jamescl

That I already did - I got rid of the dog and enabled advanced search by default. What I don't understand is why the registry tweaks that I quoted above are labeled "classic search". They don't do anything related to search (except, maybe, the dog). Any idea who came up with that misleading label? More importantly - how do I get REAL classic search? (you know, the one that looks like the in the W2K) Thanks! James

I just tried this registry tweak I found here: ;----- Enable Classic Search [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState] "FullPath"=dword:00000001 "FullPathAddress"=dword:00000001 "Use Search Asst"="no" "Settings"=hex:0c,00,02,00,1b,01,e7,77,60,00,00,00 And... it doesn't change anything in Search. What am I missing here? Why is it labeled "Enabled Classic Search"? Thanks! James

dandirk, I think you are right. I got curious and decided to "risk" 99 cents... I purchased the Lock My PC Now and WOW! I didn't expect this to be so polished and so much fun. It's only a convenience shortcut but it really saves me from going back and forth between the mouse and the keyboard. I guess I could have downloaded something like this for free somewhere else but it was accessible and instant. So you are right - there is value in something simple like this. Thanks dandirk - I am learning something new every day!

Thanks, dandirk. I have another curious question: in my searches I also came across a utility that does the same but costs 99 cents: Better Search Defaults Now... why would I pay for something like this when I can edit the registry directly? Why would anyone pay (even if it's only 99 cents) for something like this when he can edit the registry directly? Isn't that weird? Thanks! James

I came across this in one my searches (no pun intended) and I got curious: Neither in XP SP2 nor in XP SP3 this is necessary, since whatever search option you click is remembered in the registry (same exact key and values) - so why bother hack (or "tweak") the registry? Can you please enlighten me? Thanks! James