Tip
Subject Content

134
Make Internet Explorer less friendly

Like many Microsoft applications, Windows 2000's Internet Explorer includes features that are

designed to make it less intimidating and easier to use for casual or novice users. However, these

features can be a hindrance if you're trying to troubleshoot server errors for a Web site or if you

rely on the Internet Explorer status bar to identify a page's URL.



Internet Explorer's Show Friendly HTTP Error Messages setting determines how error information

is displayed. When this option is enabled, Internet Explorer shows only the error name and code,

but doesn't offer information on the error's potential source or a solution for it. If you're trying to

diagnose a server problem and you need this additional information, go to Internet Explorer's

Advanced tab and turn off this option.



The Show Friendly URLs setting determines how Internet Explorer shows the current page's URL

in the status bar. If this option is enabled, Internet Explorer shows, for example, Shortcut To

www.internetfixes.com/otherdoc.html rather than www.internetfixes.com/otherdoc.html. When the

URL is more complex, stripping out the site has a greater impact on the status bar. For example, the

status bar might show Shortcut To otherdoc.html rather than

http://www.internetfixes.com/public/documents/show.asp?otherdoc.html.



Having the entire URL displayed in the status bar can be helpful if you're trying to identify the

target link or if you're troubleshooting links on a page you're developing or testing.



To change either the Show Friendly HTTP Error Messages or Show Friendly URLs setting, choose

Tools | Internet Options, click Advanced, and look in the Browsing group of options.

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