Windows Galore
Internet Explorer 4 and Internet Connection Tips

Quick Custom Searches
What's the fastest way to search the 'Net? Click in the Address box, then type a question mark and a space followed by the words you want to search for. When you press Enter, IE4 sends the request to Yahoo, which is the default AutoSearch engine. To change the default search engine, install TweakUI from the Windows 95 or Windows 98 Power Toys collection. Open TweakUI, click the General tab, and choose your preferred search engine from the available choices on the drop-down list, including AltaVista, HotBot, Excite, and Infoseek

Automatically Open URL In New Window
Don't want to lose your place, but don't want to bookmark something? In IE, hold down the Shift key while clicking on the URL. For IE or Netscape, right click on the link you want to explore and choose "Open in New Window".
This can be useful for finding the direct URL to a framed site as well as keeping you from losing your place.

Get There Fast
You may have already discovered that typing the main part of a URL (for example "microsoft" instead of "http://www.microsoft.com") is the easiest way to go to a web site, but it's not the fastest way. By typing only "Microsoft", the browser tries all the varies possible prefixes and suffixes (like .com, .net, .org, etc...). If you know the URL has "http://www" in the front and ".com" in the back, then type in the main part (like "microsoft") and hit Ctrl+Enter. The browser will add the rest.

Check Modem Speed and Thoughput
Windows 98 has been updated to use system monitor to check your modem speed and throughput. It now allows, in addition to other parameters, the online monitoring ofinbound and outbound bytes per second and inbound crc errors.
To set it up:
Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Monitor.
System Monitor may be monitoring items you don't want. To remove these, click Edit, Remove Item. You will see a list of the current items and you can remove any you want.
To add the proper items, click Edit, Add Item and choose Dial Up Adapter.  You will see something like what's in the following image:
The only needed items that check throughput are:
Bytes Received/Second
Bytes Transmitted/Second
Connection Speed
CRC Errors
Choose all four of these, and you'll get an accurate result of how your system is working on the Internet.

Use MTU-Speed to Speed Up Downloads
MTU-Speed enables you to change the Registry settings to maximize your speed on downloads. It adjusts the maximum transfer unit from the default setting of 1500 bits to 576 bits, which is more compliant with the TCP/IP rate. For this reason, there will be fewer slowdowns caused by fragmentation of packet information. To download it, click here. Warning! Always backup your Registry before making changes.
This tweak can also be done through Network Neighborhood. Reference our Registry Tweaks for more information.

Faster Connections to Internet Service Providers
You may be able to reduce the time it takes to connect to your Internet Service Provider (ISP) by going to the Dial-Up Networking connection that you use, right-click and select Properties. On the Server Types tab, uncheck the Log On to Network box. You should then verify that you can still connect. Most ISPs don’t use this setting, and it can take up to 60 seconds to time-out.

Subscribing To A Channel
Windows 98 comes with a desktop component called the Channel Bar. There will always be few deafult channels in your Channel Bar, depending on the location of your country and the company from which you got Windows 98.
A channel is actually a website pushed to deliver information onto your desktop. To view a channel, select it in the Channel Bar, or select a category then a channel in it. Click the Add Active Channel link in the resulting window, and you'll see a dialog box asking if you'd like to subscribe to the channel.
If you'd like Internet Explorer to notify you of channel updates & download channel content on a regular basis for viewing offline, select the third option: Yes, Notify Me Of Updates And Download the Channel for Offline Viewing. Click the Customize button, complete the options in the resulting dialog boxes--how much of the channel you'd like to download, whether you want to be notified of updates via e-mail, and the subscription update schedule--clicking Next after each; then click Finish. Click OK, and your subscription is finished.

Deleting Channel Subscriptions
Cleaning up your Channel Bar and removing subscriptions is easily done. In any open Explorer window,  select Favorites, Manage Subscriptions. In the Subscriptions window, right-mouse-click the subscription you want to remove and select Delete. Click Yes to confirm, and that subscription is history.

Modifying Subscriptions
You can always change subscription settings you are not satisfied with. In an open Explorer window, select Favorites, Manage Subscriptions. In the Subscriptions window, right-mouse-click the subscription you want to change and select Properties. Select the Receiving tab to change the subscription type and e-mail notification options. Select the Schedule tab to change the update schedule. Complete any changes, click OK, and the new settings take effect immediately.