Here are some tips and tricks for increasing the value of your web surfing experience. For most of us, the most important one is: be patient, the web is almost always slower than we would like it to be. Do not click more than once on any button or link.

After you have clicked on a link or button, you should see some kind of indication that the browser got your request and is trying to download the next page. These indicators include an animation in the top right corner of the browser window and progress messages and indicators in the button left corner of the window.

If you do not get these indications that something is happening, then click the button or link again. If you get impatient and you want to click on some other link or button, click the Stop button first. If you feel that the information retrieved by the browser is incomplete or wrong, click the Reload or Refresh button.

Errors loading a web page

There are a number of errors you might encounter when trying to load a web page. The first problem might be "The specified server could not be found." This means that you either have a bad URL or the server is off line or no longer exists. This could be the result of an outdated link, a server that has been discontinued or a mistake in typing or pasting the URL into the address box.

If you get a "file not found" error, check to make sure you didn't type or paste the URL incorrectly. A valid URL may start with "http://" or "www" or just the domain name (i.e., "about-the-web.com"). The URL will usually end with either ".htm" or ".html" but may contain other characters as well. Another common ending is the slash ("/") character. The URL will not contain quotation marks, commas or any of these ( < > ). The other possibility is that the page you requested no longer exists.

Other errors usually have to do with not having authorization to view the page. If it is a page you think you ought to have access to, check with the system administrator for that server and find out what you need to know.

Getting Disconnected

• Disable call waiting by inserting *70 before the ISP's phone number in your modem setup.
• Keep phone cords as short as possible, both from the wall to the modem and from the modem to the computer.
• Install a separate phone line for the modem or get ISDN service.
• Remove any cordless phones, FAX machines or answering machines from the modem line.
• Have your phone company check your lines for noise.
• Check with your ISP for possible init string, modem script or configuration changes.

You may be able to compensate for noisy phone lines by lowering the modem speed slightly. For 28.8 or 33.6 modems, try setting the port speed to 38400. For 14.4 modems, try 19200 and for 56k modems, try 57600. Consult your modem's setup instructions on how to do this.