Toolkit Addition

Browsing Tips

Don't Wait In Line

If you have a hard time accessing pages on a particular server, it may be due to traffic and routing problems. Instead of clicking on a link and waiting (and waiting and waiting) for the server to respond, right-click the link and use the "Save Shortcut" or "Copy Link Location" option on the menu. Paste that information directly into the address window at the top of the browser and hit Return. Each time you click in the address window and hit Return, you are vying for the next available access point to the server. You are sure to get in before the person who is just sitting there watching the globe spin or stars shoot by!

Superfast Browsing

If all you want is hard information, simply switch off the Image Auto-Load feature found on most browsers. This cuts page-loading time considerably, allowing you to judge more quickly whether to stay and read or click on through to the next page. An even faster method is to install a copy of Lynx on you computer. Lynx is still the fastest browser available, even if it is a throwback to the days before in-line images.

Stop Web Page Stalls

Is a Web page taking forever to come up? Click on the reload button or even the stop button. If a vertical scroll is displayed try paging down. Chances are the page is just stuck and will suddenly appear or quickly come up on a reload

Search Tips

Search Tip: Error Codes

Just because you get an error message doesn't mean that you can't find useful information at the address. Here are the basic error codes you'll find with some ideas of how to get around them.

403 Forbidden Pages
Areas that give you this message are typically accessible, but not by you. Or you may be missing a password or have typed it incorrectly.

404 Not Found
Break this error message by backtracking through the URL and deleting what's in front of the nearest slash. If the author hasn't included an index.html page, a list of pages will appear.

503 Service Unavailable
This message means that the page you want is probably still there, but not at the moment. Wait 30 seconds and try again.

Host Unknown
Some sites move and don't leave forwarding addresses. Check the domain name at www.4domains.com to see if it is still valid, then try one or both numerical addresses given there.

File Contains No Data
If you get this message, the page exists but is currently empty. New data may be uploading; come back later and try again.

Too Many Connections--Try Again Later
To get around this one, just click on Refresh until you're bumped up in line for access and the page will load.