Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Name

Internet Options

Synopsis

Change the settings that affect Internet Explorer and your dial-up Internet Connection.

To Open

Control Panel → [Network and Internet Connections] → Internet Options

Command Prompt → control inetcpl.cpl

Internet Explorer → Tools → Internet Options

Description

The Internet Options dialog is a densely packed dialog with about every conceivable option for Internet Explorer. Settings are divided into the following tabs:

General

The Home page section allows you to choose the page that loads automatically whenever an Internet Explorer window is opened, as well as the page linked to the Home button on the toolbar.

Temporary Internet files, also known as your browser cache, is a folder on your hard disk that stores copies of recently visited web pages for quicker access the next time they’re visited. The Temporary Internet Files folder is located at \Documents and Settings\{username}\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files by default. Cookies, a feature unrelated to Temporary Internet files, are pieces of information stored on your computer to allow certain web sites to remember your identity or preferences; click Delete Cookies to clear all cookies stored on your computer. To selectively remove cookies, open the \Documents and Settings\{username}\Cookies folder in Windows Explorer. See the Privacy tab for more Cookie settings.

Internet Explorer keeps track of pages you’ve visited and displays links to those pages in a different color (purple, by default, as opposed ...