By: John Michael Pierobon
The other day I received a telephone call from someone who had switched from one Internet Service Provider (ISP) to another. The caller asked me "Why is it that when I fire up my browser, I still get the web page of my old ISP? I thought I had gotten rid of them for good. Am I still connected to that old ISP?"
My response was "Do you know what time it is on your VCR?" Studies have shown that most of the VCR in America show 12:00 as the time because the majority do not want to program, or do not know how to set up, their VCR properly.
My caller answered my question with another question. "What does setting the time on a VCR have to do with changing the home page on my computer?"
It is easier to change the settings on your browser than on your VCR. Like the time setting on the VCR, most Americans do not know how to change the settings on the browser.
"So, how do you change these settings?", ask my inquisitive caller.
Well, the answer is "Depends". It truly depends on which browser and which version you are running. Allow me to describe how to do it on three different versions of the most popular browsers.
With Netscape Navigator version 2. Go to the top bar of your browser and select "Options". You will get a drop down menu. Select "General Preferences...", which should be the first choice. A window will pop up with several tabs. Select "Appearance". In the Startup section you will have the choice of either a blank page, or typing in your own home page location. Click "Apply" and then click "OK", and you are done.
With Netscape Navigator version 4. Go to the top bar of your browser and select "Edit". You will get a drop down menu. Select "Preferences...", which should be the last choice. A window will pop up with several categories. Highlight "Navigator". The right side of the window will allow you to specify how your browser will start. You will have the choice of either a blank page, a home page, or the last page visited. For the home page you can use the current page, browse on your computer for a page, or type one in. Click "OK" when you are done, and you will have a different home page.
With Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4. Go to the top bar of your browser and select "View". You will get a drop down menu. Select "Internet Options ...", which should be the last choice. A window will pop up with several categories. Click on the General tab. In the Home page section you will have three choices: "Use Current", "Use Default" and "Use Blank". Of course you can type in your own Address. If you choose "Use Default" your new home page will be "http://www.microsoft.com". That may not be where you want to go today. Click "Apply" and then click "OK" and you will have a different home page.
See, it is indeed easier than setting the clock on your VCR.