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The amount of traffic on the
Internet between you and the Web server
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The amount of traffic on the Web
server itself
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The speed of your Internet
connection
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The speed of your computer
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The length of the page, and
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The number of pictures and
sounds the page contains.
While there's not much you can do
about the speed of your computer or connection, other than
buying a new computer or
upgrading to a high-speed Internet service , there are a
few tricks you can learn to accelerate your ride on the
information superhighway.
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Use multiple Web browser
windows. If a Web server is overloaded, pages will
load slowly no matter how fast your Internet connection
is. Solution? Open a second browser window, and surf
another site while the first one loads. To open a new
browser window, click on the File menu, and choose
New. You can type in a Web address and switch to
your other browser window while the page loads. To follow
a link in a new browser window, hold down the SHIFT key
while you click the link.
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Avoid fat pages. On the
Web, you can often find the same information on several
sites. Avoid sites that publish overly large, slow loading
pages. Look for sites that give you the information you
want in a fast, user-friendly format.
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Use keyboard shortcuts.
Sometimes you're the slow one. Using keyboard shortcuts
can be a lot quicker than moving your mouse pointer across
your massive computer display. You'll see shortcuts listed
to the right of some of the menu options. They vary from
browser to browser, but common shortcuts are: Ctrl-N
(Windows) and Command-N (Mac) opens a new window;
Esc (Windows) and Command-. [period] (Mac)
stops the loading of the page; Ctrl-D (Windows) and
Command-D (Mac) adds the page to your favorites.
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Reload/Refresh. If a Web
page doesn't load the first time you enter an address, the
request may have stalled. Maybe the server was too busy to
respond, or maybe the request got lost in transit. Try
clicking the Reload/Refresh button.
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Stop. Sometimes, the best
way to get to what you want on a slow-loading page is to
click Stop. This will often load everything on the
page but some of the biggest images. If you don't see what
you need, click Reload/Refresh.
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Avoid peak times.
Remember that as traffic increases, speed decreases. If
you're having trouble visiting busy sites, or your browser
is creeping along, try again later.
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Turn off images. You can
save a great deal of time by skipping the images when
you're browsing the Web. The pages might not look as nice,
but they will load much more quickly. You might want to
turn off images when you're looking for specific
information and want to be very efficient. You may want to
leave the images on when you're just browsing for fun.
Occasionally, you'll encounter a page that relies on
images for important functions, such as navigation.
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