Tips from the Web: July, 2005

Bob Elves Internet SIG

How can I enlarge a page that the letters are too small to read?

Hold down ctrl and hit the + sign to enlarge,use ctrl and - sign to decrease or if you have a mouse wheel you can hold down ctrl and roll the wheel up or down.

How do I block Google from returning objectionable sites for an 8 year old ?

Google can filter explicit content from search results. At www.google.com, click the Preferences link beside the search box, look for SafeSearch Filtering and select Strict Filtering. This way, neither explicit text nor explicit images will appear in search results. For possibly safer searching, check out kid-friendly sites such as Yahooligans! www.yahooligans.com or Ask Jeeves for Kids www.ajkids.com .

How to Manage Firefox Bookmarks

Regardless of which browser you use, the best place to begin organizing your bookmarks is the Manage Bookmarks window. (Click Manage Bookmarks in the Bookmarks menu.) From here you can organize your bookmarks into existing folders and make new folders. Bookmarks appear nested under each folder, and double-clicking a folder lets you show or hide the contents of that folder. You can organize your bookmarks by dragging and dropping them into folders. A URL (uniform resource locator, or Web address) appears beside each entry in the Location column. You can always edit an entry’s name or location by right-clicking the item and selecting Properties. You can also delete a bookmark or folder by selecting the item and clicking Delete in the toolbar near the top of the window. To create a new folder, simply click New Folder in the toolbar, choose a name, and then drag and drop it where you want it. You may also wish to create separators to organize your folders into groups; click New Separator from the toolbar and drag and drop the separator into position.

No need to change e-mail address

Herb, from Cary, NC, had a question about switching to Firefox. Specifically, he wanted to know if he had to change his e-mail address.

Herb, Firefox doesn't have anything to do with e-mail. So it would have no effect on your e-mail address.

Firefox has a cousin in the e-mail department--Thunderbird. Some people are switching to it. Even then, though, you would not need to change your address. You can download Thunderbird for free:

http://www.mozilla.org/products/thunderbird/

As an analogy, consider your street address. It doesn't matter whether packages are being delivered by the Postal Service, UPS or FedEx. The address is always the same.

Online Shortcuts

For quicker access to a site, place a shortcut on your Desktop. Just right-click any blank portion of the Web page and select Create Shortcut from the pop-up menu. Click Yes when prompted to confirm your decision.

Put replies to messages in the correct place!

Ed, my editorial director, has started using Firefox's e-mail program, Thunderbird. When he replied to my messages, his reply was below my original message. That was irritating, because I'm used to seeing his replies above my originals.

It turns out that that can be adjusted in Thunderbird. Putting the new message at the end is apparently the default.

To change that in Thunderbird, click Tools>>Account Settings. "Automatically quote the original message when replying" should be checked. Click the down arrow in the drop down box, and select "start my reply above the quote." Click OK.

Share large files

Trying to transfer large files is a frustrating experience. Most e-mail accounts have limits on the size of attachments. However, YouSendIt provides a simple solution. You can upload files up to 1 gigabyte in size. Then you send a notification to the recipient. Recipients will only see the files they’re invited to view. They also can download the files. Just keep in mind that files are destroyed after one week. Further, the company says safeguards are in place to maintain the security of your files. TO VISIT THIS SITE, GO HERE: http://www.yousendit.com/

View Hidden Files

Hidden files, of course, will not appear unless you want them to. In Windows XP click Tools, Folder Options, and the View tab, and click the Show Hidden Files And Folders radio button. Clear the Hide Protected Operating System Files (Recommended) check-box and click Yes to confirm that you want to see these files. Also, clear the Hide Extensions For Known File Types checkbox to see file name extensions. In Windows Me click Tools, Folder Options, and the View tab. Deselect the Hide File Extensions For Known File Types checkbox. In Windows 98 click View and Folder Options. (In Windows 95 click Options.) On the View tab, clear the Hide File Extensions For Known File Types checkbox. (In Win95 this is the Hide MS-DOS File Extensions For File Types That Are Registered checkbox.)

You still need Internet Explorer for some tasks

Dana, in Tulsa, OK, complained that since switching to Firefox, she can't get automatic Windows updates. When she tried to download them manually, Firefox wouldn't work. So, she asks, what gives?

Dana, switching to Firefox should have no effect on automatic updates. So something else must be causing your problem. Double-check your settings. Click Start>>Control Panel. Double-click Automatic Updates. Select your settings.

You're correct about the manual updates. Firefox cannot render the Microsoft updates page properly. Neither can any other non-Microsoft browser. You're required to use Internet Explorer.

That's not a problem, since you're using Windows XP. You still have Internet Explorer on your machine (it's virtually impossible to remove from XP). If you click Start>>All Programs>>Windows Update, Internet Explorer will open. Then click Tools>>Windows Update, and you'll go directly to the update page.