• The instructions on this page are for selecting Communicator as your default browser under Windows 3.1. If you use an operating system other than Windows 3.1, you'll need to follow different instructions.
• You can also get instructions for how to uninstall Internet Explorer 3.0. If you do choose to uninstall Internet Explorer and set Communicator as your default browser, you'll first want to convert your Internet Explorer Favorites and Internet Explorer Mail address book into Communicator-compatible formats.
• Print this page of instructions so that you have a copy after you quit the browser and it's handy while you perform the tasks outlined below. The URL is http://home.netscape.com/download/win16_instructions.html.

The first step in the process is to set Internet Explorer so that it will not ask whether it should be your default browser:

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Under the View menu, click Options.
3. In the Options dialog box, click the tab labeled Programs.
4. At the bottom of the dialog box you will see a checkbox titled "Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default browser." Make sure this box is not checked.
5. Click OK and close Internet Explorer.

1. Exit Communicator. Important: Make sure Communicator and all of its components are NOT running.
2. Open your Windows File Manager. To do this, open your Program Manager by double-clicking its icon at the lower left-hand corner of your screen (if it isn't already open on your screen). Inside Program Manager, double-click the icon labeled Main. Finally, inside Main you will see an icon labeled File Manager. Double-click this icon.
3. In the File Manager window, open the File menu (at the top left) and click Associate.
4. Inside the window that opens, you will see a text box labeled Files With Extension. Inside this text box, enter the letters "htm." Just below, you will see a list of programs. Scroll down until you find Netscape Communicator. Select it and click OK.
5. If you do not see Netscape Communicator in this list, you must locate your Netscape program file on your hard drive. To do this, close the Associate window, reopen the File menu, and click Search. A window will open. In this window, inside the box labeled Search For, type "netscape.exe". Inside the box labeled Start From, type "C:\". (Note: If your hard drive is designated a letter other than C, insert that letter instead.) Make sure the box labeled Search all Subdirectories is checked. Click OK. In the window that appears (this may take a few seconds), you will be given the path that shows you where Communicator is located on your computer. (For example, "C:\programs\browsers\netscape.exe" means that Netscape is located inside a folder called Browsers, and this folder is located inside a folder called Programs.) Now, close the Search window and reopen the Associate window. If necessary, retype "htm" into the Files With Extension text box. Click Browse. Here you are able to find Communicator manually. In the window that appears, you will see two smaller windows. Inside the right-hand window, scroll to the top and double-click C:. Now, underneath C: you will see a list of folders. Click through the path that you found in the search you did earlier (in our example, you would first double-click Programs and then double-click Browsers). When you reach the last folder in the path, you will see "netscape.exe" appear in the left-hand part of the window. Double-click it. You will be returned to the Associate window. Click OK.
6. Close all open windows. Communicator is now registered as your default browser.