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| How To . . . Set Your Default Browser |
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Step-By-Step January 2000 • Vol.6 Issue 1 |
How To . . . Set Your Default Browser | ||
 If you have more than one Web browser installed on your computer, one of them is set as the default. Your default browser is the one that opens automatically when you connect to the Internet or open a Web page. Selecting a default browser may not be an issue for you now, but it may be of interest to you later. If you create Web pages or access a Web site that requires a particular browser, you may end up using more than one. Certain office suites and Web applications automatically install a Web browser that they prefer to use, even if you already have another type installed. You can at least alleviate some frustration of working with multiple applications by selecting your preferred Web browser to be the one that opens when you click Web links in documents or open a Web site from the FAVORITES folder.  Prompting A Change. Windows keeps track of which is the default Web browser in the Windows settings, or Registry. However, editing the Registry directly is not a good idea. Many browsers, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator, will do this for you. Each browser asks to be the default browser when you install it and then records your choice. The next time you open that browser it checks the Registry. If it finds another application listed, the browser prompts you to switch to your default. This prompt also offers you the option to stop receiving that prompt every time you open a non-default browser. If you opt to get rid of the default browser prompt, it will not appear again. This is OK if you were beginning to find the constant prompting an annoyance. However, if you want to change your browser default, you'll want to reactivate that prompt.
Setting The Default. Following are the steps for setting the default browser option in Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Other browsers may use similar procedures, and you should refer to their Help files to verify the steps. For Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.x or 5.0, first open the browser; you do not need to be connected to the Internet. From the Internet Explorer menu, click Tools, Internet Options, then the Programs tab. Select the box at the bottom of the tab that reads Internet Explorer Should Check To See Whether It Is The Default Browser. (From this tab, you can also change the default programs you use for other Internet services, such as e-mail, newsgroups, and calendar functions.) Save the changes by clicking OK. Close Internet Explorer and reopen it. If Internet Explorer is not your default browser, you will get the prompt: Internet Explorer Is Not Currently Your Default Browser. Would You Like To Make It Your Default Browser? Select Yes to make it your default. Changing the settings in Navigator 4.x, or Communicator, is a little different. (Navigator is a component of Communicator, but if you open either one, Communicator opens as the browser.) You will not be able to change Communicator settings to be the default browser unless another browser is already the default. If you are not sure, go into the other browser's settings and set it as the default. You must edit your Netscape user preference file, Prefs.js in a text editor such as Notepad. Next, ensure all your browsers are closed. Go to Start, Programs, Accessories, Notepad. From Notepad, select Open from the File menu. Once in the Open dialog box, click the down arrow and select your C: drive. From the folders that appear in the window, double-click the Program Files folder, Netscape folder, Users folder, and finally the folder that is named after your Netscape profile. (You named your profile when you installed Netscape.) If you do not find Netscape in the Program Files folder, check with the person who installed Netscape to find the folder location. At the bottom of the Open Dialog box, click the drop-down menu next to Files Of Type: and choose All Files (*.*). Click the Prefs.js file and then click Open. Look through this document for the following line: user_pref("browser.wfe.ignore _def_check", true);. Simply erase the "true" on this line and type false in its place; click File, Exit and click Yes to save the changes you made. When you open Communicator, you will get the prompt: Navigator Is No Longer Registered To Handle Internet Shortcuts. Would You Like To Register Navigator As Your Default Browser? Now click Yes to make Navigator your default browser. Setting a default browser is not a major operation, but selecting one can be more convenient for you if you have more than one Web browser installed. At this time, browsers don't penalize you for expressing your preference, so pick your favorite one to open first.  by Tracey Dishman Patterson |
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