Links are nearly always underlined. In both Netscape and Internet Explorer, the cursor changes from an arrow to a hand when it is over a link. Most links will change color after follow them. That way you can tell whether you have looked at a link before. To follow a link, click it once with the left mouse button.
Sites vary enormously in how quickly they display.
This button allows you to cancel the link. The status line near the bottom of the screen shows the progress. The Internet is constantly changing. New pages are added and old pages disappear. Sometimes the servers that host the pages crash, sometimes they are too busy to accept new requests.