Out with the Old
Save time once you're on the Web by avoiding sites that haven't been updated since the last time you visited. With Netscape Navigator, you can check bookmarked pages to see if anything new has been added. Hit Ctrl-B to display the Bookmarks window. From the View menu select Update Bookmarks. (This could take a few seconds if you have a lot of bookmarks. Navigator also gives you the option to check only selected bookmarks.) Updated sites are marked with two pale blue lines.
If you have just a couple of sites to track, check out NetMind's Mind-it, a free service that notifies you when sites you specify have changed. Mind-it will check pages daily, every other day, or weekly. It will also tell you if a page has moved.
Turn Off Ads
Waiting for banner advertisements to load and animated graphics to run wastes your time. WRQ's $30 AtGuard keeps ads from downloading or displaying, depending on how you set it up. When we tried it on a site we visit regularly, AtGuard nipped more than 14 graphics, so the page loaded faster and appeared less cluttered. AtGuard lets you block all ads or allow them only for sites you specify. You can selectively block ActiveX, Java applets, and JavaScript as well.
AtGuard also lets you control cookies and referrer-field information to keep sites from tracking where you've been. Enable or disable ad blocking, cookie blocking, or AtGuard itself with a click. Our favorite feature? The option to set all animated GIF files to cycle only once and then stop.
For a few bucks less, Internet Mute's interMute offers ad blocking and privacy protection. You also get stats on what it's blocking. Download it for free at www.intermute.com; pay $20 to keep it.
Open Windows
Don't just browse one page at a time. Open several browser windows and start a page loading in each one. Instead of left-clicking on links, right-click on them, then select Open in New Window from the pop-up menu. (This works in both Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator.) Read one page while others load in separate windows.
You can also browse with Opera, a $35 alternative browser that lets you open up to four pages in a single window. It supports Java with the proper plug-in. Stilesoft NetCaptor Pro is a $20 add-in for both IE4 and IE5 that adds this handy feature to Microsoft's browser.
Faster, Faster
An accelerator like Web3000.com's $40 NetSonic Pro ratchets your browsing speed up several notches. NetSonic takes over browser-caching duties; the more you use it, the faster things go. When you visit a page, NetSonic checks to see if it's been updated since it was cached, then refreshes only the new stuff. It loads all the links in the background, so pages you click on load almost instantly. The pro version automatically optimizes your Internet connection. Check it out for free before you buy.
Save time during Internet info-gathering missions with the help of iHarvest One. A free download, iHarvest lets you gather info from Web pages by highlighting it, then dragging it into the iHarvest window. This lets you combine text and graphics from different sites in one place while keeping the original source addresses close at hand. Better than bookmarks, your iHarvest collections let you head straight to what you're looking for online.
On Your Own Disk
Browsing Web pages stored on your hard drive is faster by far than downloading pages on the fly. And it doesn't mean you're stuck with stale information; you update the sites overnight or in the background. IE5 makes it a snap to capture pages complete with graphics. Press Ctrl-B to display the Organize Favorites window. Select each Favorite that points to a Web page you want to browse from your hard drive, then check Make Available Offline. Click on Properties to set your preferences for downloading pages deeper than the initial Web address. Schedule when you want the pages to be updated on your PC, or select Synchronize from the Tools menu to update pages immediately. IE5 will also e-mail you when the page has changed.
Leslie Ayers, Naomi Graychase, Lee Hudspeth, Marty Jerome, T.J. Lee, and Christine Grech Wendin contributed to this story.
Speedier Downloads
Who can stand to wait while files download? Slash the time it takes to grab a file or program off the Web with Lidan Download Accelerator 3.5. The free utility works with both Internet Explorer and Navigator and speeds up downloads by using multiple connections to deliver one file to your PC. Best of all, if a download gets interrupted, Download Accelerator automatically picks up where it left off once you reconnect.It makes sense: Double up on phone lines, modems, and ISP connections and you'll double your Internet connection speed. If you have two of everything, all you need is MidCore Software's MidPoint Teamer to spread your Web chores over dual lines. (It works with single-line connections too, but you won't enjoy the same dizzying speed boost.) A free download, MidPoint Teamer costs $49 to keep.
Hop in the Fast Lane
Now there's a way to make sure you always choose the fastest server for downloading anything. It's generally best to pick a server where the local time is off-peak—midnight to dawn, for example. You can also let Dipstick help. A free utility from Klever, Dipstick tells you which download site among your choices offers the fastest response time.
Long-Term Memory
Hopping from site to site, opening and closing browser windows, and running apps can suck up your PC's memory fast. And closing a window doesn't necessarily free up all the system memory that the window used, which creates a slow RAM leak. Rescue your memory with WinRam Turbo, a handy $8 utility that reclaims RAMon the fly.
Missing Links
With NetJumper LinkGrabber, you may never need to click on your browser's Back button again. Click on the frog icon and LinkGrabber will put all the links on a site in one page. You select the ones you want to keep—or grab them all with a click. The list remains onscreen as you navigate through a site with either IE or Navigator. No more clicking back to a site's main page to navigate to a new topic.
Get It All
Sometimes all you need is one page or graphic. A new feature in IE5 lets you capture a displayed page and all its graphics on your hard drive. From the File menu, select Save As, then from the Save As Type drop-down menu choose Web Page, Complete. You can't save an entire Web page of content and graphics with Navigator, but you can always right-click on an image and select Save Image As.
Browser Shortcuts
Save time with these IE and Navigator keyboard shortcuts.
Alt–left arrow Same as clicking on Back.
Alt–right arrow Same as clicking on Forward.
Ctrl-B Opens the Favorites or Bookmarks window.
Ctrl-D Creates a new favorite or bookmark.
Ctrl-F Opens the Find dialog box.
Ctrl-H Opens History.
Ctrl-N Opens a new browser window.
Ctrl-O Opens a URL window.
Esc Same as clicking on Stop.
space bar Scrolls down a page one screen length.
Internet Explorer
Ctrl-E Opens Search in Explorer bar (IE5 only).
Ctrl-I Opens Favorites in Explorer bar (IE5 only).
Alt-D Selects the text in the Address bar.
F4 Cycles through recently visited sites.
Navigator
Ctrl-Alt-S Toggles the status bar on or off.
Ctrl-Alt-T Shows you a page's download status.
Ctrl-I Opens the Page Info window.
