Windows XP Power Hound

Searching the Web from Internet Explorer

Most people spend half their time on the Web searching for stuff they want to read, watch, play, or download. Here're a few tips to help you search smarter.

The Google Toolbar

If you use Google 400 times a day, you're wasting valuable time by surfing to Google's home page every time you want to search. Improve your efficiency 80-fold by bringing the Web's most popular search engine to you: install a Google toolbar in Internet Explorer. The super-handy add-on lets you run a Google search no matter where you are on the Web (Figure 7-7).

Note

The Google toolbar works only with Internet Explorer. If you use Mozilla, Netscape, or Firefox, try the Googlebar, described on Section 7.6.2.

Figure 7-7. You get all the power of Google, packed into this tiny toolbar. Using it is the single best thing you can do to improve your surfing experience.

To add the Google toolbar to your browser, go to http://toolbar.google.com and click the "Download Google Toolbar" button. The toolbar installs itself in Internet Explorer. When you want to do a search, just type your keywords in the search box and press Enter. Google displays the results in your open browser window as if you did the search at http://www.google.com.

That's not the only thing the Google Toolbar can do. Here are just a few of the other ways it can make your surfing easier:

• Kill pop-ups. If you can't stand ...