most popular things to do with computer

Here are some of the most popular things to do with computers:

1.     Email

Email (short for electronic mail) is a convenient way to communicate with others. When you send an email message, it arrives almost instantly in the recipient's email inbox. You can send email to many people simultaneously, and you can save, print, and forward email to others. You can send almost any type of file in an email message, including documents, pictures, and music files. And with email, you don't need a stamp!

2.     Instant messaging

Instant messaging is like having a real-time conversation with another person or a group of people. When you type and send an instant message, the message is immediately visible to all participants. Unlike email, all participants have to be online (connected to the Internet) and in front of their computers at the same time. Communicating by means of instant messaging is called chatting.

3.     Pictures, music, and movies

If you have a digital camera, you can move your pictures from the camera to your computer. Then you can print them, create slide shows, or share them with others by email or by posting them on a website. (To learn more about what you can do with photos, see Working with digital pictures .) You can also listen to music on your computer, either by importing (transferring to your computer) music from audio CDs or by purchasing songs from a music website. Or, tune in to one of the thousands of radio stations that broadcast over the Internet. If your computer comes with a DVD player, you can watch movies.

4.     Gaming

Do you like to play games? Thousands of computer games in every conceivable category are available to entertain you. Get behind the wheel of a race car, battle frightening creatures in a dungeon, or control civilizations and empires! Many games allow you to compete with other players around the world through the Internet. Windows includes a variety of card games, puzzle games, and strategy games.

5.                        Exploring the Internet

In this article

• What is the web?
• What can I do on the Internet?
• Connecting to the Internet
• Getting on the web
• Entering a web address
• Basic navigation
• Searching the web
• Saving favorite webpages
• Using the History list
• Opening multiple webpages

The Internet is a network that links millions of computers around the world. Not so long ago, few people had heard of the Internet. Today, the Internet has revolutionized how people use computers. Many people depend on it daily to communicate with others and to get the information they need. You don't have to connect your computer to the Internet, but once you do, you'll probably wonder how you lived without it.

What is the web?

The part of the Internet that most people are familiar with is the World Wide Web (usually called the Web, or web). The web is so popular that people often use the terms Internet and web to mean the same thing. But the Internet also includes other services, such as email, newsgroups, and file sharing. You can send an email message or participate in a newsgroup without using the web.

The web displays information in a colorful, visually appealing format. Headlines, text, and pictures can be combined on a single webpage (or page)—much like a page in a magazine—along with sounds and animation. A website (or site) is a collection of interconnected webpages. The web contains millions of websites and billions of webpages!

Webpages are connected to each other with hyperlinks (usually just called links), which can be text or images. When you click a link on a page, you are taken to a different page. Going from page to page using links is sometimes called surfing the web.

What can I do on the Internet?

Find information. The web contains a vast amount of information far more than even the world's largest libraries. For example, you can read news stories and movie reviews, check airline schedules, see street maps, get the weather forecast for your city, or research a health condition. Reference sources, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, are widely available, as are historical documents and classic literature.

Most companies, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, museums, and libraries have websites with information about their products, services, or collections. Many individuals publish websites with personal journals called blogs (short for web logs) about their hobbies and interests.

Note

• Even though the web is great for research, not all information on the web is reliable. Information on some websites might be inaccurate, out of date, or incomplete. Before you trust information, make sure it comes from an authoritative source, and check other sources to verify the information.

Communicate. Email is one of the most popular uses of the Internet. You can send an email message to anyone with an email address, and it will arrive almost instantly in the recipient's email inbox—even if he or she lives halfway around the world.

Instant messaging (IM) allows you to have a real-time conversation with another person or a group of people. When you type and send an instant message, the message is immediately visible to all participants. Unlike email, all participants have to be online (connected to the Internet) and in front of their computers at the same time.

Newsgroups and web-based forums allow you to participate in text-based discussions with a community of other people who are interested in the same topic. For example, if you are having trouble using a program, you could post a question in a discussion group for users of that program.

Share. You can upload (copy) pictures from your digital camera to a photo-sharing website. Invited friends and family members can then visit the website to view your photo albums.

Shop. The web is the world's biggest shopping mall. You can browse and purchase products—books, music, toys, clothing, electronics, and much more—at the websites of major retailers (usually a credit card is required). You can also buy and sell used items through websites that use auction-style bidding.

Play. You can play games of every type on the web, often against other players—no matter where they are in the world. Many games are free, and you can download others for a fee. You can also listen to Internet radio stations, watch movie clips, and download or purchase music, videos, and even some TV shows.

Connecting to the Internet

To connect your computer to the Internet, you must first sign up with an Internet service provider (ISP).   An ISP is a company that provides Internet access to individuals or companies.  An ISP provides a telephone number, a user name, a pass word and other connection information so thet users can access the Internet through the ISP’s computers at a fee. An ISP provides access to the Internet, usually for a monthly fee. You sign up for an account with an ISP just as you do for telephone service or utilities. To find an ISP in your area, try looking in your telephone directory under "Internet Service Providers."

Different ISPs offer different connection types and speeds. There are two basic types of connections:

Broadband. A broadband connection is a high-speed Internet connection. With a broadband connection, you are connected to the Internet at all times and can view webpages and download files very rapidly. Two common broadband technologies are Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable technology. These require a DSL or cable modem, which is often provided by your ISP.

Dial-up. A dial-up connection uses a dial-up modem to connect your computer to the Internet through a standard telephone line. Many computers come with a dial-up modem already installed. In contrast to broadband, dial-up is slower and requires you to establish a new connection each time you want to use the Internet. However, dial-up is less expensive than broadband, and in some areas might be the only option for Internet access.

Once you have an ISP and a modem, you're ready to connect to the Internet. The Connect to the Internet wizard will guide you through the steps.

Getting on the web

Once you've established an Internet connection, you can access the web using Internet Browsers e.g Microsoft Explorer, a web browser included with Windows. You can also use any other web browser that you have installed on your computer.  Examples of other web browsers are Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera

Note

• Here's another way to open Internet Explorer: Click the Start button , click Programs, and then click Internet Explorer.

When you start Internet Explorer, it goes to whatever webpage is set as the home page. By default, the home page is set to MSN.com, a Microsoft website with links to a variety of information and services. (Your computer manufacturer might have set up a different home page.) However, you can choose any page (or a blank page) as your home page.

Tip

• To get back to your home page at any time, click the Home button in Internet Explorer.

Entering a web address

Just as every residence has a unique street address, every webpage has its own web address. That address is called the Uniform Resource Locator (URL).  A URL is an address that uniquely identifies a location on the internet.  A URL is usually preceded by http://.  A URL can contain more detail, such as the name of a page of hypertext, often with the file name extension .html or .htm. For example, the URL for the Microsoft main website is http://www.microsoft.com.

If you know the URL for a page, you can type it directly into Internet Explorer:

1. In the Address box, type the URL.
2. Click the Go button or press ENTER to go to the website.

Tips

• You don't have to type http://. For example, you can type www.microsoft.com and Internet Explorer will fill in the rest.

• To quickly enter a URL ending in ".com", type the part between "www." and ".com" and then press CTRL+ENTER.
•  

Basic navigation

Using links. Most webpages have dozens or even hundreds of links. To get from one page to another, click any link. However, figuring out which things on a page are links isn't always easy. Links can be text, images, or a combination of both. Text links often appear as colored and underlined, but link styles vary among websites.

To test whether something is a link or not, point to it. If it's a link, two things happen:

• The mouse pointer changes to a hand with a pointing finger.
• A URL appears in the status bar of your web browser. This shows the website you'll go to if you click the link.

Using the Back and Forward buttons. As you go from page to page, Internet Explorer keeps track of your trail. To get back to the previous page, click the Back button. Click the Back button several times to retrace your steps even further. After you've clicked the Back button, you can click the Forward button to go forward in the trail.

Using the Recent Pages menu. If you want to get back to a page you've visited in your current session, but want to avoid repeatedly clicking the Back or Forward buttons, use the Recent Pages menu. Click the arrow next to the Forward button, and then select a page from the list.

Searching the web

With billions of webpages out there, finding the information you need would be impossible if you had to browse through each one. Fortunately, there's another way. You can use a search engine to find the pages that are most relevant to words or phrases that you specify.

Major web search engines include Google, Yahoo! Search, MSN Search, AOL Search, and Ask.com. You can search the web directly from any search engine's site. Or, to save the step of navigating to the search site first, you can use the Search box in Internet Explorer, shown here:

Before you use the Search box for the first time, choose a default search provider the search engine Internet Explorer uses each time you search. If you do not choose a search provider, Windows Live Search is used. (Your computer manufacturer might have set up a different default search provider.

To search the web using the Search box

1. In the Search box, type a few words or a phrase about a topic that interests you for example, "chocolate cake recipe." Be as specific as you can.
2. Press ENTER or click the Search button.

A page of search results appears. Click one of the results to go to that website. If you don't see what you're looking for, click Next at the bottom of the page to see more results, or try a new search.

Note

• Be aware that some search results are paid advertisements. These are usually labeled as "Sponsored Sites" or "Sponsored Links."

Saving favorite webpages

When you discover a website that you'd like to return to regularly, save it as a favorite in Internet Explorer. That way, when you want to return to the website, you can click it in your Favorites list, without having to remember or type its web address.

To save a webpage as a favorite

1. In Internet Explorer, go to the webpage you want to save as a favorite.
2. Click the Add to Favorites button, and then click Add to Favorites.
3. In the Name box, type a name for the webpage, and then click Add.

To open a favorite

1. In Internet Explorer, click the Favorites Center button .
2. Click the Favorites button if it is not already selected.
3. In the Favorites list, click the webpage that you want to open.

If you have a lot of favorites, you can organize them into folders.

Using the History list

To see any webpage you've visited in the last 20 days, you can use the History list:

1. In Internet Explorer, click the Favorites Center button.
2. Click the History button if it is not already selected.
3. In the History list, click a day or week, and then click a website name. The list expands to show individual webpages that you visited on the website.
4. Click the webpage that you want to open.

Clear the history of websites you've visited

Internet Explorer stores a history of all the websites you have visited. You can delete this information to save hard disk space or to protect your privacy.

1. Click the General tab, and then, under Browsing history, click Delete.
2. Under History, click Delete history, and then click Yes to confirm that you want to delete the history.
3. Click Close, and then click OK.

Delete webpage history

As you browse the web, Internet Explorer stores information about the websites you visit and information that you're frequently asked to provide (for example, your name and address). The following is a list of the type of information that Internet Explorer stores:

• Temporary Internet files
• Cookies – a small text file that websites put on your computer to store information about you and your preferences.
• A history of the websites you've visited
• Information that you've entered into websites or the Address bar (this includes things such as your name, address, and the website addresses that you've visited before)
• Saved web passwords
• Temporary information stored by browser add-ons.

Notes

• You should close Internet Explorer when you're done to clear cookies that are still in memory from your current browsing session. This is especially important when using a public or kiosk computer.

• Deleting all browsing history does not delete your list of favorites or subscribed feeds. It only deletes temporary files, browsing history, cookies, saved form information, and saved passwords.

Usually, it's helpful to have this information stored on your computer because it can improve web browsing speed or automatically provide information so you don't have to type it in over and over. You might want to delete that information if you're cleaning up your computer or are using a public computer and do not want any of your personal information to be left behind.

Change the number of days that webpages are kept in the browsing history

You can choose the number of days that Internet Explorer keeps a history of the webpages you have visited. After that period of time, the history is automatically deleted.

1. Click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
2. Click the General tab, and then, under Browsing history, click Settings.
3. Under History, specify the number of days you would like Internet Explorer to remember the webpages you have visited. If you don't want a webpage history kept, set the number of days to 0.
4. Click OK twice.

How to know if an online transaction is secure

Here are answers to some common questions about online transactions.

A secure connection is an encrypted exchange of information between the website you are visiting and Internet Explorer. Encryption is the condition of information being scrambled so that it can be read only by someone who has the appropriate key to unscramble it.  Encryption can be applied to files or to information exchanged over a network connection. Encryption is provided through a document the website provides called a certificate.  A certificate is digital document that verifies the identity of a person or indicates the security of a website.  Certificates are issued by trusted companies known as Certificate Authorities. When you send information to the website, it is encrypted at your computer and decrypted at the website. Under normal circumstances, the information cannot be read or tampered with while it is being sent, but it's possible that someone might find a way to crack the encryption.

Even if the connection between your computer and the website is encrypted, it does not guarantee that the website is trustworthy. Your privacy can still be compromised by way the website uses or distributes your information.

 Are secure connections private?

Not necessarily. Even though the information you are sending and receiving is encrypted (encoded), an intermediate party might be able to see the website you are connecting to. By knowing the website you are connecting to, the other party might have a pretty good idea what you are doing on that site. For example, if you're looking for a new job using a computer at work, your company might watch for key words in websites or keep a log of visited sites. If you upload a resume to a job website, the document might be encrypted, but your company would still know you're looking for a new job.

How can I tell if I have a secure connection?

In Internet Explorer, you will see a lock icon in the Security Status bar. The Security Status bar is located on the right side of the Address bar or the URL will be https://.

The certificate that is used to encrypt the connection also contains information about the identity of the website owner or organization. You can click the lock to view the identity of the website.

Why do I see different colors in the Security status bar?

When you visit a website that uses a secure connection, the color of the Security Status bar tells you whether the certificate is valid or not, and it displays the level of validation that was performed by the certifying organization.

The following table describes what the Security Status bar colors mean.

Color	What it means
Red	The certificate is out of date, invalid, or has an error. For more information see About Certificate Errors.
Yellow	The authenticity of the certificate or certification authority that issued it cannot be verified. This might indicate a problem with the certification authority's website.
White	The certificate has normal validation. This means that communication between your browser and the website is encrypted. The certification authority makes no assertion about the business practices of the website.
Green	The certificate uses extended validation. This means that communication between your browser and website is encrypted and that the certification authority has confirmed the website is owned or operated by a business that is legally organized under the jurisdiction shown in the certificate and on the Security Status bar. The certification authority makes no assertion about the business practices of the website.

What should I do if I think a website is trying to mislead me about their identity?

If you believe that the site is attempting to mislead you about its identity, you should contact certification authority whose name appears in the certificate and in the Security Status bar.

If a website has secure transactions, does that mean the website is safe to use?

Not necessarily. The secure (encrypted) connection is not a guarantee that it is safe to use. A secure connection only assures you of the identity of the website, based on the information provided by the certifying organization. You should only consider giving personal information to a website that you know and trust.

How can I increase the safety of my online transactions?

While there is no guarantee of safety on the web, you can minimize online privacy or security problems by using websites you know and trust. Internet Explorer cannot tell if a website owner is trustworthy. Try to use sites you've used previously or that are recommended by trusted friends or family. You should also turn on Internet Explorer's Phishing Filter to help identify fraudulent websites. For more information about Phishing Filter, see Phishing Filter: frequently asked questions.

 What does it mean when I have both secure and non-secure (mixed) content?

Secure and non-secure content, or mixed content, means that a webpage is trying to display elements using both secure (HTTPS/SSL) and non-secure (HTTP) web server connections. This often happens with online stores or financial sites that display images, banners, or scripts that are coming from a server that is not secured.  

The risk of displaying mixed content is that a non-secure webpage or script might be able to access information from the secure content.  A script is a language used to create interactive or animated content for the Internet, such as games or advanced financial application.

Note

• Internet Explorer uses an encrypted protocol called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to access secure webpages. These pages use the prefix HTTPS, while regular webpages use HTTP.

I'm having trouble using some websites that include mixed content, what do I do?

If you are having trouble using sites that include mixed content, you might want to temporarily have Internet Explorer allow all mixed content. To do this, follow these steps:

To allow mixed content

1. Click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
2. Click the Security tab, and then click the Custom Level button.
3. In the Security Settings dialog box, scroll to the Display mixed content setting in the Miscellaneous section, and then click Enable.
4. Click OK in the Security Settings dialog box, and then click OK to exit Internet Options.

Note

• After allowing mixed content, you will see webpages with both HTTPS and non-HTTPS content but Internet Explorer will not show the lock icon.

Opening multiple webpages

At some point, you'll find yourself wanting to open a second (or third or fourth) webpage without closing the first one. To meet this need, Internet Explorer lets you create a tab for each new page you want to open. You can use the tabs to switch quickly between pages, and you can even view all of your pages at once.

To open a webpage on a new tab, click the New Tab button:

After you click the button, a blank page opens on a new tab.

A blank page on a new tab

Now you can open any webpage by typing a URL, using the search box, or choosing from your Favorites list or History list. Once you have multiple pages open, click the tabs to switch between pages.

To see all of your open webpages at once, click the Quick Tabs button. You'll see miniature version of each webpage. Click one to switch to that page.

Use Quick Tabs to see all of your open webpages

To close a tab, click the Close‌ button on the right side of the tab.

Internet Explorer at a glance

In this article

• Increased security and privacy
• New features
• Read and subscribe to feeds

Here are some of the ways that Internet Explorer makes browsing the web easier, safer, and more enjoyable.

Increased security and privacy

New security and privacy features allow you to browse the web more safely.

• Phishing Filter can help protect you from phishing attacks, online fraud, and spoofed websites.    Phishing is a technique used to trick users into revealing personal or financial information.  A common online phishing scam starts with an e-mail message that appears to come from a trusted source but actually directs recipients to provide information to a fraudulent website.
• Protected mode can help protect your computer from websites that try to install malicious software or to save files on your computer without your consent.  Malicious software are designed to deliberately harm your computer e.g. viruses, Trojan horses and worms.
• Higher security levels can help protect you from hackers and web attacks.
• The Security Status bar displays the identity of secure websites to help you make informed decisions when using online banking or merchants.
• Internet Explorer's lets you start Internet Explorer without toolbars, ActiveX controls, or other add-ons that might slow your computer or prevent you from getting online.

Help prevent online attacks by keeping Internet Explorer up-to-date   

Keeping Windows and Internet Explorer up to date is one of the best ways to prevent trouble online. Microsoft issues updates periodically which can help prevent online attacks through known vulnerabilities and provides these updates free of charge through Windows Update.

If your computer is not set up to automatically receive updates, you can manually request these updates by using Internet Explorer. Click the Tools button, and then click Windows Update. Follow the prompts on the screen to check for updates.   

       

New features

• Tabbed browsing is a new feature in Internet Explorer that allows you to open multiple websites in a single browser window. If you have a lot of tabs open, use Quick Tabs to easily switch between open tabs. For more information about Quick Tabs, see Using Quick Tabs in Internet Explorer.
• The new Instant Search box lets you search the web from the Address bar. You can also search using different search providers to get better results. For more information.
• Internet Explorer now lets you delete your temporary files, cookies, webpage history, saved passwords, and form information from one place. Delete selected categories, or everything at once.
• Click the Favorites Center button to open the Favorites Center to manage favorites, feeds, and history in one place. For more information about using favorites.
• Printing now scales webpages to fit the paper you're using. Print Preview gives more control when printing, with manual scaling and an accurate view of what you're about to print. For more information about printing.
• The Zoom feature lets you enlarge or reduce text, images, and some controls. For more information about using Zoom.

Read and subscribe to feeds

A feed, also known as RSS feed, XML feed, or syndicated content, is website content that can be automatically delivered to your browser. By subscribing to a feed, you can get updated content, such as breaking news or your favorite blog, without having to visit the website. A blog is an online journal or column that is frequently updated, they are used to publish personal or company information in an informal way.  Short for web log.  The Feeds button in the Internet Explorer toolbar will light up when a feed is available for a webpage you're viewing. Click the button to display the feed or to subscribe. For more information about feeds, see Using feeds (RSS).