How to install and to use Web Accessories in Internet Explorer 5

Web Accessories are distributed by Microsoft and third parties to add new features and functionality to Microsoft Internet Explorer 5. Web Accessories are delivered in many forms, from custom toolbar buttons and menu items to custom Explorer bars that stay open in the browser while you visit other Web sites.

This article describes how to install and to use Web Accessories in Internet Explorer 5. The following topics are discussed:

• How to add or remove Microsoft Web Accessories
• Overview of Microsoft Web Accessories
• Availability of Additional Microsoft and Third-Party Web Accessories
• How to show or hide custom Explorer bars

How to Add or Remove Microsoft Web Accessories

To add Microsoft Web Accessories in Internet Explorer 5, use the following steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Windows Update.
2. Follow the instructions on your screen to download or install the Web Accessory you want.

To remove Microsoft Web Accessories, use the following steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
3. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click the Web Accessory you want to remove, and then click Add/Remove.
4. Follow the instructions on your screen to uninstall the Microsoft Web Accessories.
   
   NOTE: If these steps do not work properly or you cannot perform these steps, you can perform a manual uninstall of Microsoft Web Accessories by clicking Start, clicking Run, typing RunDll32 advpack.dll,LaunchINFSection %17%\IE5WA.inf, Uninstall, and then clicking OK.

Overview of Microsoft Web Accessories

Microsoft is providing the following Web Accessories for Internet Explorer 5. Most of these are activated by right-clicking an appropriate item in the browser and choosing the associated command. For example, if you want to use the Text Highlighter Web Accessory, select some text with the cursor, right-click the selected text, and then click Highlight from the list of commands. Others Web Accessories such as Image Toggler and Quick Search are located on the Links bar. Here is a list of included Web Accessories:

Open Frame in New Window

To open a frame in a new window, right-click anywhere in the frame, and then click Open in New Frame.

Quick Search

This Web Accessory lets you reach the search engines of your choice faster than ever. For example, typing "av ActiveX" in the Address bar launches a search with Alta Vista on the keyword "ActiveX."

Zoom In/Zoom Out

This Web Accessory lets you zoom in and out of any image on a Web page. To do so, right-click the image, and then click Zoom In or Zoom Out.

Image Toggler

Now you can turn off images for extra speed, and turn them on again, even more quickly and easily. To do so, click Toggle Images on the Links bar.

Text Highlighter

This Web Accessory enables you to highlight text in a document just like you would in Microsoft Word. To do so, select the text you want, right-click the text, and then click Highlight. This tool is very useful for reading long documents.

Web Search

You can use the Web Search Web Accessory to select keywords on a Web page, right-click the keywords, and click Web Search. Your selected words go directly to a default search engine.

Links List

This Web Accessory enables you to see every link on a Web page. To do so, right-click an area and then click Links Lists. A new window is opened displaying every link on the page in a convenient list format. Click a link to open the page.

Image List

The Image List Web Accessory displays image sizes and how long it will take to download an image at various connection speeds. This tool also displays all the images on a Web page in a separate window and displays the file size and the size in pixels. This is a great tool for Web developers.

Availability of Additional Microsoft and Third-Party Web Accessories

The following Web Accessories are not available from the Windows Update site:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 Toolbar Wallpaper
• Microsoft Power Tweaks Web Accessories
• Microsoft Web Developer Accessories
• Alexa Explorer bar
• Bloomberg Explorer bar
• MSN Explorer bar
• New York Times Explorer bar
• AltaVista Explorer bar

Microsoft Technical Support Desktop Systems (DTS) does not support the setup, uninstallation, or usage of these Web Accessories. For more information or to install one of these third-party Web Accessories for Internet Explorer 5, please see the following Microsoft Web site:

How to Show or Hide Custom Explorer Bars

In Internet Explorer, point to Explorer Bar on the View menu, and then click the custom Explorer bar you want to show or hide. You can also add a custom toolbar button for a custom Explorer bar by pointing to Toolbars on the View menu, and then clicking Customize. You can then show or hide the custom Explorer bar by clicking the button on the toolbar.