How to change the default AutoSearch search page

This article describes how to change the default AutoSearch search page without having to install the Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK).

With the AutoSearch feature, you can search by using the Address box in Microsoft Internet Explorer or the Address toolbar in Windows 98 and Windows 2000. To do so, type go, type find, or type ?, followed by the topic that you want. For example, if you type ? mountain bikes, Internet Explorer automatically searches the Internet for information about mountain bikes.

By default, Windows uses a random search engine to perform your search. To specify a particular search engine, you can edit the registry or customize the AutoSearch settings in Internet Explorer.

Modify the registry

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

1. Quit Internet Explorer.
2. Click Start, click Run, and then type regedit.
3. Change the default value of the following registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchUrl
   Change the default value to any one of the following values:
   • To specify Metacrawler as the default search page, change the default value to "http://www.metacrawler.com/crawler?general=%s" (without quotation marks).
   • To specify AltaVista as the default search page, change the default value to "http://www.altavista.com/cgi-bin/query?q=%s" (without quotation marks).
   • To specify HotBot as the default search page, change the default value to "http://hotbot.com/?MT=%s" (without quotation marks).
   • To specify Infoseek as the default search page, change the default value to "http://www.infoseek.com/Titles?qt=%s" (without quotation marks).
   • To specify Excite as the default search page, change the default value to "http://search.excite.com/search.gw?search=%s" (without quotation marks).
   • To specify Lycos as the default search page, change the default value to "http://www.lycos.com/cgi-bin/pursuit?query=%s" (without quotation marks).
   • To specify Magellan as the default search page, change the default value to "http://www.mckinley.com/searcher.cgi?query=%s" (without quotation marks).
   • To specify Ask Jeeves as the default search page, change the default value to "http://askjeeves.com/AskJeeves.asp=%s" (without quotation marks).
   • To specify Yahoo as the default search page, change the default value to "http://search.yahoo.com/bin/search?p=%s" (without quotation marks).
   • To specify GOTO.Com as the default search page, change the default value to "http://www.goto.com/d/search/?type=topbar&Keywords=%s" (without quotation marks).
4. Quit Registry Editor, and then start Internet Explorer.

For additional information about how to restore the default AutoSearch search page, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For additional information about how to conduct searches by using Internet Explorer, click Contents And Index on the Help menu in Internet Explorer, click the Index tab, type autosearch, and then double-click the AutoSearch topic.