Search
Now we are ready to tackle the middle segment of the Tool Bar. Back to those icons that do much of the work for us when surfing the Web. The first icon in this section is the magnifying glass or the Search icon.

The outstanding value of the computer is the access that it offers to information. But users need some help in getting to that great source of information. And here is that help — the Search feature. The computer has a great program to find a particular area of content for documents that contain certain keywords, the search feature.

To use the Search feature, click the Search icon (magnifying glass) on the Tool Bar and you will gain access to a search engine. In the Search bar, type that word or phrase that describes what you're looking for. Try to keep your topic as short and specific as possible. When your search results appear, you can view the individual Web pages without losing your list of search results.

You can also search directly from the Address Bar. Just type common names or words, and your browser can automatically take you to the site that most likely matches what you are searching for. Your browser will list other likely sites as well. Just type common names or words in the Address Bar, and then click Go.

Favorites
The next icon in this center section of the Tool Bar is Favorites, the real stars of your Internet show. You will easily recognize the folder with the star (asterisk) as your Favorites icon.

The real trick to the Internet is having it work for you. There is so much information available that you must be able to manage it rather than it manage you. Probably the first experience in customizing the Web for yourself will be selecting some Favorites. Favorites are just what they sound like — your favorite sites on the Internet. Better than that, this special function offers you an express ride to your favorite and/or most visited sites on the Web.

When you find Web sites or pages that you like, you can keep track of them using the Favorites feature, making them easy to return to in the future. Favorites is a customized list of links to your most frequently used and popular online areas or Web sites.

It's easy to add a Web page to your list of Favorites. After you have done that, any time you want to open that page, all you have to do is click the Favorites icon on the main Tool Bar. You will then be given a dropdown menu from which you can open one of your favorite pages. After you add a site to your list of Favorites, you can access it at any time from your list with a simple click of your mouse.

History
Your trusty Tool Bar offers another feature for retracing your surfing steps — the History icon. This icon will offer you the option of revisiting a Web site you have previously visited during your last several Internet sessions. This is a real treat and can save you from having to type long, complicated URLs in the search box.

Get to know the icon that represents History. It is a sundial. The History function will let you sort and choose sites to revisit by date, by site, by most visited, by order visited today, and even by search.

On the History menu, click a week or day. Then click a Web site folder to display individual pages, and then click the page icon to display the Web page. Here is another little tip: if you decide you want to hide the History Menu box, just click the History icon again.

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