Toshiba Tecra A8 Surfing the Internet, Internet features, ❖Internet email, Once you have established an ISP account, you can connect to the Internet

146	Exploring Your Computer’s Features
	An overview of using the Internet

Once you have established an ISP account, you can connect to the Internet.

1Connect your computer’s modem to a telephone line. For more information on connecting a modem, see “Connecting the modem to a telephone line” on page 140.

2Start your Web browser. Have your modem dial the ISP’s telephone number, and establish a connection with the ISP’s computer.

If you are using your computer at the office, then you probably connect to the Internet through your company’s network. See your network administrator about connecting to the Internet.

Surfing the Internet

Once connected to the Internet, the Web browser displays a home page, for example, your ISP’s home page on the Internet or your company’s Web site home page.

To visit a desired Web site, type in the Web address. The Web address, or Uniform Resource Locator (URL), is a unique identifier for that computer system linked to the Internet. Web addresses can also appear within a Web page’s text, and are known as links. Clicking a link automatically transfers your Web browser to that site.

You can also use a Search Engine, a Web site specifically designed to help you look for information.

Internet features

The Internet offers many types of communication tools to help you perform many tasks.

❖Internet email

To send and receive email of your own, you need a mailbox on the Web or an email address.