Tips for Internet Explorer
One way to fix Internet Explorer is to reinstall Windows. I think this is overkill, but a lot of folks swear by it. You will need to have your Windows CD for this. If you have a restore CD that came with your computer, follow the directions provided by the PC manufacturer. I highly recommend that you backup all of your data that you want to keep, as you will lose all of it using the restore CD. This means back it up to separate media, such as a second hard drive if you have one, or a separate partition IF your drive is partitioned. Some restore CDs will even remove the partitions, so it is better not to use this method if you are not sure what the restore CD will do .You can burn the data to a CD or if the files are small, such as your Favorites, you can save them to a floppy disk. (I do suggest that you view the files on a CD that you backup to be sure they are there & readable.)
Some web sites require you to have a high level of encryption to view their site. This is true for most online banking sites. Sometimes when you try to view one of these sites you get 'This page cannot be displayed'. If this happens, click on your Help button in IE and select 'About Internet Explorer'. Right below where your version of IE is listed it will tell you what the cipher strength is (also known as encryption). If it is anything less than 128 bit, you need to update your cipher strength. Go to this Microsoft site and locate the high encryption pack for your version of IE & install. You will probably have to reboot your computer, but then you should be able to view the banking web site.
Occasionally a problem occurs with IE saying you have 0 bit cipher strength. (This does not happen often with IE in Windows XP or at least not to my knowledge.) As the minimum is generally 40 bit, this is a real problem. Sometimes downloading & installing the high encryption pack doesn't fix it, either. If this happens to you, check out Microsoft's answer to fix this problem. The fix is not for the faint of heart. Before trying the fix be sure to print out the instructions, read carefully & be sure you are applying the fix for your version of IE.
I am not a fan of Netscape (or AOL!), but it may interest you to know that all versions of these browsers have 128 bit cipher strength. Since Internet Explorer has so many security holes unless it is constantly patched and updated, I use Mozilla Firefox.
Script Debugging
Script Debugging can be really annoying. It can make you think there is something wrong with your computer (probably isn't) and it interrupts what you are doing. So just turn Script Debugging off.
Go to the Tools button in IE, select 'Internet Options' and click on the 'Advanced' tab. Scroll down until you see 'Disable Script Debugging' and put a check in the box. The next line is 'Display a notification about every script error. If there is a check in this box, remove it. Then click 'Apply'. You should not receive any more script errors while surfing. Easy fix.
Need an earlier version of Internet Explorer? Microsoft no longer has earlier versions but evolt.org has all versions of IE and other browsers (and a lot of other stuff too!)
Browser Helper Objects (BHOs) Before you download a pretty 'skin' for Internet Explorer, check this out.
Tip!
Do you use more than one browser?
Jetlinks is a program that will keep your Favorites up to date in all your browsers.
A really good site for Internet Explorer (and Outlook Express) help is Aumha.org. They have searched Microsoft's Knowledge Base and put the links on this page!
Some great Internet Explorer tips by Linda (Also Outlook Express)
Linda's Internet Explorer and Outlook Express Page
A neat security tip to unmask a 'phishing' attempt, article on PCMAG:
Security Tip: Change Your Internet Explorer Layout