Do-It-Yourself Ecommerce

Adding plug-ins (called Add-ons in IE) expands the capabilities of browsers to play other types of files besides HTML. Some allow files such audio and video to play within the browser (embedded), some direct the files to a separate player on your computer.

The most popular plug-in is Flash. It allows content authored in Macromedia’s Flash format to play within your browser. Others include Adobe Reader ( for .PDF files), and QuickTime, RealPlayer, DivX and Windows Media Player (audio and video). But, like all software, it is occasionally upgraded to a newer version.

If you click on something in a web site you may be prompted to download a new plug-in or CODEC before it will play. Sometimes this is relatively painless; sometimes you have to restart the browser or even the computer. It’s one of the considerations when designing web sites.

TIP: If you have to exit the site to install the plug-in, press Ctrl-D on your keyboard to bookmark the site or select Add to Favorites or Add to Bookmarks from the menu so you can find your way back.

There also tools that you can add to your browser such as Toolbars that allow you search the web without going to the search engine’s site first.