Microsoft Internet Explorer is Microsoft's web browser. Although other web browsers are available Internet Explorer is required for eading some pages. ISS make the latest version available as soon as it has been satifactually tested. The current version is v8.

Installing   Using IE   Troubleshooting   

Installing Internet Explorer 

When Internet Explorer installs it presents you with a 'Customize Your Settings' screen. We recommend that you:

• 'Keep your current search provider' - though you could change.
• turn on the automatic Phishing Filter.
• use ClearType.
• use the English (United Kingdom) setting - unless you need otherwise. Participating in the 'Customer Experience' is optional.

After you have made your choices, click on the 'save Settings' button and proceed. You will be offered a 'Quick Tour' of the new features of Internet Explorer. It is short, useful and recommended.

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Using Internet Explorer 

Recent changes to the appearance are that the File  Edit  View Favourites  Tools  Help bar has been removed and its functions have been distributed to various buttons.

There are two new toolbars, the top Toolbar contains:

• the '<- Back' and 'Forward ->' browsing buttons.
• the web-site address box.
• the 'refresh page' button, and 'stop page loading' button.
• the search box.

The second toolbar contains:

• 'Favourites' and 'Add to Favourites' buttons.
• the webpage name(s) in 'tabs'.
• the 'Home' button.
• the 'Print', 'Page' & 'Tools' menu icons.

         

The main items from the old 'File', 'View' and 'Tools' menu have been distributed between the new 'Print', 'Page' & 'Tools' menus:

• the new 'Print' menu is self-explanatory.
• the new 'Page' menu includes the 'Cut, Copy & Paste', 'Save' and 'Zoom' options.
• the new 'Tools' menu includes 'Windows Update', 'Pop-up Blocker', the *new* 'Phishing Blocker' and 'Internet Options' options.

Further Information 

For further info use the following links,

• Illustrated Tour - of Internet Explorer 7.
• New Features - of Internet Explorer 7.

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Troubleshooting 

In this section you will find a list of problems and solutions.

IE7 Doesn't Do Drag & Drop FTP

Internet Explorer 7 does not allow users to to do drag and drop FTP on FTP sites (IE6 did allow drag and drop FTP).

Solution

The current alternative is to use 'Windows Explorer'.

1. start Windows Explorer - pressing 'Windows key' & E is my favourite way.
2. type the ftp address into the address line in the form:

ftp://(username):(password)@(ftpsite).(domain) - e.g.

ftp://bloggsj:pass4567@papers.milkwood.ac.uk

3. press Enter

You should now see the FTP site in 'Windows Explorer', ready to be dragged and dropped to and from.

A Trusted Website Doesn't Work, or IE7 Blocks 'Good' Pop-Ups

If you visit a site that used to work, it could be that IE7 is blocking a 'good' pop-up.

Solution

You can add 'good' sites to an 'Allow pop-ups from this site' list:

Either:

1. click on the 'information bar' at appears at the top of the window when you visit a site with a blocked pop-up.
   

Or...

1. click 'Tools' button then 'Internet Options' option see 'Internet Options' dialog.
2. click on the 'Privacy' tab then click on the 'Settings' button (in the Pop-up Blocker section) - see dialog as below:

Then...

1. see the current address, or type in a new address, next to 'Address of website to allow'.
2. click on the 'Add' button - see the site added to the list of 'Allowed sites'.
3. click 'Close' button then click OK.
4. click on refresh or re-visit the website.

IE7 Disappears On Startup

When you start Internet Explorer 7, Internet Explorer exits immediately (a white boxes flashes before IE7 exits).

Solution

See the Microsoft support page: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928427.

IE7 Asks You For Authentication

Internet Explorer 7 may ask you for authentication where version 6 did not.

Solution

To avoid being asked for username and passwords when you start IE7 on sites that have never asked for it before, follow these instructions:

1. in IE7, click the 'Tools' option on the menu bar then click 'Internet Options' option.
2. click on the 'Security' Tab then click on 'Local intranet' option, then click on the 'Sites' button.

3. click on the 'Advanced' button.

4. under "Add this website to the zone:" heading, enter the site details and then click the 'Add' button then OK.

5. repeat for each site illustrated, plus any others causing a problem.
   
   Common sites that may need adding are:
   
   http://mis-mint.lancs.ac.uk/
   http://mis-orange.lancs.ac.uk/
   (Car Parking/Absence/Agresso Document Scanning)
   
   http://estates.lancs.ac.uk/EstatesFM/
   (Estates)
   
   http://centralinfo.lancs.ac.uk/
   (Sharepoint)
    
6. click on the 'Close' button.
7. shut Internet Explorer down and restart it.

PDF Files Don't Open

Pfact and Acrobat/PDF files don't open.

Solution

Download and install the latest Acrobat Reader.

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