Msn Search Toolbar Website Links For
Windows
 

Information About

Msn Search Toolbar




  developer Microsoft
  latest Release Version 310130
  latest Release Date May 7 , 2007
  operating System Windows 2000 , Windows XP , Windows Vista
  genre Toolbar
  license Freeware
  website http://toolbarlivecom


Windows Live Toolbar is a Toolbar designed as part of Microsoft 's Windows Live range of services. It is the successor to ''MSN Search Toolbar''. It includes Windows Desktop Search which runs in the background and indexes all files and emails. It provides a simple search interface that resides in the Taskbar that starts to list its results as the user types in a search query, making it easy to search across emails, pictures, text files, and documents with a single search criterion.

It also provides a Form Filler and interface to Windows Live and MSN services. Rival search toolbars include the Google Toolbar and the Yahoo! Toolbar.


FEATURES


Features of the toolbar include:

  • Windows Live home - directs to homepage

  • Search bar - allows users to search on toolbar

  • Smart Search - wordwheeling of web search results

  • Smart Menus - highlight text and get relevant Windows Live services

  • Custom Button - customize toolbar with your own custom buttons (go to Windows Live Gallery to get list of user-create buttons).

  • MSNBC news - allows you to find news on MSNBC

  • Favorites - directs you to your Windows Live Favorites

  • Maps - give you maps from Live Search Maps

  • PC Health - runs a scan on your PC from Windows Live OneCare

  • Form Fill - automatically fills out form information on a webpage

  • Spaces - directs you to your Windows Live Spaces

  • Messenger - give you info on your IM buddies

  • Toolbar Options - gives you options on how to customize your toolbar

  • Toolbar Help - gives you help on Windows Live Toolbar


The toolbar also includes tabbed browsing. While tabs are integrated into most modern browsers, until recently Internet Explorer did not support tabs. The toolbar provides a solution for those who are still using browsers that do not support tabs, but it remains a stopgap solution and is not as well implemented as integrated tabs. For instance, the toolbar tabs do not have dedicated close buttons.


ONFOLIO

See Also: Onfolio



Onfolio is a research tool, along the lines of OneNote , that can be used to collect data from the web. After Microsoft acquired Onfolio , it integrated the product with Windows Live Toolbar. The toolbar is now the only way to get Onfolio.


CONTROVERSIAL BUNDLING

The toolbar is bundled with some popular freely-downloadable software, most notably Windows Live Messenger , with the option to install the software selected by default. Some users see this as unethical, as it is similar to the tactics used by some P2P programs to trick users into 'consenting' to having spyware on their computers. However, many other companies bundle different pieces of software into one installer (e.g. Apple's QuickTime for Windows download also installs ITunes ) and the Windows Live Toolbar itself is not 'harmful' in any particular way. If the user decides that he/she does not want the toolbar, it can be uninstalled without affecting the software it was bundled with.


EXTERNAL LINKS