Streamlined Look And New Features In Windows Internet Explorer 9

Windows Internet Explorer 9 (abbreviated as IE9) is the recent version of the Internet Explorer web browser from Microsoft. Windows Internet Explorer 9 has a streamlined look and many new features that speed up your web browsing experience.

Also note that Windows XP and earlier operating systems are not supported for Internet Explorer 9 which is available on both 32-bit and 64-bit builds.

And this article gives information about how Internet Explorer 9 is different from Internet Explorer 8.

• Browser Interface - The new interface in IE9 is minimal with all toolbars turned off by default. Also the address bar and search bar are now merged. The favorites button has been moved to the right hand side next to the Home and Tools buttons and along with it the Favorites and History columns. The status bar is also disabled by default, and most of the messaging is done through the notification bar that pops up towards the bottom of the page.
• Download Manager - There is a new download manager where we can view past downloads and their locations and also set a default save location. Like most explorer windows, the download manager also has an integrated search bar in the top right corner. The short cut for opening the manager is Ctrl+J. When a file is being downloaded the download bar pops up at the bottom of the IE window and provides options for saving or running files and also to pause, cancel or view downloads. If IE is closed in the middle of a download, the download will pause and then continue once IE is opened again.
• Add-on Manager – There are no major changes to the looks of the Add-on manager. However, the messaging and background functionality has been completely overhauled. There is a notification on first start-up which allows the user to disable any add-ons they need. If one clicks the ‘Disable Add-ons’ button, it opens up the IE Add-on Performance Advisor . When IE hangs or slows down due to an add-on the notification bar announces the same so as to keep the user aware of any problematic add-ons. If customers install any new add-on, on first restart of the browser, IE9 will pop-up a list of the add-ons that have been installed and the user will need to enable the add-ons for it to work.
• Backend Changes – IE9 will utilize the power of the GPU to render HTML5 multimedia elements. This includes played audio and video and allows for very fast rendering of these elements. Also the new Chakra JavaScript engine allows for faster page loads for existing webpages that use JavaScript. The overall memory usage as well as power consumption has also been improved allowing for better experience on lesser memory systems and a longer battery life.

New browser controls:

• The first thing you'll notice when you open Internet Explorer 9 is the simplified design.
• When you click the Tools button ,You can find most command bar functions, like Print or Zoom.
• When you click the Favorites button .your favorites and feeds appear in Favorites Center

Favorites Center

• Tabs automatically appear to the right of the Address bar, but you can move them so they appear below the Address bar, as they did in previous versions of Internet Explorer.
• You can always show the Favorites, Command, Status, and Menu bars by right-clicking the Tools button , and then selecting them on a menu.

To change the location of tabs in IE9

 

You can make your tabs appear either below or to the right of the Address bar in Windows Internet Explorer 9. Here's how:

 

• Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Internet Explorer, and then, in the list of results, click Internet Explorer.

• Right-click an open space to the right of the New tab button, and then select or clear Show tabs on a separate row.

Pin sites to the taskbar:

You can access websites that you visit regularly by pinning them to the taskbar on your Windows 7 desktop.

 

Pinned site

Pinning a site is simple: just drag its tab to the taskbar—the website's icon will stay there until you remove it. When you click the icon later, the website will open in Internet Explorer.

Whenever you open a pinned site, the website icon appears at the top of the browser, so you have easy access to original webpage that you pinned. The Back and Forward buttons change color to match the color of the icon.

To pin a website

Click the webpage's tab and drag it to the taskbar.

To remove a pinned website from the taskbar

Right-click the website icon on the taskbar, and then click Unpin this program from taskbar.

 

Search in the Address bar:

• You can now search directly from the Address bar. If you enter a website's address, you'll go directly to the website.
• Enter a search term or incomplete address, you'll launch a search using the currently selected search engine.
• Click the address bar to select your search engine from the listed icons or to add new ones.

 

Search in the Address bar

When you search from the Address bar, you'll have the option of opening a search results page or the top search result.You can also turn on optional search suggestions in the Address bar.

To add a search provider:

• Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button . In the search box, type Internet Explorer, and then, in the list of results, click Internet Explorer.
• Click the Show Address bar Autocomplete button, and then click Add in the lower right corner for the Address bar.
• In the Add-ons Gallery, choose a search provider, and then click Add to Internet Explorer.
• In the Add Search Provider dialog box, you can do one or more of the following:

1. To use a search provider automatically, select the Make this my default search provider check box.
2. To go directly to the search provider's top result when you search, select the If the address I type in the address bar can't be found, open the top search result check box.
3. To see suggested search terms or results from the search provider as you type, select the Use search suggestions from this provider check box.

• Click Add.

Use Download Manager:

• Download Manager keeps a list of the files you download and notifies you when a file might be malware (malicious software).
• It also lets you pause and restart a download, and shows you where to find downloaded files on your computer.

 

Download Manager

Protect your information while you browse:

To protect the security and privacy of your information while you browse, Internet Explorer 9 has introduced Tracking Protection and ActiveX Filtering:

• Use Tracking Protection to limit the browser's communication with certain websites—determined by a Tracking Protection List—to help keep your information private. Anyone can create a Tracking Protection List, and they'll be available online.

• ActiveX is a technology web developers use to create interactive content on their sites, but it can also pose a security risk. You can use Internet Explorer 9 to block ActiveX controls for all sites, and then turn them back on for only the sites that you trust.

Information that doesn't slow you down:

The new Notification bar that appears at the bottom of Internet Explorer gives you important status information when you need it, but it won't force you to click a series of messages to continue browsing.

Notification bar

How to use the New Tab page in Internet Explorer 9:

 

New Tab page

When you open a new tab in Windows Internet Explorer 9, you can do these things:

• To open a new webpage, type or paste an address into the Address bar.

• To go to one of the ten websites you spend the most time using, click a link on the page.

• To hide information about websites you spend the most time using, click Hide sites. To restore the information, click Show sites.

• To turn on InPrivate Browsing, click InPrivate Browsing.

• To reopen the tabs you've just closed, click Reopen closed tabs.

• To reopen tabs from your last browsing session, click Reopen last session.

• To open Suggested Sites in a webpage, click Discover other sites you might like.