Techniques for Faster Web Browsing with Mozilla Firefox & Internet Explorer

Though all the browsers are designed to provide users a fast browsing experience; little tweaks here and there can go a long way in increasing the speed of browsers. As attractive an option as it seems, truth be told, in order to make whatever changes we need to improve the speeds of our browsers, we will have to compromise with original registry and browser settings.

Now, this may not be everyone’s cup of tea because modifying the windows registry without proper knowledge may lead on damaging your registry setting, which in turn would seriously affect your Windows Operating System. So, we strongly recommend our readers to backup your Windows registry data before going through any registry changes.

Let’s have a look at some of the leading web browsers regarding how we can optimize their speeds.

Mozilla Firefox

Firefox is generally considered to be the fastest of the browsers available in the market today. If you get to searching, you will find innumerable techniques, many of which can be quite complicated and may lead to data loss. Also most techniques available are for the broadband users. Here, we have not only kept the broadband users in mind but also those who use slower connections like a dialup. In saying so, we have tried to come up with most combinations of computers and the types of connections.

1. Reduce the amount of RAM Firefox uses for it’s cache feature
   • Type about:config in the address bar in the browser.
   • Click button I’ll be Careful, I promise!
   • Enter browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewer in filter box
   • Set it’s value to 0.
2. Increase the Speed in Which Firefox loads pages
   • Type about:config in the address bar in the browser.
   • Click button I’ll be Careful, I promise!
   • Modify the values for following entries
     • Set network.http.pipelining to true
     • Set network.http.proxy.pipelining to true
     • Set network.http.pipelining.maxrequests to 12 or more depending upon your internet connection speed
   • At last, right-click anywhere and select New > Integer. Name it nglayout.initialpaint.delay and set its value to 0.
3. Reduce RAM usage to 10mb when Firefox is minimized
   • Type in about:config and then press Enter.
   • Click button I’ll be Careful, I promise!
   • Right Click in the page and select New > Boolean.
   • In the box that pops up enter config.trim_on_minimize and Press Enter.
   • Now select True and then press Enter.
   • Restart Firefox.
4. Optional Configurations

   Optionally here are some more options for your about:config (you might have to create some of these entries by Right Click –> New– > Integer (value 0 & 5) or String (for true & false)

   • Create network.dns.disableIPv6 and set it to false
   • Create content.notify.backoffcount and set it to 5
   • Create plugin.expose_full_path and set it to true
   • Create ui.submenuDelay and set it to 0

Internet Explorer

1. Increase the number of simultaneous HTTP connections & downloads that IE makes to a Web server

   Internet Explorer 8 limits you to download one to six simultaneous downloads depending upon your internet connection speeds and Internet Explorer 7 and it’s earlier versions limits that number to one to two simultaneous downloads. If you have broadband internet connectivity, changing these setting will increase your Internet Explorer speed and browsing experience. Those setting for simultaneous downloads can be increased maximum of 16 connections by making changes on registry settings.

   There is a “Microsoft Fix It” tool that will automatically fix this issue and increase the number of files that you can download at one time to 10.

   Click here to download or run it.

   If you want to make changes on registry manually or want to have more information about this Techniques Click Here.

2. Turn off Phishing Filter

   Phishing filter is a feature that supposedly avoids tour system from accessing a website that disguises as an original website but isn’t so. This feature of Internet Explorer 7 will help you to protect from online phishing scams but this feature while enabled will slow down the loading time and speed of the web pages.

   This feature can be disabled on IE7 from:

   Tools > Phishing Filter > Turn off automatic website checking, there turn it off.

3. Turn off automatic checking for RSS feeds

   Usually happens with IE7 and is known to reduce the speed of browser. This feature can be disabled on IE7 from if you really don’t use it:

   Tools > Internet Options > Content > Feeds > Settings > Uncheck all the boxes shown there.

4. Turn Off Clear Type

   “Clear Type” will render your texts in browser smoothly but there were a lot of people who doesn’t like this kind of font smoothing and using this feature obviously will use your system memory more than that of normal. So if you want to disable it:

   • Open IE7
   • Open Tool Menu
   • Click Internet Options
   • Click Advanced Tabs
   • Under Multimedia, clear the Use ClearType or Always use ClearType for HTML checkbox
   • Click Ok
5. Installing Google Chrome Frame for Internet Explorer 6, 7, or 8

   Click here for more information about Google Chrome Frame.

   Click here to download it.

   Watch Youtube Video about Google Chrome Frame:

Translate Websites in Google Chrome with Bubble Translation

As I have earlier mentioned that I would definitely prefer Google Chrome as your browser. Not only because it is safe but also blazing fast. The only thing that’s keeping me away from Chrome is the power of Firefox Add-ons but I can see that developers have started working for similar stuff for Chrome as well.

Today, I have confronted a new extension for Google Chrome that plays an important role of translation. The new Bubble Translate is a free add-on for Chrome users that translate text of websites from almost any language to yours. To get started all you have to do is install the add on, select the text to translate and click the Toolstrip Icon or use the shortcut way Crtl+Select text.

Add Bubble Translation to Google Chrome

LiveJournal Tags: Google chrome

How to Use Google Chrome Pin Tab Feature

 

I’m a big Chrome cheerer. Google’s nifty browser has made the internet experience faster and better, all the while taking less computer memory. Today I will be going over Google Chrome’s Pin Tab feature.

The Pin Tab feature is somewhat similar to Windows 7’s Pin to the taskbar.

By right-clicking on a tab in Google Chrome, the user can enable the ‘Pin Tab’ option. When this is done, the tab is reduced in size and slid over the far-left. This saves the tab from being mistakenly closed by the user.

All you need to get started is pin one tab; the rest of the tabs you want pinned can be dragged over the pinned one, and they get automatically pinned.

The Chrome version this was used on was 4.0.213.1. Versions earlier than this should be checked for this feature.

Technorati Tags: google chrome,chrome,taskbar,Windows 7

Chrome OS Rumored to Hit Chinese Netbooks Next Month

 

We’ve learned to be skeptical of Chrome OS rumors, but PC World picks up on a manufacturing news tip about at least one netbook manufacturer possibly installing "preview builds" of Google’s Chrome Operating System and shipping those devices in late October. While we’d guess that the market for a thoroughly untested Chrome OS on non-name-brand netbooks would be fairly thin, if the report is accurate, we’d at least get to see the ideas behind Google’s quick-loading system sooner rather than later. That said, drink this in with a huge grain of salt. [PC World]

 

 

del.icio.us Tags: chrome,chrome os,google chrome,google chrome os,rumors,chrome oprating system,netbooks