What this page is for
There is a good deal of practical advice on this site, and I'm working on putting more on. But, sometimes, what is needed is an example of how it all works in practice, or a set of basic instructions how to set something up. That is what this is intended for. This is the browsing set up that I use on my systems.
This page will explain basit steps for (with links to instructions for specific steps) to creating one browser set up that can help minimize the problems you get. Please realize that this page does not address general computer system setup, nor does it address email usage.
This works on versions of Windows starting with Windows 2000, unless otherwise noted. I've tested parts of this on Linux, but I have not tested this on the Macintosh. If the specific items I mention don;t work ont he Mac, look for similar items that will work in that environment; they should exist.
What this page is not
- A universal solution. It may not work well for everyone, at all times, although it is fairly broad-based.
- A guide for email setup. That requires different / additional steps.
- A guide for general system set up.
The Actual Setup
The Browser
The default browser is the latest version of Mozilla Firefox. (http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/) There is a button on the main page to click on, which will give take you to a page with the basic instructions for installing Firefox for Windows, and starting the download. For Linix or Macintosh, or for a language other than English, click on the link right under the button, and you will get to a page with a list of the different language versions available for the different platforms. Clicking on the appropriate link will automatically start teh download.
One the browser is installed, it should be set as the default browser, and it and any other browser (Internet Explorer in Windows) should be told not to check each time it starts up. Start each browser, and tell it not to check of it's the default. Tell Firefox to be the default browser. The otehrs should be told that it it NOT the defualt browser.
If you have downloaded and installed the browser at the same time, you should have the latest verstion. Howver, if you had to download the browser more than a day or two before you installed it, there may be some patches out. Download and install them. Click on Help, check for updates. Firefox will check the site for updates, and if there are any, it will download and install them. This will almost certainly require you to restrart firefox.
Once you have installed Firefox and insured that it is working, the next step is to install a few add-ons. There are two types of add-ons I have in mind - those which you will need for common types of contect on the web, and those that can help you minimize unwanted negative exposure. The ones I list are the ones I use. There are others that provide much of the same functionality, but this is the set that works best for me and many of the people I've set this up for.
Safety Related Add-Ons
I'll be dealing with the safety related add-ons, as those are specific to Firefox, and therefore, you won't have them from before.
The instructions for installing each one of the add-ons is the same, so I will provide the instructions for the first one, and then just list the other add-ons and where to get them. You do not have to do it in the order I list.
IETab (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1419) This add-on actually pulls an Internet Explorer window into Firefox. It is not the preferred way to run, but what it does is to make it easy to work with firefox all of the time, so you don't wind up with multiple browsers, or someone forgetting to stay in Firefox. Only use it if a site won't work and the next add-on won't fix the problem.
How to install: Click on the Install Now button. The add-on will download will pop up a small window lableld "Software Installation" and download the code. When it is done downloading, the button on the bottom labelled "Install Now" will become active. It will install, and then another window, indicating that the add-on has been installed, will come up telling you that Firefox bust be restarted in order for the add-on to be fully installed. You can either click the button to restart firefox, or you can close the window and procedd to install the other add-ons. However, rememer that at some point, you must restart Firefox.
PrefBar (http://prefbar.mozdev.org/) This add-on does quite a few things, but the reason it is on this list is because it makes it so much easier to block many types of potentially problematic content. Once you install it, you should customize the setup. The most important choices, from the safety standpoint, are the checkboxes that allow you to toggle (turn on and off) images, popeups, animations, java, javascript, flash and the "user agent". All of these items, except the "user agent" switcher, let you block objectionable content on a site that you need to visit. The user agent switcher lets you tell a site that you are using Internet Explorer. This does not always work (which is why I also keep IE Tab installed). But, very often, the site does not really need it, so this is good enough, and safer than actually running internet explorer.
AdBlockPlus (http://adblockplus.org/en/installation) This add-on blocks a large percentage of ads (which contain some of the most annoying and problematic types of content), and content that acts in a similar way. It overlaps somewhat with PrefBar, but neither does a complete job in its own.
WOT (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/3456) This add-on provides information on the safety and appropriateness of sites. Occasionally it does provide information that is not entirely accurate, but, generally, if you pay attention to the ratings it gives, you will improve your chances of avoiding problematic sites of all sorts.
Setting up Safety Related Add Ons
IETab IETab Options will now be on the tolls menu. There are several different ways to set it up. However, one of the simplest ways to get started is to click on the General Settings tab and, in the area labeled Show on Interface, make sure the Status Bar Icon is checked off. This will result in an icon on the lower right hand area of the browswer. If you are in default mode, it will show the firefox logo. Click on the logo, and it will reload the page in Internet Explorer, within Firefox, and you will see the Internet Explorer logo, for that tab. If you have a page that you go to regularly, and that needs to be in IE, you can set IETab to always automatically invoke IE for that page.
PrefBar will be in your menu, after Help. I wil describe the setup I generally use and find useful, but you may do things differently. Click on PrefBar and choose Customize. Ont he left, there is a box that say Preference Toolbar. If there is a plus next to it, click on the plus, and you will see Option under it. Click on Options. In the Appearance section, check off Show Prefbar in popup windows. In Place Prefbar Buttons On choose Own Toolbar. Click on Preferences Toolbar on the left again, and you will see two boxes in the right hand area. On the right are the items that will show up on the tool bar, and on the left are the things you can add. This is an image of the setup screen, and the items I keep on my tool bar.
AdBlock Plus Needs minimal setup to start with. The first time you restart Firefox, it will ask you to subscribe to are least one list of sites that are known to be problematic. The list I generally choose is EasyList USA. You can add lists, but I find that ths works reasonably well. Be aware that on some sites won't work right with AdBlock plus enabled. The easiest way to check this out is to make sure that you have the AdBlock button on one of the toolbars or in the status bar, like IETab. AdBlock Plus is in the tools menu, so click on Tools, AdBlock Plus ad choose Options. Check off Show in ToolBar or Show in Statusbar (or both) and close.
WOT will ask you to accept the license agreemen the first time you restart Firefox. After that, you will not need to do any further set up.
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