How to Increase Browsing Speed: 7 Ways to Work Faster on Slow Connections, Part 1

Reprinted with permission from Microsoft at Work

Ever wonder how to make your Internet connection faster or how to increase browsing speed? If you are trying to get things done, there is nothing like a slow connection to thwart your best efforts. But there are things you can do to browse faster—even when your Internet connection is working slowly.

This article will show you how to increase your productivity when your connection is slow. Many of these steps are also good tips for how to increase the speed of browsing and of sending and receiving email.

1. Send multiple files faster by compressing them
If you're sending multiple files—for example, several files related to a single project—you can reduce their combined size by using a compression utility. Compressing your files can dramatically reduce the time needed to send files online, and compressed files don't take up as much space in your (or the recipient's) email Inbox. WinZip is one of the more common compression tools.

   1. Put all your files in a single folder.
   2. Right click on the folder.
   3. Select Send To > Compressed (zipped) folder.

2. Increase browsing speed by turning off graphics in Windows Internet Explorer
Graphics are important to web pages, but they also take time to download if you're online. You can turn them off to speed up your Internet browsing.

Disable graphics in Internet Explorer

   1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
   2. In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
   3. In the Settings box, scroll down to the Multimedia section. Clear the following check boxes.

   Play animations in web pages
   Play sounds in web pages
   Play videos in web pages (Note: This option is available in Internet Explorer versions before IE 8)
   Show pictures
 
   4. Click Apply

To turn graphics on again, on the Tools menu, in the Internet Options dialog box, on the Advanced tab, under Multimedia, select the same check boxes, and then click Apply.

3. Send email using Contact Groups (Distribution Lists)
If you're sending an email to multiple people, create a Contact Group (previously known as a Distribution List) instead of listing each recipient separately. Messages are sent more quickly and efficiently when you're using a Contact Group. Your company may have established procedures for creating mailing lists. If not, learn how to create and edit a Contact Group in Microsoft Outlook.