Forced Search?

[Guest]

Ok i just took a brand new laptop out of its box, plugged it in, Opened
internet Explorer and changed the search assistant to classic search. Now I'm
forced to use MSN as my search provider in the search panel! Why can I no
longer select from a list? It worked last week on all my computers. It is not
a virus or spyware either. MS made some change to the search panel. But why
force us to use MSN? I don't think that is legal! Can't we have the old
search back?

Rick

 

[Rob Parsons]

Hi Rick,

Yes I just checked. The Customize Search Option on the Search Explorer bar
is no longer working (it was before). I don't what is going on here. I think
that MS must be doing some maintenance on the search assistant

http://ie.search.msn.com/{SUB_RFC1766}/srchasst/srchasst.htm

I can load the search assistant but it does not fill with a selection list
of Search Providers. Hopefully this is just temporary (I think they are
reviewing their search partnerships.... A9 and searchscopes seems to be the
way of the future)

I have a shareware download that you can use to select your Search Provider
http://www.iecustomzier.com/iesearchdownload.htm

It has all of the online search providers. You may like to use SearchURL's
instead (see the above page)

 

[PA Bear]

It's all about the money, honey (ads).

 

[Rob Parsons]

bling, bling makes the world sing

It's all about the money, honey (ads).

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

Ok i just took a brand new laptop out of its box, plugged it in, Opened
internet Explorer and changed the search assistant to classic search. Now I'm
forced to use MSN as my search provider in the search panel! Why can I no
longer select from a list? It worked last week on all my computers. It is not
a virus or spyware either. MS made some change to the search panel. But why
force us to use MSN? I don't think that is legal! Can't we have the old
search back?

Rick

Here is a link to the answer to a similar question I gave recently in IE6.Setup

Subject: Re: Search Options from Search Explorer Bar in IE6 Missing on Win2K
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2006 12:19:57 -0500

http://www.microsoft.com/communitie...da92bb-1d72-49ec-bec8-1f8b09c809ac&sloc=en-us

I'm now on IE7b2p which doesn't support Search Assistant at all
but when I wrote that I had been using IE7b1 and retested in IE6sp2
after uninstalling the IE7. It appeared that the only really significant
change was that support for the Next function had been removed.
E.g., both the New and the Customize buttons worked and it was possible
to switch to different providers by using the /Use one search service.../ option.

So, in fact, you wouldn't be "forced" to use MSN to search from the
Search bar but it wouldn't be as convenient to try getting results
from the same search from another provider as it once was. <eg>

BTW as an addendum to my post I subsequently did visit Copernic
and saw that their alternative is still available. ; )


HTH

Robert Aldwinckle
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