ISBN: 0-7356-1859-3 
Pages: 304 
Disk: N/A 
Stolin-Softwares Price: $17.99
Release: 11/13/2002 
Level: Beginner 

Now you can do everyday things with the Internet—from installing a firewall to bagging an online bargain—faster, smarter, and better. Dive in! This friendly, high-energy guide makes it easy to teach yourself exactly what you need. Use the quick lists, numbered steps, and helpful examples to accelerate your productivity—and move on to doing the cool things you want to do!

• Learn what cookies reveal about you
• Share one Internet connection for multiple PCs
• Bring a live concert or ballgame to your desktop
• Help keep your wallet safer when shopping on line
• Talk it up with e-mail, instant messaging, and chat
• Get better, more targeted results from search engines
• Set up—and test—the right firewall for your needs
• Help keep your kids out of the Web’s dark corners 

The chapters in this part of the book are filled with information that will help you get started on the Internet. You'll learn how the Internet works, and how you get to where you want to go, and you'll learn some of the terminology and jargon attached to Internet travel.  

CHAPTER 1:   What's the Internet and How Do I Get There? 3 
    Hopping Around the Internet 4 
        Internet Addresses—Numbers and Names 6 
        Your Servers Await You 6 
    What's the Web? 9 
        Hypertext—More Than Just Text  9 
        Before the Web—Animals and Comic Books  10 
    Who's In Charge? 11 
CHAPTER 2:   What Do I Need to Get There? 13 
    Handling the Hardware Side 13 
        Telephone Modems 14 
        Cable Modems 17 
        Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Devices 19 
    What's an ISP? 20 
        Choosing an ISP 20 
        Enabling ISP Configuration Settings 21 
    Sharing an Internet Connection on a Network 24 
    Enabling a Shared Connection with Software 25 
    Enabling a Shared Connection with Hardware 27 
CHAPTER 3:   Protecting Your Computer from Invaders 29 
    Barricade Your Computer with a Firewall  30 
        What's an Internet Attack? 30 
        How a Firewall Works  31 
    Software Firewalls  33 
        Windows XP Internet Connection Firewall  34 
        ZoneAlarm  39 
        BlackIce 47 
        Installing BlackIce  47 
        Using Firewall Log Files to Play Detective  57 
    Hardware Firewalls for Networks  58 
    How to Test Your Firewall  59 
    Inoculate Your Computer Against Viruses  60 
        What's a Virus and How Does It Work? 61 
        How Antivirus Software Works 65 
        Data Information Files  67 
        Getting the Most Out of Antivirus Software 67 
        Stupid Virus Hoaxes  69 
CHAPTER 4:   Kids and the Internet  71 
    Rules to Make (and with Luck, Enforce)  72 
        No-Privacy Zones  72 
        Treat Passwords Like State Secrets 72 
        Chat About Chat Rooms  73 
        Give Kids an Escape Hatch  74 
        Privacy? Is This a Democracy?  75 
    Internet Explorer Controls  76 
        How the Advisor Advises 76 
        Turn On the Controls  77 
        Set the Supervisor Password  77 
        Category Ratings  77 
        Do-It-Yourself Site Ratings  78 
        Set Basic Options for the Advisor  79 
        Advanced Settings for the Super Cautious  81 
    Put a Cop on the Beat  81 
        CyberPatrol 82 
        CyberSitter  82 
        Net Nanny  83 

PART II:   HIT THE ROAD   

The chapters in this part are filled with in-depth information about the tools available to you when you venture on to the Internet. You'll learn how to get the most out of your browser, using features that make Internet travel faster and easier.   

CHAPTER 5:   Browsing the World  87 
    What Exactly Is a Browser? 87 
    Getting Around the Web 88 
        Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)  88 
        Links 93 
    Visiting Familiar Haunts  95 
        These Are a Few of My Favorite Sites 96 
        Links to Very Special Favorites  100 
        Checking Your Travel History  102 
    Cookies—Not for Munching 105 
        The Great Cookie Debate  106 
        Cookie Flavors  110 
        Controlling Cookies with Internet Explorer 111 
        Third-Party Software for Cookie Controls  115 
CHAPTER 6:   Searching for Information  117 
    What's a Search Engine? 118 
        Eewww-Spiders  118 
        Indexes (Indices?) 119 
        User Interface  119 
    Vroom Vroom—Start Your Search Engines  120 
        Internet Explorer Search Assistant  120 
        Finding the Right Words  126 
        Using Directories  130 
    Send a Ferret  131 
CHAPTER 7:   That's Entertainment  133 
    What Do I Need?  134 
        Not for the Connection-Speed Impaired 134 
        Nuts and Bolts—The Hardware  134 
        Software 137 
    Listen Up!  138 
        Whistle While You Work 138 
        Take Me Out to the Ballgame  139 
        Technical Tips for Internet Broadcasts  139 
    Do-It-Yourself Media  140 
        Copying Music Tracks  141 
        Using the Media Library 142 
        Creating Playlists  142 
        Downloading MP3 Music 143 
        Downloading Music—Read the Fine Print  144 
CHAPTER 8:   Shopping Online  147 
    Safe Shopping  147 
        What Makes a Server Secure? 149 
        Encryption—a Ticket for Secure Travel  150 
    Finding Online Stores  151 
        Visiting Your Favorite Merchants  151 
        Online-Only Merchants  152 
        Portals to Shopping Malls  153 
    Caveat Emptor  154 
    Tips and Tricks for Online Shopping  155 
        Profiles  156 
        Automatic E-mail  156 
        Ship-To Address Lists  156 
        Credit Card Numbers  157 
    Other Ways to Spend Money Online 158 
        Travel  158 
        Online Auctions—Garage Sales on the Web 160 
CHAPTER 9:   The Interactive Internet  163 
    Shazam! My Desktop Is a Web Server  163 
        How Can a Desktop Become a Web Server?  164 
        Enable Active Desktop  164 
    Add Web Pages to Your Desktop 167 
        Collect the Web Page Addresses You Need  167 
        Bring It On Down  168 
    Did That Web Page Change? 171 
        Synchronize Desktop Web Pages Manually 172 

PART III:   INTERNET SOCIALIZING   

The last part of the book is about all the tools and features that let you communicate with other Internet users. You'll learn how to get the most out of e-mail, chat rooms, online games, and real-time exchange of messages. This is the fun stuff!   

CHAPTER 10:   Managing E-Mail  179 
    Will the Real You Please Sign In?  179 
        Technical Stuff You Need to Know  180 
        Outlook Express Mail Accounts  181 
        Eudora Mail Personalities 182 
        Web-Based Mailboxes at Your ISP 185 
        Have a Dual Identity? 185 
    Sending and Receiving E-Mail 188 
        Headers  188 
        Address Groups  190 
        Attachments  192 
    E-Mail Etiquette  193 
        Forwarding Mail—The Scourge of the Internet  194 
        Terminally Cute Message Formats 194 
        Terminally Clever Signatures  195 
        Down With Receipts! 195 
    Dealing with Those %%#$ Spammers  196 
CHAPTER 11:   Join the Clubs  199 
    Mailing Lists 200 
        Newsletters  200 
        Discussion Lists 201 
        Finding Lists 204 
        Organize Your Mailing Lists  204 
    Newsgroups 214 
        What and Where Are Newsgroups? 214 
        Newsgroup Names—Confusing but Logical  215 
        Using Outlook Express as a Newsreader 215 
    Web Site Forum  222 
CHAPTER 12:   Hangin' Out on the Internet  225 
    Chat Online 225 
        Dangling Conversations  225 
        Who's Who?  226 
        What Did He Say? 227 
        Finding Chat Rooms  228 
    Instant Messages  231 
        Microsoft Instant Messaging 231 
        Yahoo! Messenger  247 
        AOL IM for Non-AOLers  248 
    NetMeeting  248 
        Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Meeting 249 
        Share Software 251 
        Chat During the Meeting  252 
CHAPTER 13:   Virtual Playgrounds  255 
    Finding Games  255 
        Windows XP Internet Games  256 
        Game Sites  259 
    Outfit Your Computer for Games 261 
        Video  261 
        Browser Plug-Ins  261 
APPENDIX:   Create a Company Web Site  265 
INDEX 275