PowerMac 7300 Problems: Browser, Accessing Hotmail, Freezing

Question

We have an ancient PowerMac 7300, with a G3 500Mhz upgrade. I know that some people will tell us to simply get a new(er) computer, but that is not an option right now.
We are having problems accessing many websites, including Hotmail, which we use a lot. We keep getting messages telling us that our web-browsers need to be upgraded. We use mostly Internet Explorer and Netscape.
Are there any other browsers that might run better, and allow us access to more websites with fewer problems? I'm running System 9.1, with 200MB RAM. There are two internal HDs, the main one we use, with System 9.1, is a 40GB, the other HD is a 6GB, with System 8.6.
This old beast still runs great, other than freezing frequently, especially when we try to access the Internet. Thanks for any suggestions.
-- vja4Him *Mac Addict for Christ*

Answer 1

I've also used the final version of Internet Explorer (5.1.7) for pre-OS X Macs, but it was last updated in 2002 - which makes it incompatible with some web sites. Additionally, Microsoft dropped support for it and pulled the download links from their web site. The first thing that you need to do is allocate more memory to it, because the default "Preferred" memory setting is ridiculously low. You should set it to at least 20-25 MBs as a comfortable amount, since you have enough System memory to be generous. With the program not running, click on its icon to highlight it and select "Get Info - Memory" from the File drop-down menu. Adjust the "Preferred" setting to an amount between 20480K and 25600K. This should prevent freezes and permit the program to run more smoothly, but it won't change the fact that it's an old browser with expired security certificates. Netscape Communicator is known to be a bloated alternative to IE. Others Forum regulars have posted their evaluations of the other browsing options available to pre-OS X users, but those programs are also succumbing to age and a lack of ongoing development.