MOZILA FIREFOX

Welcome to our Mozilla Firefox section.

The Firefox browser is becoming more and more popular.

Firefox is based on Mozilla technology, the latest release Mozilla Firefox 3.5 has all the features you would expect from a first class browser.

Some of the features include tabbed browsing, privacy control, excellent compatibility and very fast browsing.

Each tip includes a guide for the different versions of Firefox (if needed), including versions 1, 2, 3 and 3.5.

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts for Mozilla Firefox

CTRL + A Select all text on a webpage

CTRL + B Open the Bookmarks sidebar

CTRL + C Copy the selected text to the Windows clipboard

CTRL + D Bookmark the current webpage

CTRL + F Find text within the current webpage

CTRL + G Find more text within the same webpage

CTRL + H Opens the webpage History sidebar

CTRL + I Open the Bookmarks sidebar

CTRL + J Opens the Download Dialogue Box

CTRL + K Places the cursor in the Web Search box ready to type your search

CTRL + L Places the cursor into the URL box ready to type a website address

CTRL + M Opens your mail program (if you have one) to create a new email message

CTRL + N Opens a new Firefox window

CTRL + O Open a local file

CTRL + P Print the current webpage

CTRL + R Reloads the current webpage

CTRL + S Save the current webpage on your PC

CTRL + T Opens a new Firefox Tab

CTRL + U View the page source of the current webpage

CTRL + V Paste the contents of the Windows clipboard

CTRL + W Closes the current Firefox Tab or Window (if more than one tab is open)

CTRL + X Cut the selected text

CTRL + Z Undo the last action

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts for Mozilla Firefox

F1 Opens Firefox help

F3 Find more text within the same webpage

F5 Reload the current webpage

F6 Toggles the cursor between the address/URL input box and the current webpage

F7 Toggles Caret Browsing on and off. Used to be able to select text on a webpage with the keyboard

F11 Switch to Full Screen mode. 

Change the Homepage in Firefox - Changing the Firefox Homepage

The webpage that Firefox loads when first opened is referred to as the homepage. A lot of people set their homepage to their email page, or some other page they use on a regular basis. You can set your homepage to whatever webpage you like, but bear in mind it will be the first page that you see when you open Firefox, so make it a useful one! Some examples would include: Your email account, if you check your emails first thing, or maybe your preferred news website or search engine. In this guide we take you through changing your homepage in Mozilla Firefox versions 2 and 3. We show you how to set the homepage to either your current page, an existing bookmark, or alternatively, by typing in the address of the webpage.   This page is ©  Copyright 2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com Before you follow this tutorial you must read the terms of our disclaimer. Open up Mozilla Firefox if you haven't already. Click on TOOLS on the menu bar at the top of the Firefox screen, then click on OPTIONS see fig 1.1 below for a screenshot: After clicking options you will see the Firefox Options dialogue box as shown below in fig 1.2 or fig 1.3, depending on your version of Firefox. © Copyright 2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com Firefox Versions up to and including Version 2 Firefox Version 3 Type the address of the webpage that you would like to use as your new homepage into the box provided (see Fig 1.2 or Fig 1.3 above) and click the OK button. If it is the webpage you are currently viewing just click the Use Current Page button then simply click on the OK button. Notice in Firefox you can also use one of your existing bookmarks as your new homepage.

Clear the Cache in Firefox

Firefox (like most browsers) keeps a copy of certain things on the websites you visit, like images for example. Doing this allows Firefox to load pages that you visit regularly (or at least once) faster, which can improve performance dramatically. There are several reasons why you may want to delete the cached files that Firefox stores, including privacy concerns and technical problems. Privacy issues will relate to the fact that the files are stored locally, which means the files can be accessed and the images viewed by someone other than yourself. Technical issues can arise with cached files. For example, if you experience difficulties with certain websites, sometimes clearing the cached files can solve it.   Firefox makes it simple to delete any files that are being stored in the cache. This page will show you how to clear the cache in Firefox versions 2 and 3.

After opening Mozilla Firefox (if you don't have it open already). On the menu bar at the top of your screen, select TOOLS, click on OPTIONS from the pull down menu, see fig 1.1 below:

© Copyright

2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com

 

Firefox Version 2 This is the Firefox Options dialogue box, click on the PRIVACY icon (labeled A in fig 1.2) and then click on the CACHE tab (labeled B in fig 1.2). You have the option of changing the amount of disk space Firefox uses for its cache, the value is in MB (Megabytes). The default value is 50MB, this is about right for most users, change if required. Click the CLEAR CACHE NOW button to delete any files that are in the cache. Then click the OK button (fig 1.2).

© Copyright

2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com

 

Firefox Version 3 and 3.5 Below is the Firefox version 3 Options dialogue box. In Firefox version 3.5 the Privacy icon will appear different, but the rest of the options dialogue box is the same. First click on the ADVANCED icon (labeled A in fig 1.3) and then click on the NETWORK tab (labeled B in fig 1.3). Firefox gives you the choice of changing the amount of you hard drive's storage it takes up with its cached files. The default setting in Firefox version 3 is 5MB, if you visit a lot of web pages on a regular basis then you may want to increase the amount of space. Click the CLEAR NOW button to delete the files currently stored in the cache. Finally, click the OK button (fig 1.3).   After you have signed up for an email account you will be able to send and receive electronic messages through your PC. It doesn't cost anything to send or receive these messages apart from your phone bill (which should be the price of a local call). When you send an email and likewise when someone sends you an email, the message will remain on the server (your email providers computer) until the person of whom it is intended for reads it and deletes it. For example, when someone sends you an email, the message will stay available until you have read and deleted it (giving you the choice of when to read them). If you have an email provider that offers a POP (Post Office Protocol) server then you can download your messages straight onto your machine, thus reducing the time you are online to read them, in the same way if your email provider offers an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server then you will be able to write your messages offline (not connected) and then just connect for the few seconds it takes to send it. These can be important factors when choosing an email provider. Internet Child Safety As most people know the internet can be an amazing resource and provide hours of fun for kids, but there is a side to the internet that can be worrying for any parent. Chat rooms have been a main cause of concern for years, with adults posing as young children and chatting to unsuspecting kids, and in extreme cases trying to organise secret meetings with the child. Things are changing slowly and a lot of chat rooms are starting to monitor their sites more closely, but unfortunately not everyone is following suit. Websites with explicit images are another problem that children may be exposed to, a few of these websites have a warning on their homepage alerting the user to the fact that the site contains this sort of material, but unfortunately not all of them. Another major worry for a parent is spam email containing explicit images, most of this type of spam gets sent from countries where any type of law is not easily enforced and therefore the culprits can go on sending, hopefully one day we will see the end of this type of marketing but unfortunately at the moment it is here to stay. There are things that can be done to protect your children from this type of exposure on the internet, and below we will cover a few of these things. ADSL and cable are types of broadband connection, the term "broadband" only refers to the performance of an internet connection, not to any particular type of connection. The connection types in this section include: Dial-up Connections ADSL Connections Cable Connections     This page is ©  Copyright 2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com   Dial-up connections Dial-up connections are one type of internet connection available from ISPs, they are the slowest and (usually) the most inexpensive. A dial-up connection allows you to connect to the internet via a local server using a standard 56k modem. Your PC literally dials (hence the name) a phone number (provided by your ISP) and connects to the server and therefore the internet. note: In the US the FCC passed a regulation limiting V90 dial-up connections to 53Kbps. Once connected you can utilise all aspects of the internet, the drawback with a dial-up connection is the speed. A standard 56k modem can theoretically transfer 56 Kilobits of data a second, this means that you can (again theoretically) transfer up to 7 Kilobytes a second (although to get a full 7k is near impossible due to the compression overhead). When you consider that the average web page including its images is around 50 Kilobytes, this means it would take around 7 seconds for the web page to completely load in your browser. On top of this, most (though not all) internet service providers charge by the minute for your dial-up connection, so the longer it takes to load the pages you visit, the more you pay for your connection. The cost is usually the same as you would pay for a local phone call, so as long as they are used sensibly they can be a very cost effective internet connection. Dial-up connection Pros Dial-up connections can be very economic and are widely available, the cost per minute is comparable to that of a local phone call, or priced as a monthly plan which will include a certain amount of time. As these connections use a standard modem the hardware costs are minimal, most modern laptops have a built-in 56K modem. The fact that you only need a standard phone line to connect makes dial-up connections great for when you are on the move, especially if you find yourself in a location without a WIFI connection point. Dial-up connection Cons Dial-up connections are very slow compared to other connection types. When connected to the internet the same phone line cannot be used for phone calls, so if anyone phones you when you are connected they will get the busy signal. Dial-up connections transfer data over an analogue line so before the data is sent it has to be converted from digital to analogue, likewise when data is received it has to be converted from analogue to digital (this is what the modem does), this adds a performance overhead which affects the speed of the connection.   back to top | © Copyright 2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com ADSL connections ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscribers Line) connections are becoming more and more widely available and can provide an excellent internet connection. The connections work by splitting your phone line into two separate channels, one for data (internet) and one for voice (phone calls), which means you can talk on the phone and be connected to the internet at the same time. You will often see ADSL connection services advertised as having different speed specifications, below are some common configurations: 256Kbps/128Kbps 512Kbps/128Kbps 1Mbps/256Kbps 2Mbps/512Kbps 8Mbps/1024Kbps Notice there are two values to each configuration, the first figure states the download speed and the second figure is the maximum upload speed. As an example let's take the second configuration 512Kbps/128Kbps, this means that you can potentially download data at a speed of 512Kbps and upload data at 128Kbps. The most important figure is the download speed, this depicts how long it will take to view a web page, download a music file or an email attachment. As an example of how the different download speeds can affect your connection, below are some figures to give you an idea of the differences: Average Web Page (50 Kilobytes including images) 256Kbps download speed - roughly 1.56 seconds to view page. 512Kbps download speed - roughly 0.78 seconds to view page. 1Mbps download speed - roughly 0.39 seconds to view page. 2Mbps download speed - roughly 0.195 seconds to view page. 8Mbps download speed - roughly 0.048 seconds to view page. Average MP3 file (music file) (4 Megabytes) 256Kbps download speed - roughly 2 minutes and 8 seconds to download. 512Kbps download speed - roughly 1 minute and 4 seconds to download. 1Mbps download speed - roughly 32 seconds to download. 2Mbps download speed - roughly 16 seconds to download. 8Mbps download speed - roughly 4 seconds to download. The figures above are only theoretical, as there are many other factors which determine the real download speed, such as the speed of the server/host you are downloading from. ADSL offers incredible performance compared to standard dial-up connections and is becoming the first choice of broadband for most internet subscribers. Most ISPs that offer ADSL packages charge a flat monthly fee, which normally includes a certain amount of bandwidth each month. The bandwidth refers to how much data (web pages, music, videos, etc) you can download per month without incurring additional charges from your internet service provider. ADSL connection Pros Apart from the obvious speed advantages that ADSL connections offer, ADSL technology eliminates the need for a second phone line by allowing voice and data transfer at the same time (you can use the phone as normal while connected to the internet). Because ADSL transfers data digitally it eliminates the usual performance overhead associated with standard dial-up connections, in other words ADSL doesn't need to convert the data from digital to analogue and back again. ADSL connections are Always on, which makes the usual long wait to connect a thing of the past. ADSL connection Cons ADSL connections are not available to everyone, you should always ensure that you have ADSL coverage in your area (an ISP will check for you). The hardware costs can be quite significant as you will need a special ADSL modem and ADSL filters to use the service. Most ISPs allow you to hire these items which can reduce the initial cost. Because ADSL connections are Always on you will need a firewall to protect your PC, for a free firewall see our Freeware and Shareware section.   back to top | © Copyright 2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com Cable connections Cable connections are considered one of the best types of internet connection available to the home user, they offer very fast and reliable connections with a fixed monthly fee. Cable companies usually offer different packages to suit different internet subscribers, your choice of package, as with all internet connections, will depend on how you intend to use the internet. The different packages will offer different speed specifications and bandwidth limits. Because a cable connection uses a totally separate medium to transfer data it doesn't affect your ability to make/receive phone calls. Cable connection Pros Speed is a major reason for having a cable connection, with very high speed packages available it is an excellent choice for those who don't like to wait around tapping their fingers when downloading big files such as music or large attachments. Like ADSL connections, cable connections transfer data digitally, eliminating any digital/analogue conversion overhead. Cable connections are Always on, eliminating long waits to make a connection. Cable connection Cons Cable connections are not available in every area, you will need to contact the cable company of your choice to ensure that you have coverage. Because cable connections are Always on you will need a firewall to protect your PC, you can find a free firewall in our Freeware and Shareware section.   Email providers There are no shortage of email providers in existence, all of whom offer a standard email system: an email address; the ability to send and receive emails. Many email providers offer certain features on top of the standard email system, for example, both Yahoo! and Hotmail offer excellent Instant Messenger systems which can be used with your email ID and password, removing the need to signup separately for a messenger service. Two other things that set email providers apart is the amount of space they allow for email storage, and the maximum size of email attachments, both of which are covered below.     © Copyright 2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com Email storage space An email provider will (in most cases) limit the amount of space you can use to store your emails and any attachments. The amount of space varies throughout the many providers, they will set the limit by how much space they themselves have available. In the early days of the Internet and the email system storage space was fairly limited, but due to technological developments, hard drive technology in particular, storage space has become a less expensive commodity in recent years, allowing email providers to offer much more space to their users than they used to do. The space an email provider offers is usually stated in MB (MegaBytes) or GB (GigaBytes), with typical email providers offering between 100MB and 5GB. To put storage space into perspective, an average email containing just plain text, is around 25KB (KiloByte), 1MB is equal to 1,024 KB. So, in theory, 100MB would allow you to store roughly 4,096 plain text emails. In reality however, the number would be much lower, as typical emails use formatting, such as bold letters or italic text, which all adds to the space needed to store them, not to mention any attachments that may accompany an email, such as photos or documents. The amount of storage space you will require will be dictated by the amount of emails and attachments you intend to receive. Some of the more popular free email providers, namely, Yahoo!, Hotmail, and GMail (GoogleMail), all offer a massive amount of storage space, see the provider's specifications below in the free email provider section for more detail.   Email attachment size When you send an email, as you may already know, you can attach a file, or several files, to the email, which the recipient of the email can then download. Attachments can be virtually any type of file, but your email provider will usually set a limit on the size of the file, or files, that you can attach. This limit may apply to the size of a single attachment, or, if you can attach multiple files to a single email, to the total of all attachments per email. As you can see, the size of the attachment limit that is set by an email provider will influence what you are able to send along with an email. To give you some idea of how the limit may affect certain scenarios, let's take exchanging photos via email as an example. A typical, good quality photo, would be around 1MB (MegaByte) in size, if your email provider's filesize limit was 5MB, then you would be able to attach up to 5 photos to any single email. One final thing about attachment limits to keep in mind, the person you are sending the email to may have a lower attachment size limit than you, and subsequently the email would not arrive. Where possible, always confirm the recipient's limit is sufficient. For more about email attachments, click here   Business email providers If you are looking for an email solution for your business, there are many B2B email providers around. The levels of service and the features offered vary between the providers, but there are usually up-time guarantees and a regular backup system in place, as standard. There are many other benefits to using an email solution designed for business, one of the most important is the level of control over the system, having full control can facilitate better SPAM prevention measures, and better performance for internal emails.       Free email providers There are numerous free email providers online, and as you would expect, some are better than others. Below are 3 popular free email providers, along with more information on the services they offer.   Yahoo!® MAIL Full email service. Security by way of Password. Unlimited amount of storage for your mail. Instant message system with Yahoo Messenger™. Ability to search your emails. Access to your emails worldwide. View your emails on a mobile device External Mail system to get access to any other email accounts you may have. A SpamGuard™ system that redirects any spammail to a separate mail folder. Automatic virus scan of outgoing and incoming attachments. A File Viewer system which allows the user to take a look at any email attachment without downloading. Many other services which are not appropriate for this section. for further information or to sign up visit http://mail.yahoo.com   Hotmail® Full email service. Security by way of password. 5GB of storage for your mail. (increases as you need more) SPAM Protection Instant message system with MSN Messenger™. Access to your emails worldwide. View your emails on a mobile device email to mobile phone service ( optional ). Many other services which are not appropriate for this section. for further information or to sign up visit http://www.hotmail.com   Gmail™  (GoogleMail) Full email service. Security by way of password. 7GB of storage for your mail. (storage increases every second, see the GMail website for the latest allowance) SPAM Protection Ability to search your emails using Google search technology. Access to your emails worldwide. View your emails on a mobile device Many other services which are not appropriate for this section. for further information or to sign up visit http://www.Gmail.com Summary In summary, your choice of email provider will be down to personal needs, but some of the following reasons may influence your decision: ease of use. email storage space. attachment file size limits. compatibility with friends/relatives/colleagues email and instant messenger.

Before you follow this tutorial you must read the terms of our disclaimer

.

If you are changing your operating system, or upgrading to a newer version of outlook express (or outlook) then you will want all your emails transferred to the new system.

Below we show you how to backup your email messages with the least amount of fuss.

Backing up your email messages in Outlook Express

 

Backing up your mail folders in Outlook Express
First of all open up the Outlook Express program.

The next thing to do is to locate your mail folder, the easiest way to locate it is to first click on Tools and then select options from the outlook express menu.

You will be presented with a dialogue box similar to that shown in fig 1.1 below.
 
© Copyright 2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com  
Click on the maintenance tab (see fig 1.1), and then click on the Store Folder button (as pointed out in fig 1.1).

Now you will see a box similar to that in fig 1.2 below, you can see the path to the location of your message folder (your path may vary from that shown).

We need to know this path in order to backup the message files from that folder, to copy the path simply highlight the text in the box (ensure you highlight all of the text), then hold down the CTRL key and press the C key.

When you have copied the full path, simply click the Cancel button (as we don't want to change anything).  
Open up Microsoft Word (or similar) and paste (hold CTRL and press the V key) the location into a document (it might be an idea to print the document containing the path).

Now navigate to the folder using my computer or windows explorer, when you are in the folder you should see some files named inbox, offline, etc, with the .dbx extension, these are the files you need to backup.

So now it is simply a matter of copying the files from the message folder to a backup device such as a CD, other hard drive or other storage media.

To restore your messages again in a new or different outlook express simply copy the message files into the store folder on the new system (the location of which can be found by following the above steps again).
Before you follow this tutorial you must read the terms of our disclaimer.  
Your email account settings include pop and smtp server settings as well as usernames and passwords (if enabled).

This tutorial will guide you through the process of backing up these important settings.  
Please select an option below:

• Backing up your internet account settings.
• Restoring your internet account settings.

  Backing up your internet account settings  
Backing up your internet account settings


The first step is to open up Outlook Express.

Click on tools and then select accounts from the pull down menu.

You will see the Internet accounts dialogue box appear, it will look similar to our example in fig 1.1 below:

you will see your internet account on the left hand side, in our example we are going to back up the pop.example.com account.

Select (single left click) your internet account and then click the Export button as seen in fig 1.1.
 
Now you will see the Export Internet Account dialogue box similar to that in Fig 1.2 below.

Navigate to where you want to save the settings, enter a name in the filename box (or leave it as it is) and then click the Save button.

Repeat this process to backup as many accounts as required, when you have finished backing up simply click the close button.
 
Restoring your internet account settings  
Restoring your internet account settings

Outlook express exports internet account files with the file extension (suffix) .iaf.

First of all open up the Outlook Express program into which you want to import your account settings.

Next, click on tools and then select accounts from the pull down menu.

The Internet accounts dialogue box will appear, yours may differ from our example in Fig 1.3 below as you may have different accounts installed.

Click on the Import button and you will be presented with the Import Internet Account dialogue box as seen below in Fig 1.4.

Navigate to the folder where you have saved your exported files and select (left click on) the account you wish to import (in this example pop.example.com.iaf), then simply click the Open button.

Once it has been imported you should see it in the Internet accounts dialogue box.

When you have finished importing accounts simply click the Close button and your accounts should be ready to use.
 

Yahoo! (r) Messenger Tutorial - About & Installing Messenger

Welcome to the first part of our Yahoo!® Messenger tutorial, in this part we will tell you a bit about messenger and guide you through the process of installation with the aid of text and screenshots. Before you follow this tutorial you must read the terms of our disclaimer.   About Messenger Yahoo!® Messenger is an instant messenger program which is great for keeping in touch with friends and family, it allows you to send instant messages, view your friend's web cams and it features voice conferencing. In order to use messenger both you and the person you want to talk to need to have a Yahoo!® ID and have messenger installed, if you already have a Yahoo!® email address then you have a Yahoo!® ID (the part before the @ symbol). If you don't have a Yahoo!® ID you can get one from the Yahoo!® website.   In part one: Other related pages: Getting Messenger & installing. Start Messenger & Login. Continue to Part 2. Back to course menu. Yahoo Messenger download page. (these pages open in a new window)   If you have any trouble with any of the terms see our computer dictionary.     Getting Messenger & starting installation First you need to get the messenger program, you can get it from the Yahoo!® website by clicking here (this link will open in a new window to allow you to view this page). Next click on the link to download messenger (similar to fig 1.1) and follow the on screen instructions to download messenger. You will be asked where you want to save the file on your PC, select a location and make a note of it (they suggest the desktop). Find the setup file and double click on it, (an icon similar to that in fig 1.2).   After double clicking the install icon you will be presented with the installation dialogue box. It will welcome you to the installation, now simply click the Next button. Now read the terms carefully and if you accept then click the I Accept button. You will now be asked which directory (folder) you wish to install to, if you have no preference then simply click the Next button. Now you are ready to install, click the Next button. In fig 1.3 you can see the file copying process. When the installation has finished copying files it will update your system configuration, then it will tell you that the installation is complete, simply click the Finished button and the messenger program will open allowing you to sign in. Back to top | Messenger Tutorial part 2 - © Copyright 2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com     Start Messenger & Login If you have just installed messenger then it should have automatically opened. If not double click on the small icon (see fig 1.4) in your taskbar (near the clock) to open the program. The first time you run messenger (or if you don't use auto login) you will be presented with the Login dialogue box as seen in fig 1.5. If you don't already have a Yahoo!® ID (email address) then click on the Get a Yahoo! ID button and follow the on-screen instructions. The Login box is fairly self explanatory, enter your ID (we have used helpwithpcs_com in our example) and your password in the boxes provided. then are 3 options: Remember my ID and Password This option will save you the trouble of entering your ID and password each time you use messenger. Automatically Login This option will automatically login when yahoo messenger is started. Login under invisible mode This option allows you to login to messenger but appear to be offline to anyone. When you have entered your information and selected any options you want simply click the login button and you will see the connecting to Yahoo!® box as seen in fig 1.6. You will now connect to the messenger server and you will see the main messenger screen (see next part of tutorial for getting started).

Yahoo!(r) Messenger Tutorial Part 2 - Adding friends

To communicate with anyone you first have to add them to your friends list, in this part of our Yahoo!® Messenger tutorial we will show you how to add friends to your friends list.   Before you follow this tutorial you must read the terms of our disclaimer.   In part two:   Adding friends to your list. Continue to Part 3. Back to course menu.   Adding friends to your list After opening the messenger program you will see the main messenger box (see fig 1.1), click on the Add button (as shown in fig 1.1)   You will now be presented with three options asking how you would like to add your friend, By Yahoo! ID, By Email Address or Search for a friend. By Yahoo!® ID is the default way to add a friend which is what we will use in our example, so click the Next button. You will now see the Add a friend dialogue box similar to that shown in fig 1.2. A person's Yahoo!® ID ís the first part of their Yahoo!® email address, in our example we want to add a friend with the yahoo ID helpwithpcs_friend so we enter that in the box provided (see fig 1.2). You can create different groups for your friends, for example you could have one group for family members and one group for work colleagues, enter the name of the group you want to add this friend to (in fig 1.2 we are creating the group family).   Leave your identity as it is (unless you want to change it for some reason). The Message to Friend box allows you to add a small message to let them know you have added them. When you have filled in all the information simply click the Finish button, you will then be told that a message has been sent to the person with that Yahoo!® ID asking permission for you to add them as your friend. It also asks you if you would like to enter any additional information about your friend, for instance a nickname, if you do click the Yes button, otherwise click No. Now you will see the friend in your friends list on the main messenger screen (see next part of tutorial), don't forget to tell your friend to add you to their friends list too.

ahoo! (r) Messenger Tutorial Part 3 - Chatting to friends

In this part of our Yahoo!® Messenger tutorial we will show you how to contact and chat to the friends you have added in your messenger friends list.   Before you follow this tutorial you must read the terms of our disclaimer.   In part three:   Checking your friend is online. Making contact with your friend. Continue to Part 4 Back to course menu.     Checking if your friend is online After adding a friend you will see their Yahoo!® ID and a small icon (face) appear in the main messenger window (see fig 1.1 below). If your friend is offline (not connected or hasn't given permission yet for you to add them to your list) then the Yahoo!® ID and small face icon will be similar to that in fig 1.1. If your friend is online and they have accepted you as a friend then the small face icon and name will appear like helpwithpcs_friend in our example below (fig 1.2). In other words when your friend is online and available the face will be brighter and smiling and the Yahoo!® ID will be in bold letters. Also notice your status (pointed out in fig 1.1), by default (unless changed) it is set to I'm Available, this means that if you are on someone else's friends list then they can see you are online and contact you if they wish. Your status can be changed to Unavailable by clicking on the small arrow next to your status, this would make it appear that you are offline but you can still receive messages. Making contact with your friend To initiate contact with your friend is very straight forward, after checking they are online simply double click on their Yahoo!® ID in your friends list, this will open the instant message box similar to that shown in fig 1.3 below: As you can see in fig 1.3 we have entered the message Hello in the message box, to send your message either press the Enter key or click on the send button, we have also pointed out where the messages will appear. In fig 1.4 above you can see our message has been sent and our friend has replied, all the messages you send between you and your friend are private and you can chat for as long as you want. There is a conferencing feature with Yahoo!® Messenger which allows multiple people to chat in the same message box, we will cover this as well as voice conferencing and viewing web cams in upcoming tutorials.

Yahoo! (r) Messenger Tutorial Part 4 - Voice Conferencing

note: This tutorial is currently being updated   Voice conferencing can be a very handy feature of any instant messenger program, in this part we will look at how to use this feature in Yahoo!® Messenger.   Before you follow this tutorial you must read the terms of our disclaimer.   If you use a dial-up connection then the chances are that the number you dial to connect to the internet is a local call (or included in a monthly fee such as broadband), this means that if you use the voice conferencing feature of a program like Yahoo!® Messenger instead of the phone it can save money with any long distance calls.   In part four:   Setting up your mic & sound. The Voice conferencing Toolbar. Setting up the sound levels. Back to course menu.     Setting up your mic & sound To set up your microphone ready for use plug it into the mic socket at the back of your PC, fig 1.1 shows a common set of sound inputs/outputs and we have pointed out the mic socket.   The next step is to open the messenger program and contact the friend that you want to talk to, when you have sent them a message you will see the main instant message window, one of the icons visible is the voice button.   Clicking on the voice button adds a new toolbar with some new areas of interest within the message window, these extra buttons/indicators (see fig 1.2) are what you will use to control the voice conferencing.   Back to top | Part 5 coming in the next few days - © Copyright 2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com   The Voice conferencing Toolbar Above in fig 1.2 we have pointed out the main areas that are used to control the voice conferencing: A - This is similar to the hands free feature on a normal telephone, allowing the user to talk without pressing the Talk button, when selected a certain volume triggers the hands free feature. B - The Talk button is what you press and hold to speak, for better results this button should be pressed and held 1 second before you start to talk. C - This is a level indicator, it indicates the input level of your microphone. D - This is another level indicator, this one indicates the level of the incoming voice (your friend's voice). E - The mute facility is much like the mute on your TV, when selected it mutes all sound. F - This is a level indicator which indicates the level of the sound output.   Back to top | Part 5 coming in the next few days - © Copyright 2001-2010 helpwithpcs.com   Setting up the sound levels Now you are familiar with the voice toolbar it is time to test and set up the sound levels including the input level for your microphone, this is achieved by opening the volume control on the Windows taskbar (bottom right of your screen by the clock). In fig 1.3 to the left is a standard volume control window, yours may vary with different controls for different devices. The one we are interested in is the Mic control, if you cannot see the mic in your volume window then click on options, properties, and then put a tick next to the Mic option in the dialogue box that appears. Normally your mic will be muted so we need to untick the Mute checkbox (as in fig 1.2), now move the slider for the mic about halfway up for now, we will test the settings in a minute. Also notice the Volume slider, this should be set according to your PC's speakers.   Now it is time to test the mic, when you enable the voice conferencing (clicking the Voice button) your friend will receive a message asking them if they would like to enable voice as well, presuming they do accept then you would see a message appear in the message window along the lines of your friend has enabled voice conference. Press the Talk button and say something into your mic, you should see your mic level indicator (C in fig 1.2) light up, the ideal level is shown in fig 1.4 below Having the mic any louder than the level shown above can cause distortion, adjust your mic slider (fig 1.3) to set the level accordingly, always ask your friend how it sounds at their end too. Once you have set your levels you are ready to go, just press the talk button or use the hands free feature to talk. To stop the voice conference simply click on the Voice Off button as seen below note: If you experience feedback (a humming noise) while talking then adjust the volume and mic sliders until the humming disappears, another cause of feedback is having the mic too close to the speakers.