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The Safe, Simple Way to Switch Browsers
How to change the default browser
You have three choices:
I. Use BrowserSwitch. Select a new default browser from the list and click the "Apply button";
II. Follow the steps outlined here to change the default from Microsoft to Netscape.
A. The first step in the process is to set Internet Explorer, so it will not ask whether it should be your default browser:
- Open up Internet Explorer.
- Under the View menu, click Internet Options (in 4.x browsers) or Options (in 3.x browsers).
- A dialog box appears. Click the tab labeled Programs.
- At the bottom of the dialog box you will see a checkbox that reads "Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default browser."
Make sure this box is not checked, and click OK.
- Close Internet Explorer.
B. To set Communicator to be your default browser:
- Run Communicator by choosing Programs and then Netscape Communicator from the Start menu, or double-click the
Communicator icon on your desktop.
- You will see a dialog box that reads "Navigator is no longer registered to
handle Internet Shortcuts. Would you like to register Navigator as your default browser?" Click Yes. If you do not encounter this dialog box
when starting Communicator, you will need to reset Communicator to bring this dialog box up the next time you
launch Netscape:
- Exit Communicator. Note: Communicator and all of its components should not be running.
- Go to the Netscape directory on your hard drive and open up your hard drive.
Find the folder labeled Program Files and opne it. Inside you will find a folder labeled Netscape.
Important: This is the default location for Netscape; the location on your particular computer may differ.
If necessary, you can use the Find feature in the Start menu to locate it.
- Inside the Netscape folder, open up the folder labeled Users.
- Inside Users, open the folder with the same name as your Communicator profile.
If there is more than one folder, choose the one that coincides with the profile you select when you launch Netscape.
- Back up the file called prefs.js somewhere on your hard drive. Note: This file may simply be labeled prefs;
- To open this file use a text editor.
By default the pref.js file is associated with Netscape.
In order to open this file with a text editor, select the file with a right click.
Choose the menu item called Open With.
In the window that appears, select Notepad or Notepad.exe from the list.
Make sure that the "Always use this program to open this type of file" checkbox at the bottom of the window is unchecked.
- Click OK to close this window and open the pref.js file.
- In this file, you will see a line (you may have to scroll down a bit) that reads: user_pref("browser.wfe.ignore_def_check", true);
Only change the word true to the word false.
Note: Disregard the text at the top of this page that reads "This is a generated file! Do not edit."
If you do not see the above line in your prefs file, Communicator may already be configured as
your default browser;
- Save the file by choosing Save from the File menu, and close the window.
- Next time you launch Communicator, you will see a dialog box that asks if you would like
Netscape to be set as your default browser. Choose Yes.
If upon launching Communicator, you still do not get the dialog box asking if you would like to set
Communicator as your default browser, you may have incorrectly edited your prefs.js file.
Locate the saved prefs.js file that you made and replace the newly altered file with
this saved file.
For more up-to-date information go to the Netscape site: http://www.netscape.com. Similar information on how to change the default from Netscape to Microsoft is available from Microsoft.
But in the interests of brevity is not included here.
III. Make a variety of changes in your PC registry.
Contact us by email: switch@coolware.com
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