to get to the links. All you have to do is press the End key. If you want to quickly get to the top of a page, press Home.
The Web isn't all there is to the Internet. Try Gopher, too. Gopher is a text-only service developed by the University of Minnesota. To check it out type into the Address box 'gopher://gopher.tc.umn.edu' and press Enter.
There are several ways to save a Web page. If you want to save the source code, choose File|Save As File and when the dialog box opens, click the down arrow at the right of the Save As Type list box to expand the list. Select Plain text (*.TXT) and then choose a destination folder. Assign a name to the file and click OK. If you want to save the page as an HTML file, select HTML in the Save As Type list box.
If you're performing a search on a phrase rather than several separate words, use a hyphen between the words. For example, `amateur-radio' will find more specific sites than will `amateur' and `radio.' Whenever you enter several words and get back some seemingly unrelated sites, try using a hyphen to see if that clears out some of the deadwood.
Slow Internet login? Go into Dial Up Networking, right click on the connection of interest, then choose Properties. Under Server Type, make sure "Log on to Network" is NOT checked. Also make sure IPX/SPX and NetBEUI are NOT checked. These three items may either cause the connection to fail or take a long time to connect.
Want to find out what kind of route your system takes to get to a specific site? Try this: While logged on to the Internet, open an MS-DOS prompt and type 'Tracert,' followed by the URL you want to track, like this: 'Tracert www.pcworld.com' Press Enter. You'll get a complete report on your signal's route. When you finish with your tracing, type exit at the command prompt to close the MS-DOS window.