browser, click Check Now. If Firefox isn't already the default, it offers to make the change. If you click Yes, Firefox becomes your default browser immediately, and clicking Cancel in the Options window won't unset it. To change your default to another browser in the future, use that browser's options. Firefox never makes itself the default browser unless you allow it to. Unfortunately, certain ruder browsers do so automatically. To have Firefox ensure that it's the default each time it starts, select the check box in this area. Firefox prompts you at startup only if another browser has been set as the default. Connection TECHNICAL STUFF Because Firefox accesses the Internet, you must have a working Internet connection, such as dial-up, DSL, or cable. Firefox usually detects your connection automatically. However, certain companies use so-called proxies (computers that forward Internet requests from one computer to another) that can obstruct the connection. Company administrators should click Connection Settings to open a window where they can configure these proxies. This isn't something you should have to worry about. The Privacy category Firefox remembers information for you while you browse, such as browsing history and passwords. The Privacy category, shown in Figure 16-4, allows you to configure how much information Firefox stores and when it gets cleared. It's broken down into six tabs, one for each type of information Firefox stores. I discuss the Privacy settings in depth in Chapter 15, so I just review them briefly here. Figure 16-4: You can configure how much information Firefox stores about your browsing and when it gets cleared in the Privacy category. History Firefox maintains a history of the Web sites you visit so you can return to them easily. By default, Firefox remembers the pages you visited in the last nine days. For more on browsing history, turn to Chapter 6. Saved Forms Firefox remembers information you enter into online forms, such as a ZIP code, so it can prefill them for you in the future. Likewise, Firefox remembers phrases you search for from the Search Box on the Navigation Toolbar so you can search for them again more quickly. For more on forms, check out Chapter 8. Passwords Firefox remembers your online passwords and prefills them for you so you can log in to Web sites more quickly. Chapter 8 covers passwords in depth. Download History Firefox keeps records of downloaded files in the Download Manager so you can find and open them easily. See Chapter 11 for more information about the Download Manager. Deleting a record of a download does not delete the downloaded file itself. By default, Firefox stores records forever - or at least until you delete them manually. Or until your computer explodes. And let's hope that doesn't happen. Cookies Web sites put tiny bits of information called cookies on your computer to improve your browsing experience. Amazon, for example, might store a cookie that contains the contents of your shopping cart, so you can browse the site just as you browse a supermarket. See Chapter 14 for more information about what cookies are and how to configure them. Cache Firefox archives the pages you visit in a cache so they load more quickly in the future. Unlike browsing history, you don't have direct access to the cache; Firefox accesses it behind the scenes to speed browsing. Clear Private Data Settings