Fig 6.0 Your Programs TAB should look similar to this one
| INTERNET OPTIONS - PROGRAMS TAB |
The sixth TAB (window) on the Internet Options window is the Programs TAB. It is to do with the Default (Normal) Programs used with Internet Explorer and its services. Do not worry too much about this TAB as most of the Programs in question are better set using the Default Programs control panel, which is linked on this TAB through the SET PROGRAMS button.
The HTML EDITOR setting is purely for HTML (Website) programmers and the like, so do not worry too much about it. If you do
not have Microsoft Office installed the HTML EDITOR setting might be set to NotePad instead of Microsoft Word 2007 for
example.
The TELL ME IF INTERNET EXPLORER IS NOT THE DEFAULT WEB BROWSER setting means that when you have more than one web browser
installed (such as Internet Explorer and Firefox) you want Internet Explorer to remain as your default (normally used) web
(internet) browser. In other words. If you or a piece of software set Firefox as the default web browser and you then use
Internet Explorer, internet explorer will display a message requester (Fig 6.1) asking you if you want to make it the
default web browser. If you answer NO Firefox will remain the default web browser, but if you answer YES Internet Explorer
will become the default web browser. The faded out MAKE DEFAULT button means Internet Explorer is currently the default
web browser - hence why you cannot click on it, because internet explorer is already the default web browser.
If Internet Explorer is currently the default web browser and you launch Firefox the following Firefox message requester will appear.
Clicking on the MANAGE ADD-ONS button allows you to manage ADD-ONs. An ADD-ON is a piece of software that you usually
download with another piece of software to enhance Internet Explorer's capabilities/Interactions. For example. If you
download Adobe's Flash Player it downloads an ADD-ON for Internet Explorer that allows Flash files (i.e. Video,
Advertisement and Animation files) to be viewed from within a webpage.
You might need to click on the MANAGE ADD-ONS button (Fig 6.0 above) if a webpage complains that it needs a certain
ADD-ON enabled in order to work properly. For example. If you visit certain webpages with the Shockwave Flash Object
disabled (i.e. www.youtube.com) Internet Explorer will complain with the following pop-up message requester.
The message requester has not specified which ADD-ON needs enabling in order for the webpage to work properly, so at this time it is anyone's guess. Fortunately, in this example, I know which ADD-ON needs to be enabled, the Shockwave Flash Object add-on, because I purposely disabled it for this example of course. However. If I did not know which add-on to enable I would not attempt to guess by enabling all disabled ADD-ONs for example because this would be risky. Especially if I enabled one or more ADD-ONs that really should be disabled and/or that have been disabled on purpose by Protection Software. Clicking on the message requester's TO ENABLE THE ADD-ON, CLICK HERE link brings up the Manage Add-ons window.
Extreme Caution: MANAGE ADD-ONS is an extremely advanced part of Internet Options. The examples below are examples only - Enabling and/or Disabling ADD-ONs without fully understanding what each ADD-ON does can be harmful to Internet Explorer, Windows 7, Your Security Software and so on. You have been warned.
In this example - When the Manage Add-ons window appeared (Fig 6.4 above), after clicking on the message requester's
TO ENABLE THE ADD-ON, CLICK HERE link (Fig 6.3 above), I then selected the disabled Shockwave Flash Object add-on. From
there I clicked on the ENABLE button to enable the Shockwave Flash Object add-on. At this point the add-on is then
enabled. All that remains is to click on the CLOSE button or red X (eXit) button to close the Manage Add-Ons window.
Clicking on internet explorer's REFRESH button after that will reload the webpage and display its Flash content.
If you look to the left of the Manage Add-Ons windows you will see the ADD-ON TYPES pane and underneath that the SHOW
pane. These allow you to change what add-ons to view in the display pane. Clicking on the TO ENABLE THE ADD-ON, CLICK
HERE link forces internet explorer to display only Currently Loaded Add-Ons whereas using Internet Options from the
TOOLS menu or from the Internet Options control panel forces internet explorer to display the last categorized
add-ons - All Add-Ons, Currently Loaded Add-Ons, Downloaded Controls or Run Without Permission.
Here is another example whereby the Shockwave Flash Object add-on has been disabled. The Sky News video webpage requires Flash Player 9.0.28 or higher in order to display its News Articles (Flash Video file). At the moment it thinks Adobe Flash Player is not installed, or is less than version 9.0.28, when in fact Flash Player 10.0.22.87 is installed. It is confused because of the add-on being disabled. Enabling the add-on as described above remedied the problem (Fig 6.7 below).
Besides ADD-ONs, disabled COOKIES (Cookie files) are another common problem when using the Internet and more precisely when using Internet Explorer. Below I am logging into Windows Live Hotmail but I get a complaint that COOKIES are disabled.
To enable/restore Internet Explorer's cookies settings you need to go to the Privacy TAB and make sure the DEFAULT button is faded out, to mean the default settings for cookies are currently being used. If the DEFAULT button is not faded out simply click on it to enable Cookies.
The above examples are specific. Meaning. They are meant to demonstrate MANAGE ADD-ONs and enable/restore Cookies for the scenarios described. They are not meant/exampled as a cure for any computer problems you may be experiencing. Rather than flob you off with the usual "For Advanced Users Only" I have exampled MANAGE ADD-ONs purely because the scenarios above are common and therefore I feel that you, as a beginner, should at least know what you can try (with caution) if you come across the above specific scenarios.
Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation. As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.
