Surfing the Web just got a lot easier. With Internet Explorer 5's Autocomplete you no longer have to re-type Web addresses, passwords, or search requests. After you have entered them once, you can choose to let AutoComplete take over. And because Autocomplete still lets you keep final control, it's a smart way to ease the strain on your typing fingers. 

Form It Your Way
The boxes many Web sites require you to fill in are called forms. And the Web may have even more than the IRS. But unless your name has changed since the last time you filled in a form, you have to go through the same motions of typing in your personal details at each site. Not any more. Autocomplete saves your personal information and recognizes it when you begin to enter it. Autocomplete creates a drop-down menu of choices, based on previously entered material. For example, after typing a couple of letters of your first name, it will automatically offer your complete name in the drop-down box. There are three ways of selecting the information you want. You can:

• Use the "down arrow" key to highlight one of the fields and press "return"
• or "tab" down
• or Double-click on the desired option in the dropdown.

Passwords Made Easy
Passwords provide good computer security, but it's easy for them to become jumbled in your brain's memory banks. With Autocomplete, you can almost forget about having to remember passwords and login user names. Each time you enter a new username/password combination you'll be asked if you want to save the password. If you say "yes", Autocomplete remembers both your user name and your password for subsequent visits. Don't worry, although the password is saved, it's never displayed. A line of asteriks shows up on the screen.

It's wise to change your passwords from time to time. In order that Autocomplete functions with the new password you should delete the existing password. Here's how:
1. When you are at the login screen, make the AutoComplete dropdown appear. There are three ways of doing so: type the first character of the login; use the "down arrow" key when the cursor is in the form; or by double-clicking the mouse on the form.
2. Highlight the user name you want to delete in the dropdown box by running your mouse across it.
3. Press the "delete" key
4. A message will be displayed saying that the password associated with the user name you are deleting will also be deleted.
5. Select Yes and your username/password combination will be deleted.
6. Re-enter your user name and type in the new password you have created.
7. Click Remember My ID and Password

Note: The dialog box that asks if you want to save a password also contains a third button labeled "Never ask again." This prevents Internet Explorer from asking if you want to save passwords in the future, and assumes that you are effectively switching off Autcomplete. However, passwords already saved by it are unaffected.

Gordon Black wonders what he'll do with the time Autocomplete will save him.

Turn It On

You can choose the functions you want Autocomplete to work for. To do so: