NoT MsN SearcH.... Review on Msn

NOTE: This is NOT a review for MSN Search. It is for MSN Search Toolbar, the name sounds an extension but its different from MSN Search. I had received confirmations of this product being added into the MS database but somehow I aint able to find it. So I am writing under this title. Hope u don’t mind…

It has been quite some time since I wrote on MS so I don’t know whether my writing skills are still the same or not. Anyhow call it laziness or time-constraints (first one being the more prioritized one), I wasn’t really on MS. But in touch in many MSians who are regular writers I couldn’t restrain from writing here. So here I am with yet another review.

Introduction:

This is one isn’t my usual filmi reviews or mobile phone reviews or Best/Worst compilations, this is one on MSN Search Toolbar. MSN Toolbar (as I will call it from now on), a good add-in is a toolbar with many useful features offered by Microsoft. It is a free download (Atlast we get something free from Microsoft..lol). Microsoft finally started developing small and useful and FREE applications apart from Operating Systems, Service Packs and Office products. MSN toolbar is one such application which can be counted as an add-in from Microsoft which integrates itself with Internet Explorer. Now Microsoft has been inspired by the features in other available toolbars and deskbars’ and developed its own software (I’ll tell u how later)

MSN Search ToolBar:

The Good:

=>For all those who love tabbed windows as in Firefox and Opera and always wished good old I.E. to be like them, well now you also can have tabbed I.E. windows. This is the prominent feature which I liked the most of the MSN Search Toolbar. It allows tabbed I.E. browsing, functionally the tabs working in the same manner as Opera and Firefox. The toolbar installs itself below the usual I.E. buttons. And another toolbar which is of tabs positions itself below the search bar. There are two three icons to click on: one is Open my Tabs and the other one being Open all tabs in background. Clicking the third icon directly opens a new tab in the same I.E. window. It however does not open the homepage, but it opens a pre-defined page from Microsoft introducing tabbed browsing to the user (as if we don’t know). The Open My Tab option is customizable you can add favorite links or the web pages you access everyday to it. Click on it only a single time will open all those web pages tabbed, in the same I.E. window.

=>The tab options will automatically install themselves in the shell extensions. So now when you will right lick on any link while browsing you will have the options of search, open in new tab, open in new page etc.

=>Coming to the Search Bar, well it’s the customized but more powerful version of Windows Search (find files or folders). It has three toolbars though, Search Toolbar for Outlook, MSN Search Deskbar in the Windows taskbar, and an MSN Search Toolbar that works in both Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer. With Toolbars in these locations we can easily find files, documents, and websites more quickly than ever before. (The Deskbar is inspired from Google Deskbar)

=>The Search Toolbar also allows direct access to MSN Messenger and Hotmail (same as Yahoo toolbar allows checking emails and Yahoo Messenger). The toolbar looks pretty cool, the icons are well placed and easily customizable from the toolbar itself.

=> It allows automatic form filling, storage of passwords (Wand in Opera and Password manager in Firefox). I haven’t really tried this one out.

=>It also features an integrated pop-up blocker. So now no need to download third party pop-up blockers from internet. Works pretty well and blocks most of the pop-ups.

=>Allows Highlighting in colour which also is a feature I don’t use much.

=>Easier installation and no annoying installation errors or annoying goof-ups.

=>Third party add-ins can also be installed. That is options to search pdf files, zip files etc can be downloaded from Microsoft’s website.

The Bad:

=>Particularly large set-up file. About 6 MB’s. So for all those who are on dial-up be ready to shell out some time for downloading.

=>Although the deskbar works pretty well, but sometimes its presence on the taskbar becomes pretty annoying if you already many items open in the system tray and the windows taskbar. The size of the search window is not customizable.

=>Third party add-ins are particularly large in size for downloading. Moreover they aren’t certified from Microsoft so if any bugs creeps in the add-in it might affect the functionality of the Deskbar itself.

The Ugly:

=>Works only on Windows XP, 2000, 2003. Does not work with Windows 98.

=>The system will get slow since it works on indexing files for search purposes. So at start up it will load itself and start indexing files and so the system will become slow. The solution: Remove it from start-up and whenever the processor is free from tasks (as in when u don’t use ur pc) start the deskbar for indexing.

=>Just when you have many tabs in a single I.E. Window open, you suddenly choose the I.E. window it will close all the tabs with the window without giving a pop-up that you are closing these open tabs( this feature is available in Firefox and Opera).

=>Finally it’s a Microsoft product. Although not beta but you never know when it will crash….he he he..

Download Size: 5.43 MB.

Download Link: toolbar.msn.com

Toolbar Help:

https://search.msn.com/docs/toolbar.aspx?t=MSNTbar_CONC_AboutMSNToolbarSuite.ht
m&FORM=ATSP&v=02.00.00

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