What This Does
This little registry hack will let you choose between the annoying and slow XP Search Companion and the great Windows 2000 Search Engine – of course, if you are using an indexing program like Google Desktop Search, you wont need this hack.
Before you start, please read this important information on editing your system’s registry.
We need to open the Registry Editor, type: Windows Key+R, > regedit > OK
Navigate to:
HKEY_Current_User\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState
Select CabinetState, right-click inside the right-side pane and select New and then String Value.
Name this new value: “Use Search Asst” and press Enter.
Double click this new string and, in the Value Data field, enter:
no
Click the OK button.
Now, right-click the CabitentState key and select Export. Name the file you are exporting “Disable Search Companion”, and make sure the Selected Branch Option button is selected. Close the Registry Editor.
Open the Disable Search Companion Registry entry (the one you just saved) in Notepad and find the line “Use Search Asst = no”. Change that value to “yes”, all in lowercase. Save this entry as “Enable Search Companion”.
Doing this, allows you to choose between the Search Companion and the 2000 Search. Double clicking either takes effect immediately – no reboot required! If you don’t want the option, double click the Disable Search Companion file, the following dialog will open:
Click the “Yes” and “OK” buttons in the dialog boxes and delete the files you have made!
All done!
I haven’t decided to do this registry hack yet. Have you used it?
If so how much better is it?
I’ve been using it for about two years – it really is great! But, in the last year, I have moved to Google Desktop Search. Indexing services are what all modern OS’s use!
Good info, but I think I will stick with Google on this. Another example of online apps winning over Uncle Bill. Same thing for gmail vs. Outlook. No contest.
Well actually I have gone full tilt to Google Pack for online organization.
How to Remove unneeded file types from the “Type of File” Combo Box.
How to make it search Folders only / Files Only ?
I have tried this and it doesn’t work. I even found an example on the Web that said to creatre a key called Cabinkey, still did not work. You are the third site I have found that gives the same procedure and it isn’t working on my XP SP3. I open Windows Explorer, click on search and the Windows Search with the green button labled Desktop (I don’t like this search), search companion with the dog is at the bottom which I have to select and then a new window opens. This Windows serach has never worked properly as it does not find many of the files I am looking for. I like the old one better.
Thanks…
You have to make one additional change to the registry to first disable Windows Desktop Search from preempting the Search Companion/Windows 2000 Search choice. In RegEdit, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows Desktop Search\DS and set “ShowStartSearchBand” to 0.