Browsers

Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.

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Questions and answers relating to the tool we all perhaps use the most: our web browsers.

Do new browser features offering privacy really work?

Google Chrome offers Incognito mode, and IE8 offers InPrivate browsing. We'll look at how they work, and how private they really are.

Does a sandbox or virtual machine help protect your privacy?

Sandboxes and Virtual Machines can help isolate you from certain types of threats. We'll look at what they are and how they might, or might not, help.

Does leaving tabs open in my browser eat up bandwidth?

Having multiple websites open should have no impact on your internet bandwidth usage, unless those sites are actively uploading or downloading data.

Does private browsing or stealth mode count as anonymous surfing?

Private Browsing modes protect your privacy on your machine, while Anonymous surfing protects your identity on the internet. They're not related.

Does the Flash Player store things in my computer? Is that safe?

Flash Player can store information on your computer much like your browser stores cookies. We'll look at the risk, and how to manage the settings.

Does this email address that shows for auto-complete mean my computer or account has been hacked?

Autocomplete, or "suggestions" made when filling out a web form can be misleading, even frightening, until you realize where the suggestions come from.

How do I Java-enable my browser?

Several online chatrooms require you to have java enabled in your browser. Using the tutorial linked in this article will show you how to enable it.

How do I change my browser home page back to what I want?

Occasionally, when installing software it'll change your home page "for you". I'll walk you through why, and what to do to reset it.

How do I delete cookies?

Cookies can be used to save your password, or your logged in state, when you visit some web sites. I'll walk through clearing them.

How do I get PDF files to open inside my browser? Or not?

Configuring where PDF documents on the web should be displayed - within your browser or not - turns out to be somewhat tricky. I'll look at the options.

How do I get my login ID and password to stop showing on sites that I log into?

Web browsers include features that will remember your login ID and password for various sites for you. We'll look at how that works in Firefox.

How do I get rid of these new banner ads and tabs that pop up on websites?

Pop-up blockers are designed to catch new pages from popping up off a website, but sometimes, they might not be able to grab ad features that are a part of the website itself.

How do I get rid of toolbars in my browser?

It's all too easy for browser toolbars to accumulate to an almost unusable collection. We'll look at how to prevent, and remove, browser toolbars.

How do I stop QuickTime from playing audio files in my browser?

QuickTime Player, a popular player for various formats, has a nasty habit of inserting itself into your browser, and being difficult to remove.

Is it safe to let my browser remember passwords?

Saving passwords for you is a convenient feature of most browsers. It's important to understand that with that convenience comes risk.

Is there a way to prevent toolbars from ever downloading to a computer?

Many software vendors offer a download for browser toolbars... whether we want them or not. Sometimes, the offers are hidden.

Recommendation: Popup Blockers

Should I take the latest Flash update - and what update method should I choose?

Adobe has updated Flash player. It has an important change to how future updates work, as well as perhaps something that should be AVOIDED at all costs.

What is a Meebo bar? And is it bad?

Websites often add toolbars to their pages that do not install on your computer. They will show in your browser whether you sign up for the service or not.

What is about:blank, and how do I get rid of it?

About:blank is a special page within most browsers. It can appear due to problems, malware, or if there's been malware that's been removed.

What's a "mht" file and how do I reliably share them with others?

Web browsers can save the web page that you're currently viewing to your computer in a handful of formats. I'll look at each and what I do instead.

What's a browser cache, how do I "clear" it, and why would I want to?

"Clear your browser's cache" is a frequent first response when encountering web page problems. We'll look at why, and how.

What's the difference between "Run" and "Save" when downloading?

You can Run a download or you can Save it, it's a difference many of us take for granted. We'll look at what it really means to Run or Save.

Why are there only six asterisks in the password field when my password has more characters?

The number of asterisks that are hiding a password, an email address, or secret question might not represent the size of the answer.

Why can't I set my internet home page to what I want?

If you can't change it, your browser home page could be protected by anti-spyware software or it could be spyware itself getting in the way.

Why do I end up in the wrong place when I click on a link?

Redirects can be caused by various forms of malware and adware. There are also many legitimate reasons why a webpage may be redirected in the browser.

Why do I need a default browser?

The default browser is the application Windows uses to handle web and .html pages. There are ways to specify that a different application be used.

Why do I suddenly have another toolbar in my browser?

Browser toolbars come from two places: the browser, and addons or toolbars you ask for. It's easy to ask for toolbars without realizing it.

Why do some web pages not update like they should?

Every so often we run into web pages that don't stay up to date, displaying old information. We'll look at causes and possible solutions.

Why does my browser show I'm still downloading a webpage even though I've read to the bottom?

Web pages are designed to display content elements first to give you a quick visual representation of the page. Other things might take awhile or get stuck. There is a quick key you can tap to stop this behavior.

Why don't more websites fit in an 800x600 screen resolution?

Websites often have problems displaying in smaller windows, and 800x600 is increasingly considered to be small. There are a couple of things to try.

Why is there a slash through the https in my browser's address bar?

A slash through the padlock, the https, or the https appearing in red all mean one thing: something's wrong. Exactly what's wrong can vary.