When you first launch your web browser, usually by double-clicking on the icon on your desktop, a predefined web page appears. This page is referred to as your home page or start page.

The row of buttons at the top of your web browser, known as the toolbar, helps you travel through the web of possibilities, keeping track of where you've been. 

Common toolbar buttons:

•   The Back button returns you the previous page you've visited.
• Use the Forward button to return to the page you just came from.
• Home takes you to whichever home page you've chosen. (Go to internet options to change your setup)
• Reload or Refresh loads the web page again.
  Why would you want to do this? Sometimes all of the elements of a web page haven't loaded the first time, because the file transfer was interrupted. Also when you download a web page, the data is cached (pronounced "cashed"), meaning it is stored temporarily in your computer's memory. The next time you want that page, instead of requesting the file from the web server, your web browser will first try to accesses it from the cache. By reloading the page, data is requested from the web server.
• Print lets you make a hard copy of the current page loaded in your browser.  Print Preview (under File menu) let you review the layout and change the page set up before printing.
• The Stop button stops the browser from loading the current page.  Use this when you want to cancel the current request and try a different link.
•    Search connects to directories and search tools on the Microsoft or Netscape websites.
•   Bookmarks or Favorites lets you can record the addresses of websites you want to revisit. Once you add a URL to your list, you can return to that web page simply by clicking on the link in your list, instead of retyping the entire address.

The Location Bar

Just under the toolbar, you will see a box labeled "Location," "Go To," or "Address." This is where you enter the address of a website you want to visit. After you enter it, press the Return or Enter key to access the site or click on the "Go" button to the right of the address box.

By clicking the small triangle to the right of the Location box, you will get a drop-down list of the most recent websites you have visited. To revisit a site, just click on the address.

The Menu Bar

Located along the top of the browser window, the menu bar offers a selection of things you can do with a web page, such as saving it to your hard drive or increasing the size of the text on a page. Many of the choices are the same as the buttons on the toolbar.

The Access Indicator

Both Navigator and Explorer have a small graphic in the upper right-hand corner of the browser. When this image is animated, it means that your browser software, known as a client, is accessing data from a remote computer, called a server. The server can be located across town or on another continent. Your browser downloads these remote files to your computer, then displays them on your screen. The speed of this process depends on a number of factors: the speed of your connection, the size of the files you are downloading, how busy the server is and the traffic on the Internet.

The Status Bar