"Lazy Browser?"
Things don't seem to work right with Internet Explorer?
(You can try these things with all browsers -- to me IE is the most stubborn.)
(Remember the CONTROL key on the PC and the COMMAND key on the Mac are equivalent.)
Some suggestions:
Server vs local cache
Quite often in all browsers, but especially in Internet Explorer, you need to force the browser to read pages from the server rather than the easier and faster cache on your own computer.
Force the Browser
Do you know the trick:
Hold down the CONTROL KEY and the SHIFT KEY and click REFRESH/RELOAD to force loading from the server. (If you use a Mac, substitute the COMMAND key for the CONTROL key.)
Purge the cache
Sometimes just called "empty the cache", sometimes "delete the file", etc. If you have never done this, better have someone with experience help you the first time.
Preferences
Sometimes IE is soooooooooooo "lazy" unless you have it set in the preferences to retrieve pages from the server. The cache is very fast but not accurate when pages change.
You should probably examine your PREFERENCES and make some changes.
Quit the Brower
Quit the Browser (do not only Minimize on the PC or only Close Window on the Mac)
Restart the computer
This is the most drastic and usually not needed.
REFRESH/RELOAD BUTTON LOCATION
- The REFRESH/RELOAD button is located in one of the upper menus of Internet Explorer (or any of the browsers). It is a VALUABLE key to know about.
- On the PC, it is in the STANDARD BUTTONS menu bar and may be indicated with text or with just and icon (two arrows going in a circle) depending upon how YOU have your browser configured.
- If the STANDARD BUTTON bar does not appear on your browser window, you can go to the
VIEW menu / TOOLBARS and make sure STANDARD BUTTONS is checked.
SHORTCUT REVIEW (does not always work)
So again, hold down the CONTROL key and the SHIFT key while you CLICK THE REFRESH button will work many times.
QUIT INSTEAD OF MINIMIZE
- Internet Explorer is stubborn and is usually set for SPEED (but not ACCURACY) with the default settings.
- What probably happens from one day to the next is that you QUIT Internet Explorer instead of MINIMIZING it so it retrieves new information from the server when starting up.
- When teaching how to use this stuff in school, I found many problems happened when people would MINIMIZE things (put them in the START menu bar) instead of QUITING them (or just CLOSING WINDOWS on the Mac instead of using File menu / Quit --- wonder how many people have heard me say that?).
SHUT DOWN or RESTART YOUR COMPUTER
The other thing you might do is to shut down your computer and start up again. This also forces IE to get new information.
SET THE INTERNET OPTIONS the way YOU want them
Check the INTERNET OPTIONS in the TOOLS menu of Internet Explorer (PC: I use IE version 6 -- and this may vary slightly with a different version):
- In the INTERNET OPTIONS / GENERAL / TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES
Click on SETTINGS
- One man I knew had NEVER checked this item and wondered why he could NEVER find any new items on web pages (he discovered that he had NEVER checked).
- I usually recommend EVERY TIME YOU START.... (but this is dependent upon NOT MINIMIZING IE)
- You may check EVERY VISIT (but be aware that it will slow down access web pages) ....
- Then click the OK
- And then the APPLY button
- Click the Close button at the upper right.
Hope this helps!
David Thomas, Community Band Web Manager
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