Setting up a Custom Search Page

The Internet Explorer 3.x Search Page functionality has been replaced with the Explorer Search bar. Clicking the Search button on the Internet Explorer 4.0 standard toolbar opens the Explorer Search bar. To use an Internet Explorer 3.x style Search page, see the following information.

Warning
Using the Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows 95. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of the Registry Editor can be solved. Use the Registry Editor at your own risk.

Note
For information about how to edit the registry, see "Changing Keys And Values," an online Help topic in the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe). You should make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat) before you edit the registry.

1. Run Regedit.exe and locate the following key:



HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main


2. Add a string value with the following value name and data:




Value Name	Value Data
Search bar	The URL

The URL should be the complete URL for the Search page you want to use in the Explorer Search bar.

3. Quit Regedit.exe.


4. Quit and then restart Internet Explorer.

• By default, the Search bar value does not appear under HKEY_CURRENT_USER but is automatically set for all users to http://home.microsoft.com/search/search.asp via the following key:
  
  HKEY_LOCAL_computer\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

• Important: If you want the search results list to appear in the Search bar on the left, and the actual page that opens when a user clicks a URL in the results list to appear in the main window on the right, you must modify the search results page so that it includes the following HTML tag:
  
  <BASE TARGET="_main" >
  
  Otherwise, both the search results list and the selected Web page will appear in the Search bar on the left by default.

• Links that should be loaded in the Explorer Search bar instead of the main browser window should include TARGET="_top" in the <A HREF> tag.