The use of Internet services are one of the most dominant reasons for having personal computers and laptops. In order to operate and especially to maintain and troubleshoot your computer, it’s important to understand basic functions and terminology for computers. All of the fundamental components of computing are either hardware or software.

*Hardware *
Hardware is all the physical components of a computer—the monitor, keyboard, mouse, printer, and tower (or, on a laptop, the base, keyboard, and display screen) are all hardware. Other pieces of hardware can be added, changed, or removed after buying the basic components. Although hardware is the things you can see, you do have hardware parts that you can’t see, because they are connected or installed inside the computer tower. This is called internal hardware. External hardware is usually plugged into the back of the tower and is internal hardware. Here are more examples of hardware:

*CDs and DVDs—the physical plastic disc is hardware that stores software programs to run on your computer.
* CD drives and burners—for playing or recording information on CD’s.
* Modems—dial-up, cable, and DSL all require a modem (dial-up modems are often internal, but can be sold as external devices
* Wireless router—this device can be attached to a broadband modem to convert digital signal to wireless, so that you can connect to the Internet without having a cord plugged into the computer.
* Wireless card/network adapter— Usually internal, this component makes connecting wirelessly to broadband services possible, can also be bought and attached externally.
* Ipods, smartphones, Iphones, cellphones, blackberries—these devices would also be considered hardware, especially since they are often connected to the computer and can be used to connect to the Internet.

*Software*
Software is everything you can’t physically touch. It’s the programs and applications that make up everything that displays on the screen, enables the hardware to run and communicate with each other, and performs tasks. Without software, your computer would just be a complicated pile of metal and plastic.

There are basically two types of software: system software and application software. System software is what makes your computer function and controls background processes—most of which you do not need to control or might not even know about. Application software, or applications, is everything you use to complete your tasks. Here are some examples:
* Microsoft Office Suite—Word, Excel, and Outlook are all applications, and so are similar programs like WordPerfect or OpenOffice.
* Web browsers—Internet Explorer, Firefox, and MSN Explorer are just a few examples.
* Games, Calculators, Calendars, Wizards—well, everything on the All Programs list!
* Antivirus programs, Spyware scanners, Registry cleaners, etc.
*Music players like Windows Media Player and RealPlayer

Software is available in all sizes and styles to perform almost any imaginable tasks or form of entertainment. You can usually download them from the Internet, purchase it on CD’s in stores, and often come stored on a CD accompanied with hardware purchases.

Knowing the difference between software and hardware and how they work is the first step to keeping your computer in good shape (e.g., knowing how and when to upgrade it) and to troubleshoot basic problems (determining the cause of the problem—is it hardware or software related?).

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!

Every time your computer opens a webpage, it requests to retrieve pictures, images, and other data from a website to your computer. This process can take some time, especially on heavily loaded websites or if you're using a slow Internet connection like dial-up. To save time and be more efficient, your computer saves many of the files that download from each website to your harddrive. This makes several things possible:

* When you revisit a site you have already been to, your computer needs only to search for new information or changes to the website, and load all of the identical features (like images, logos, and layouts that don't change) from your computer.

* Sites you visit frequently will load because it does not need to re-download the entire site, every time you visit.

* When you click the “back”, “forward”, and “refresh” buttons on your browser toolbar, you can quickly reload pages you are currently visiting.

* Features like “History” used temporary Internet files to keep track of sites you visited recently, in case you want to go back to something you visited earlier that day or up to several weeks ago.

* You can view entire “stored” websites on your browser when you are not on the Internet. They may not have the most up-to-date information, but you will still be able to view information and use features that were loaded from a previous online visit.

* Some websites that have browser-based flash games can be played offline, because the temporary Internet files have saved this content to your computer. This means you can play some of your favorite games for hours without using online time on your Internet service.

Temporary Internet files are not always a good thing. It's nice to save the information from websites you visit frequently, but eventually, your computer will be full of saved files from hundreds of websites you only visited once and may not visit again. There is no need to keep this information.

Many times a technician will direct you to your Internet Options and have you delete all your temporary Internet files and cookies in order to free your browser of the clutter of all this unnecessary saved information from visited sites over time. This sometimes helps browsers run faster, and aviod error messages like “This page cannot be displayed”, etc.

This can be a quick fix that you can do if you are having problems with your browser. It may not solve your problem, but it never hurts to try—plus, cleaning out your browser is a good thing to do—especially if you do a lot of surfing.

• First, click Tools at the top of your browser.
• Then click “Internet Options” (or maybe “Options” if you are not using Internet Explorer)
• Then look for “Browsing History” or Temporary Internet Files”. Click the Delete or Delete Files button.
• If you click Delete, you will see a list of different types of stored information on your computer. You can select which you prefer to delete from here.

If you are using a browser other than Internet Explorer, the options will look slightly different. If you cannot find what you are looking for, you will find step by step instructions for most browsers on websites like wikihow.com/Clear-Your-Browser's-Cache. Also, there are many downloadable tools that clean your computer of Internet files and cookies regularly that are stored deep in your computer that will still remain behind after a manual delete described above. This is usually not necessary unless you need to make sure no one ever knows what websites you have visited.

Many browsers now offer the ability to surf the Internet without saving any information to your computer in the first place. Internet Explorer 8's “In-Private Browsing”, Firefox's “Private Browsing”, Chrome's “Incognito Mode”, are all the same concept—surf the Internet without leaving a trace on your computer. This is one of the best ways to surf privately and not allow anyone to retrieve the information later.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!

What Are Internet Cookies?

An Internet cookie is a text file that a website saves to your hard drive when you visit their site. This is helpful for websites to get an accurate representation of how many different people visit their site and how often. They can also make polls and surveys and ensure that no one is voting more than once.

It's also helpful to the visitor, for example, who want to save preferences. For example, if you like to check the weather and you enter your zip code, a cookie on your computer will notify the website that it's you that's looking at the webpage. They can automatically load the website with your location information in place. You don't have to reenter your zip code!

Here's another example of how cookies help you. If you check your email or log in to any other website, you can check to save your user name on your computer and it will be entered for you the next time you visit. Conveniences like shopping carts on online stores would not be possible without cookies. For many types of basic browsing and Internet uses, cookies are helpful and necessary.

How Internet Cookies Affect You

Since website store information about your searches, browsing practices, and purchases, it can be questionable whether cookies are really doing you a favor. Should you allow these website to gather this somewhat personal information? Well, for one thing, you are still anonymous. A cookie will just identify you as a string of letters and numbers. The only information it has is what you give it. For example, if you add your name and email address onto the website to register for their services, you are volunteering this extra information. Furthermore, if you use a free email account and a phone name, they still don't really know anything about you.

The worst thing that could happen from cookies having your information, or from registering your name and email on a website is that you might start getting unwanted email advertising. Unless you are a very private or overly cautious person, you will not suffer from allowing the websites you visit to store cookies on your computer.

Recommended Privacy Settings

There are differing options on what would be the best way to handle cookies. There are always going to be a few conspiracy theories going around about how terrible and unsafe the Internet is. The truth is that prominent Internet websites from reputable companies will often have a privacy policy to protect your information and only use it for their own marketing purposes (like recommending items similar to those you searched for or bought). ISP's and Internet browsers like Internet Explorer are constantly looking for ways to keep you safe and often block or warn you about harmful website. Most of the time, if you just use the default setting to handle your cookies, you will be safe and be able to use the Internet as you please.

There are two extremes when it comes to handling cookies. For example, you might be advised to not allow any cookies other than the ones from trusted sites whose privacy policy promises not to sell your personal information, and delete all your cookies once day/week/month, etc. This might sound like a great idea, but it is a lot of work, and, as mentioned in the previous section, is not really necessary unless you are overly concerned about your privacy. Furthermore, any time you begin placing stricter guards on your Internet surfing, you risk causing some features not to work properly, for example:

* If you don't allow session cookies, you might not be able to stay logged into your email long enough to finish writing your message and lose your content when you click send.

* If you block all cookies from incoming websites, some perfectly safe websites will not be able to load certain functions, or may not load at all. If you get a message on your browser saying that something like "this page cannot load because you are not accepting cookies", it means you must either add the site to your safe list or lower your cookies restrictions if you want that site to load.

*If you constantly delete cookies, websites will not be able to save log in information and preferences.

The other extreme to the recommendations for your Internet privacy is to allow all and every cookies, both first and third party cookies. This is not necessarily bad for you, because your safely on the Internet often correlates directly with what websites you go to. If you only surf on secure websites and only do basic browsing, like surfing, banking, and reading news, etc., you might never have any problems with privacy infringement. Sometimes, allowing all cookies, or deleting all your stored cookies is recommended by computer technicians if you are having problems viewing webpages because this is the easiest way to ensure that your browser settings or stored information is not causing the problem.

The best cookie settings depends on you and your surfing habits. For most users, leaving the cookies at the default settings and occasionally clearing all temporary Internet files is the best recommendation.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!

Internet cookies are often misunderstood as wretched little monsters that attach themselves to your computer so Internet hackers can spy on you! Thankfully this is not the case. A cookie is just a text file sent to your computer that saves basic information about you so the next time you visit the same website, it can retrieve the cookie from the website and recognize you as a returning visitor.

The idea of a website placing something on your hard drive to get information from you can sound a little scary. Some very private people have no interest in being recognized upon returning to a website and see this as an invasion to their privacy, regardless of the benefit that it could be to them. Usually, a cookie is only an identification method meant to benefit you, much like a person who runs a general store in a small town can be more helpful because he or she knows many of the customers and their preferences.

Sometimes, cookies also save information about the pages you visited, the searches you performed, and the items you bought while on a website. For example, an online store like Amazon noted that you often buy or search for books from the romance genre and would use this information to recommend other romance books when you visit the site again. This is a marketing tactic, but is still helpful to the customers.

The information that a website can gather from tracking the habits of its customers could become invasive. They could (and some do) sell their information (like shopping or surfing habits) and their email addresses to third parties, so they can send soliciting emails, or spam to your inbox based on searches or purchases you have made.

The following are a few ways to control cookies if you are highly concerned about the risk of becoming spammed with advertising from other parties. Keep in mind that none of these options are recommended or necessary for your safety. Most anti-virus programs and Internet browser filters are already designed to protect you from harmful websites and spyware. Also, these options will limit your use of the Internet and some may cause certain websites not to function correctly or at all.

* Check the privacy policy in the terms of service on websites you visit. Many reputable websites have privacy policies saying they will not sell your information to third parties. If this is the case, they should be safe to visit and allow any cookies from them.

* Don't register your personal information on websites. Many website require that you register and provide your email address to use certain features on their site. If you do not want your personal email address to be spammed, you can set up free email account to use for this purpose, like Yahoo Mail or Gmail, and use a name and address other than your own. You can also simply refuse to use these sites, but this could severely limit your shopping options.

* In your Internet Options, click on the Settings button under Browsing History (or Temporary Internet Files) and click Veiw Files. You can select all or some of the cookies that are stored on your computer and view or delete them as often as you like. This will not, however, prevent websites from reassigning a cookie to you if you visit their site again.

* Under the Privacy Tab of Internet Options, you will see a slider that has different levels that handle cookies. You can raise or lower the strictness of cookie handling here, as well as manually enter a list of website that you trust from which cookies are always allowed. If, after you have made these changes, you cannot veiw a webpage, you may need to add it to your allowed list or lower your privacy settings so the website can load properly

*If you don't want to use the slider, simply click the Advanced button on the Privacy Tab of Internet Options, and check "Override automatic cookie handling". Then choose specifically how to handle different types of cookies. First party cookies are from the website and third party cookies are from other websites that the website you are visiting uses. The "Prompt" option will ask your permission on each separate occasion that a website attempts to save a cookie on your computer.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!

A cookie is a simple text file placed on your computer by websites you visit. When you revisit these sites, they retrieve the cookie information from your computer and uses it to identify you and sometimes to alter the website's display or add your preferences from a previous visit.

The information stored in a cookie is usually some sort of identification code, but sometimes includes more information about you. The following are possible because of cookies:

* Changes you make to the layout of a website, like background colors, fonts, etc., are saved for when you go back to the site.

* When you check “remember me on this computer”, your user name and password is automatically entered when you return.

* Shopping websites can remember what items you viewed, searched for, bought, or place in the shopping cart while you are on their site. They use this to make recommendations for you, etc.

* Polls and surveys remember that you have already voted and don't allow you to vote again.

* Websites that show the number of visitors to their site can keep an accurate count because they know you are a returning visitor.

The following are various ways to control the cookies saved on your computer.

Deleting Cookies

On Internet Explorer, click on Tools at the top of the page, then click Internet Options. You should automatically be directed to the General Tab. On an older version of IE, you will see the "Temporary Internet Files" heading and the button, "Delete Cookies...". Click "Delete Cookies...", then click Yes to confirm.

On IE7 or 8, you will see the "Browsing History" heading instead and a button that says "Delete...". From here, you will see a list of different Internet files that can be deleted. On IE7, you can either click "Delete Cookies" and click yes, or click "Delete All" and click Yes to clear all the Internet files. On IE8, check the box next to "Cookies", then click "Delete." If you want to deleted everything completely, even for your favorites, uncheck "Preserve Favorites website data".

Viewing Stored Cookies

Click Tools > Internet Options > General Tab from your IE window. Next to the delete buttons mentioned above is a "Settings" button. Click "Settings", then "View Files". This will show you all the cookies, files, and web images that have been saved on your computer. If you select a cookie from the list and double click it, you may get a warning message asking you if you want to continue. Click "Yes", and then you can see the text string the cookie contains.

Your can also delete all your cookies and other Internet files from here. Simply click Edit > Select All, then push the delete button on your keyboard, then click Yes.

Allowing (and Prohibiting) Cookies

From the IE browser, click Tools > Internet Options. Then click on the Privacy tab at the top. Under the "Settings" heading is a slider that has various levels of restriction from "Accept All Cookies" to "Block All Cookies". Move the slider to the setting that best suites you. To the right of the slider, there is a description of what each level will allow or block. The stricter settings may cause some websites to not function properly, so you may need to manually add the addresses of sites you approve of by clicking the "Sites" button under the slider. Click the "Default" button under the slider to set your privacy settings back to the default settings.

You can also set custom settings for your cookies by clicking on the "Advanced" button under the slider. Click "Advanced", then check "Override automatic cookie handling" to override the slider settings on the previous page. You can specify which cookies you want to allow or block. First party cookies are the cookies that are created by the website you are visiting, and third party cookies are the ones the website uses from another website. Click "Accept" or "Block" for each party, or "Prompt" if you would like to be asked permission every time a website wants to store cookie information on your computer.

Under those lists is an option to "Always allow session cookies". Check this option if you prefer not to be logged out of secure sites automatically. For example, if you keep getting kicked out of your email because you spent some time reading or composing a message, check this box to allow a website to keep you logged in even if you're idle.

Go to http://www.aboutcookies.org for more information about handling cookies and where to access the settings on other browsers.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!

If you are like most Internet users, you probably have a Windows computer and primarily use Internet Explorer to surf webpages. What make Internet Explorer so much more used than all the other browsers put together? There are two prominent likely reasons for this:

1. Internet Explorer is a part of the Windows operating system—which the majority of computer users have. It's readily available from the moment you first turn on your computer.
2. Many people who use the Internet are novice computer users. They don't know there are any other options other than Internet Explorer, and even if they did, downloading another browser would be an intimidating task.

Naturally, a percentage of IE users simply prefer it to any other browser. Here's a debate of IE against all the rest, based on research and the input of loyal browser users of both sides.

Argument: Internet Explorer is obviously the best because it's the biggest. If far more people are using IE than any other browser, then surely its creator, Microsoft, is doing something right. They have been around for a long time, which means they excel in experience, resources and background when it comes to computer programs and the Internet. When IE8 was released, experts said it was the safest browser. Also, since IE is the most used browser, every website, download, and web application is compatible with it. Technical support is more readily available for Internet Explorer than any other browser.

Rebuttal: The bigger they are, the harder they fall. There are more threats and viruses targeted toward Internet Explorer than any other browser. IE is the most used, so a virus on it would affect the most people. For this reason, many computer technicians and experienced Internet users steer clear of IE completely and recommend others to do so.

Argument: Internet Explorer works better with your computer. Most Internet users have a Windows computer, and IE is well integrated with their operating system. Not only is IE already installed and ready to use when you buy the computer, windows is designed to automatically update to newer versions of IE or add patches for IE and other windows components. This means that, with no effort on your part, IE will always be safe, updated, and in sync with your computer. How much more convenient can it be?

Rebuttal: Internet Explorer is too close. Every time Microsoft introduces a new product, there are bugs and issues to iron out. Many computer technicians actually recommend to wait a few months before downloading new versions of Internet Explorer for this reason. They also recommend creating a restore point and backing up important files in case upgrading to a new version of IE will cause the computer to crash! Many people have had major computer problems from trying to download IE8 or revert back to a previous version. This type of issue wouldn't happen with another browser, because they are simply downloads (not deeply integrated with your operating system) that can be easily installed and uninstalled.

Argument: Internet Explorer has features for everyone. The latest version, IE8, appeals to a variety of interests and needs. The address bar, favorites, add-on's, and other features have been expanded and introduced. Many of these features are already downloaded as a part of the browser to make them easy to find and quickly accessible. Other browser require for some features to be individually downloaded.

Rebuttal: Features are out of Internet Explorer's league. IE has a record of falling behind other browsers to introduce new features. Of the top most-used browsers today, IE7 was the last to implement tabbed browsing. IE8 was among the last to introduce features that standard to other browsers, like session restore, tab isolation, and private browsing. Also, since IE's features are largely built in, the download size is twice as large as other browsers.

Furthermore, the whole reason companies like Google, Mozilla, and Opera created their browsers is because one browser can't be best for everyone. There are features and gadgets available on Firefox and Opera that would confuse a beginner user, and create endless possibilities for advanced users. Chrome offers a simple approach that uses less features than any browser, but may also be much faster.

Conclusion: IE is great for people who just want to get online and don't want to (or know how to) download another browser. As long as Windows computers are popular, IE will probably continue to hold the majority market share, but other browsers will still be available for everyone who doesn't like IE. Thankfully, these alternatives are free to download, so anyone can try them out and perhaps find a browser that suits them better.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!

Opera is a proprietary software provider who has created a variety of tools for online users. The Internet browser is much like Internet Explorer, and serves the same purpose. But there are some significant differences that convinces a small number of Internet users to adopt this new browser in place of IE.

Opera has a great reputation for well-built products and their browser download is much smaller than Internet Explorer. Even on a dial-up connection, the Opera installation file can be downloaded in less than half an hour.

Opera beats Internet Explorer in a few areas where features are concerned:

* Visual tabs—you can drag the bottom of the row of tabs in your browsing window to change them to thumbnails of webpages. Also, when you hover over tabs with your mouse, a preview of the site appears under the tab.

* Tab bar placement. You can now move your row of tabs (or thumbnails of sites) the the left, right, or bottom of the browsing window.

* Speed dial—Opera was one of the first browsers to offer a page of thumbnails that function as a shortcuts to websites. You can now customize the number of thumbnails to 24 and change the background image on the page.

* Turbo mode—ideal for dial-up and low-speed wifi connections, this handy feature compresses images on the webpages for faster loading times! The turbo mode can be set to automatically turn on when the connection speed slows, or to stay on constantly.

* Mouse gestures—these shortcuts can be performed with your mouse to open links in new pages, go back, forward, or close windows with presets clicks and movements of your mouse.

* Image loading options—simply click a small button at the bottom of the window to switch from loading all images or only cached images to help with page loading. Or, if you prefer a more secure and even faster load time, images can be turned off completely. Also, right click on images that have been hidden or compressed, and you'll have the option of reloading that image normally.

You can find many other features that are similar to other browsers. Other simple preferences are available, like changing the colors and layout of your browser or adding your name and location information for fast form entry. The features page on the Opera website has more information.

Of course, Opera works toward speeding up page loading and protecting their users from dangerous websites and online threats. Opera has an advantage of not being very well known or used—unlike Internet Explorer. Virus and spamming attempts are often targeting the more well known browsers because more people are using them. You can download Opera or read more about their speed and security measures and techniques by going to Opera.com.

Opera may not be for everyone, but it is especially optimal for dial-up and other slow connection users who need a faster browser. It does look and work somewhat differently than Internet Explorer, so it's helpful to read up on how Opera's browser works and to check out all of the preferences as soon as you get it downloaded.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!

Mozilla Firefox, the second most popular Internet browser, is free to download and compatible to Windows, Mac, and Linux computers. Firefox was one of the first browsers to have tabbed browsing, which has become standard for most browsers.

Firefox at first glance looks similar to Internet Explorer and is very easy to use. It features tabbed browsing, private browsing, history, and many options you would find on Internet Explorer. The following features are used on some other browsers but are worth mentioning. You will not find these features on Internet Explorer.

* Bookmarks, known on IE as “Favorites”, can be created with just one click on the star icon in the address bar.

* Tabs can be dragged into a separate window with your mouse.

* “Password Manager” offers to remember (or never remember) password information that you are entering on a website (also, instead of an intrusive pop-up like on other browsers, this feature displays briefly under the toolbars, in that way being more of a helpful option than an intrusive one).

* Links to downloads open the “Download manager” that displays your downloads' names and progress, and saves them for later reference. You can pause and restart downloads, and, when it is complete, simply double-click it from the list to run the installation.

Firefox is probably best known for having more than 6,000 customization options! Some of these features (known as add-ons) would be unavailable or automatically integrated on your Internet Explorer browser. The only problem with that is, if you don't want the features, they're download on the browser anyway. This is why Firefox is much faster to download—you can pick the options you want later!

These 6000 add-ons can be viewed from the Firefox homepage, or by using the Add-ons Manager in your Firefox browser. Sometimes Firefox will notify you when an add-ons is necessary to load certain parts of webpages. Most of the add-ons, however, are just fun or techy features that will change the look of your browser or add a cool accessory that could come in handy while surfing online. Here is a brief snippet of the wide variety of add-ons available for the Firefox browser:

• “Personas” are different “skins” for your Firefox browser. You can find thousands of themes celebrating your favorite music, movie, cause, etc! Change your skin everyday if you want!

• “Read it Later” is a great way to save a website, but not get it mixed in with your long-term bookmarks. You can access them offline, and check them off when you've read them.

• “WOT”--a.k.a. Websites Of Trust—this feature will help keep you safe from harmful websites.

• “Yoono” sidebar is a quick way to stay constantly updated on your social networking outlets, like Facebook, Twitter, and instant messaging.

Firefox is continually improving and increasing it's add-ons, as well as speed and security technology. Firefox 3.5.3, is faster and safer than before and is now available to download for free. You can read all about security and speed features and improvements, browse add-ons library, and download Firefox on your computer at firefox.com.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles! 

Internet Explorer is known for having the majority of the market share for Internet browsers, and it's role as a part of the Windows operating system. Microsoft says their new browser is better than ever and worth the upgrade! Here are a few ways IE8 has improved from IE7, and why you might be interested—even if you haven't liked IE in the past.

Accelerators are a new addition to Internet Explorer. These tools save you browsing time by turning common searches into a simple right-click function. For example, highlight an address, right click on it, and choose a mapping feature to veiw a small map of the location and a link to get to directions. This saves time you would have spent opening a new window, looking up a map website, and copy/pasting the address on a mapping website, performing the search, then clicking the directions option.

You can see search results on multiple engines like Google, Dictionary.com, and Wikipedia. Simply highlight any length of text on the web site, like “Empire State Building” for example, and right click. Accelerators will either show entries directly from the menu, or open the page of your choice in a new tab. You can jump to “Empire State Building” search results on Google, the dictionary or Wikipedia entry, or even look for books or related products on Amazon or Ebay instead of pulling up the sites individually and performing the search. There are dozens of accelerators, including shortcuts to Urban Dictionary, YouTube, and Facebook.

Another new IE8 feature is the Web Slice. It's a miniature window that is available for participating websites (indicated by the green web slice icon at the top of the page) that can be added to your favorites toolbar. For example, you bid on an Ebay item, then add a slice for that particular item, which appears in your favorites toolbar. When the slice has new information (and you can edit how often it checks), the slice title become bold so you know when someone bid on your item no matter what site you are on at the time. You can then click the slice to see a miniature page showing your item, increase the bid, or click a link to go to that page. There are also web slices for news, stocks, weather, sports, and email sites.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles! 

If you like Google for its speed and simplicity, you might be interested in their Internet browser, Chrome. Google created Chrome because they wanted to start from scratch on a browser made for today's Internet. The Internet has changed a lot since the first browsers were developed. Chrome is simple and neat, but loaded with security, speed, and functionality features.

Google acknowledges their use of features already implemented on browsers, like Firefox Safari, to design Chrome. Chrome is an open source project, meaning that other can use from their ideas as well. One of the features you'll recognize is bookmarks. You can automatically copy bookmarks or favorites from another browser and instantly save a new bookmark by clicking the star icon next to the address bar. These features are identical to those of Firefox.

Like Internet Explorer, Chrome as the option of tabbed browsing and reordering the tabs. However, Chrome allows you to drag tabs into their own windows, or drag windows to become a tab of another window. Chrome also has “Crash Control”, which lets each tab run individually to avoid shutting down the whole browser if one tab crashes.

Chrome carries Google's tradition of personalizing and simplifying tasks, using the features from the homepage and Google toolbar. When you open a new tab, for example, you will see a thumbnails of previous and often visited websites to choose from, instead of a blank page. Also, while typing in the address bar, Google suggests visited sites and popular sites, or to run a Google search on the keyword(s) you entered.

Chrome was one of the first browsers to have a private searching option. While surfing “incognito”, pages are displayed as read-only, and nothing from these sites are saved on your computer. Google Chrome also has its own task manager. Just like Windows, Chrome allows you to track usage and running processes on the browser. You can detect what add-on, tab, or other process that is using the most bandwidth and end processes separately without disrupting the other processes.

Like many browsers, Google Chrome claims to be the safest and the fastest browser. There are so many ways to test this and different factors that effect actual speed, that this is difficult to prove. In fact, Chrome could work faster for some people or websites, where Internet Explorer or another browser would be faster in another area. Regardless, there is no doubt that this browser is well made and is preferred by a small group of users.

If you just want a fast engine and don't need a bunch of buttons and toolbars, Google Chrome might be just right for you. To read more details about Chrome features or to download the latest version of Chrome, go to google.com/chrome.

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Written by Hannah Miller, Online Marketing Representative and Customer Service, Copper.net.

Copper.net is a nationwide Internet services provider that is all-American owned and operated. Call today, 1-800-336-3318 or sign up online at www.copper.net! Check out my blog for more articles!