Browser Tips.

Since most of the information users are looking for is on the Internet, the browser has become probably the most important and most-used program on the PC. Keeping it running in tip-top shape is almost a given. There are lots of things you can do to keep your browsers (you probably want more than one!) running smoothly and minimize the headaches that can surface without warning.

Use the latest version

Browsers have evolved quickly the last couple of years, It seems like every month there is a new version of one of the many browsers out there. Keeping yours up to date will ensure it is the fastest and most secure it can be.

Microsoft Edge is Microsoft's newest browser for Windows 10. It is faster than Internet Explorer, and more secure. But since it is new, less than 2 years old, it still has some kinks and idiosyncracies that need to be worked out. It is the default for Windows 10, so if you don't change it, that will be your browser. You may be happy with it, and if so, all is well and good.

Internet Explorer is the Microsoft Browser built into older versions of Windows (except for some European and other country versions that prohibit bundling.) Current version for Windows XP is IE version 8, which is slowly becoming unsupported by many websites. (If you are running a version older than Internet Explorer 8, those versions may not work correctly on today's modern websites.) Version 8 is the last version of IE Microsoft will support for XP, because they want everyone to switch to the latest version of Windows, currently Windows 8. There are other browsers available, though, that run very well on XP so that should not be a compelling reason to abandon XP. It is stlll available in Windows 10, if you want to use it, go to the "Run" menu item off the right-click start menu, and enter "iexplore" and hit enter. This will bring up IE 11, which you can then pin to the taskbar.

Windows Vista will run IE 7, 8 and 9, but not version 10 or 11, which are for Windows 7 and 8 only. Windows 7 comes with version 8, but with SP1 will run IE 9, 10 and 11. Windows 8 runs IE 10 and 11 and the IE app. Windows 10 runns IE 11 and the new Edge browser. Confusing? Definitely!

Mozilla Firefox is an alternative, free browser from Mozilla.org. It is open-source and fully standards compliant, which is one of the knocks on Microsoft's browsers. Microsoft is moving closer to the standards, and claims that IE 11 is fully standards-based. Firefox is descended from the original Netscape browser, which was originally far and away the browser king until IE knocked it off its throne back many years ago. The Netscape code was integrated into the original Firefox browser which emerged from the bankrupt Netscape. Today's Firefox is fast and stable. It's only real shortcoming is it is a bit slow loading initially.

Google Chrome is another alternative browser (surveys indicate it is the fastest-growing and most popular) that is fast and lean. It has a much cleaner interface than iE, and is touted as the fastest browser ever. Chrome is standards-compliant but is closed-source, which makes it similar to a proprietary browser like IE. There is a lot less available to customize than either IE or Firefox, but it is still pretty flexible.

Safari is Apple's browser, used on all Apple devices. It is portable though, which means it will run on Windows. It is proprietary, and I am not sure about its standards compliance. It is plenty fast though.

Another popular browser is Opera, it is free, fast and proprietary, and standards compliant.

There are many browser choices beyond those mentioned here. A comparison chart lists most of them. Unless you like to experiment, I would recommend you stick with IE, Firefox, and Chrome, in that order.

Clean up the Temporary Internet files and Cookies

Every time you browse the web, the browser downloads the entire website and stores it in the Temporary Internet Files folder for later use. Over time, this can amount to a lot of data. When a web site address is entered, the browser checks the temporary internet files folder to see if the web site is stored there. If it is, and the latest version, the page is displayed from there, which is inherently faster.

If there is a large amount of files, that can take some time, and slows down the browser. Minimizing the temporary file storage, and cleaning it out frequently, can keep your speedy browser - well, speedy. Each browser is different in how this is accomplished. The easiest way is with a file cleaner program such as TFC.

Today's web pages are far more dynamic than those of a few years ago, they can change every few seconds. Add to that the increased download speeds (remember 300 baud modems?) and the need for lots of space for temporary internet files space is greatly reduced. The good news is that the amount of storage space is generally adjustable. (Video for IE coming soon.)

Toolbars and Add-ons

Having a bunch of toolbars and plug-ins (or add-ons) installed in your browser can significantly affect your browsing experience in a very negative way. In addition to taking up real estate in the browser window, toolbars can be magnets for malware. Add-ons can slow down your browser if they are installed and running all the time. Most users do not even know which add-ons are installed in their browsers, much less how to turn them off.

Most toolbars get installed along with other, useful software, they come along as "freebies,' and their installation happens because users don't read or understand the screens that appear during an installation, and simply click "Next" each time until the program is installed. If the user (that would be you!) would watch a little more closely, they would see a screen that tells them they can install "a wonderful, free toolbar" that will make their Internet experience more wonderful, and the check box that says "Yes, install this wonderful, free toolbar" is already checked. How convenient! Simply unchecking one little box (or two) would prevent the toolbar and any other unnecessary software that accompanies it from being installed.

These sneaky installations happen with Adobe Flash updates, Java Updates, and virtually every other free utility package we use in our day-to-day computing operations. The remedy for these unwanted and unneeded toolbars is to remove them all. See the video below to see how to do this.

(video coming soon!)

Plug-ins and Add-ons don't usually cause the problems that toolbars do, but if you don't have any toolbars but your browser still loads very slowly, an obsolete or outdated add-on might be the cause. You can try disabling all the add-ons and restarting the browser, as shown in the video below.

(video coming soon!)