This tip was printed from the MalekTips Computer and Technology Help and Tips website at http://malektips.com.

Internet Explorer 6 Miscellaneous - Add Some 'About:' Strings

SUMMARY: Create your own 'about:' shortcuts in Internet Explorer 6.

This has very little usefulness but is an interesting trick.

When you enter "about:blank" in Internet Explorer 6, a blank page is shown. Did you know that you can create your own set of "about" strings, so that, for example, typing "about:google" goes to the Google home page, or "about:tips" goes to the MalekTips page?

WARNING! This is a tip for advanced users only. This requires modifying the registry. Making a mistake could have disastrous consequences, perhaps keeping your machine from booting into Windows. Standard disclaimers apply.

1. Click "Start' - "Run".

2. Type "regedit" (without quotes) and press ENTER.

3. Navigate to the following key: My Computer \ HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Internet Explorer \ AboutURLs.

4. In the right pane, right-click and choose "New" - "String Value".

5. Type in the "about" string and press ENTER. For example, to create an "about:space" shortcut that goes to NASA's website, type "space" and press ENTER.

6. Double-click the text you just entered. An "Edit String" dialog should appear. Underneath "Value data" type in the web address that should be visited when entering the about text. For the previous example, type "http://www.nasa.gov/" and press ENTER.

7. Try out your new "about:" shortcut in Internet Explorer! For the above example, type "about:space" in the address bar and press ENTER. NASA's home page should appear.