akwe-xavante Posted October 9, 2015 Share Posted October 9, 2015 Bing seriously does my head in, a terrible search engine. I like the concept / idea of being able to search from the taskbar but I want to change the default search engine used by the search box from bing o google without changing my browser or installing another app or extension. I don't want to use google chrome and its bing2google extension. There has to be a way to force Win10, Cortana and the search box to use another search engine of your own choice. Changing the default search engine of IE & Edge is easy enough to do. It would be great if Google could develop an app to change the search engines used by Win10's search box, IE & Edge in one click. It would be a lot quicker and less tiresome than doing it all manually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anibal P Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Highly doubt MS will allow this to happen in Cortana, they'll use some nonsense about search integration or managing results as an excuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockingbird Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Tell Google to port Google Now to Windows 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anibal P Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Tell Google to port Google Now to Windows 10. Now that would be an interesting concept, I do use it constantly on my phone, I can see using it a lot in Windows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FunkyMike Posted October 10, 2015 Share Posted October 10, 2015 Bing seriously does my head in, a terrible search engine. I like the concept / idea of being able to search from the taskbar but I want to change the default search engine used by the search box from bing o google without changing my browser or installing another app or extension. I don't want to use google chrome and its bing2google extension. There has to be a way to force Win10, Cortana and the search box to use another search engine of your own choice. Changing the default search engine of IE & Edge is easy enough to do. It would be great if Google could develop an app to change the search engines used by Win10's search box, IE & Edge in one click. It would be a lot quicker and less tiresome than doing it all manually. http://betanews.com/2015/08/19/how-to-force-cortana-to-use-google-instead-of-bing-in-windows-10/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akwe-xavante Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 Thank you all for your replies, at some point I'm sure that there will be an answer without installing another browser and an extension. Just thought of a possible solution, it'll probably fail though for some reason as yet unknown........... Modify the hosts file to redirect the ip address and or domain name Bing to Googles ip address and domain name. I wonder, as I say though it will probably fail for some reason. Ah well another reason to go back to Win7. I think the MS OS is largely over and near end of useful life. I can't see them making many more operating systems before they go belly up now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akwe-xavante Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 I'm sure I won't be long before some script kiddie produces a virus or malware to change Cortana's and the taskbar's search box's default search engine to something different! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Jensen Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 If you are using Firefox there is a setting to change it to your preferable choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahorsepip Veteran Posted October 12, 2015 Veteran Share Posted October 12, 2015 The least possible thing possible would be redirecting the results that open in a browser window(search on the web) to a url that redirects the search query to google with a hosts edit. I can look into that, but changing anything that shows up outside of a browser window is gonna be tricky. If you are using Firefox there is a setting to change it to your preferable choice. We're talking about teh search box in the taskbar, not the search box in a browser, even in edge it's possible to choose google. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akwe-xavante Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 Interesting.. Editing the hosts file does in fact move the goal posts a little bit but generates two errors. Entering the following to the hosts file: 216.58.211.67 www.bing.com With the above entered into the hosts file then searching using the taskbar search box generates a "There is a problem with this website's security certificate" error first. If you then select the option to "Continue Anyway" you get a 404 not found message from google. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Jensen Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 The least possible thing possible would be redirecting the results that open in a browser window(search on the web) to a url that redirects the search query to google with a hosts edit. I can look into that, but changing anything that shows up outside of a browser window is gonna be tricky. We're talking about teh search box in the taskbar, not the search box in a browser, even in edge it's possible to choose google. I'm fully aware what the topic is about and my reply is about the search from taskbar and not from the browser. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Modifying the hosts file won't work. Firstly Bing and Google will have different parameters expected, and secondly Cortana isn't "just Bing" - it expects results back in a different format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akwe-xavante Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 Editing the hosts file does effect searching from the taskbar but with errors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeChipshop Member Posted October 12, 2015 Member Share Posted October 12, 2015 Tell Google to port Google Now to Windows 10. There's a fairly usable version of Google Now built directly in to the Chrome browser that's pretty much exactly like the phone version, just a hidden. I think the M$ OS is largely over and near end of useful life. I can't see them making many more operating systems before they go belly up now. You must be new to computers. A company with the usage figures of Microsoft and Windows isn;t going belly up any time soon. We're talking about teh search box in the taskbar, not the search box in a browser, even in edge it's possible to choose google. From what i remember reading, Firefox does hijack the Cortana search bar search results and use what ever your default search engine is, IIRC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akwe-xavante Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 Editing the hosts file doesn't just have an influence on the browsers installed it effect other applications too inc the command prompt, ftp clients and more and editing the hosts file does effect Cortana and searching from the taskbar search box but with errors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akwe-xavante Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 Hoping for a solution without installing another browser and an extension Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akwe-xavante Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 You must be new to computers. A company with the usage figures of Microsoft and Windows isn;t going belly up any time soon. Been building Computers for over 20yrs, used to build 4 a week up to and including WinVista, Win7 sales much better, sales of Win8 & 8.1 boxes fell through the floor. Lost count of how many Win8 & 8.1 laptops I've changed to Win7. Build very few MS boxes now and people are switching to iPads or smartphones now rather than have a new MS PC. Now building 2 to 3 Linux boxes a week, people are asking for an alternative to MS laptops and PC's, most are buying iPads or just using there smartphones more instead. At the mo up grading a lot of people from Win7 / 8 / 8.1 to Win10. About 40% of people upgrading want down grading within a few days. A lot of those that tried upgrading from Win8 & 8.1 have asked to be "Upgraded" to Win7! instead of going back to Win8 / 8.1. More and more people are now aware that there are alternatives to a Microsoft Operating System and are changing. I haven't sold a MS Office product for weeks as people ask to be switched to OpenOffice more and more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I haven't sold a MS Office product for weeks as people ask to be switched to OpenOffice more and more Average consumer and average corporate are NOT switching to OpenOffice. Anibal P 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akwe-xavante Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 Average consumer and average corporate are NOT switching to OpenOffice. That's not my experience in the field when someone has to have a new laptop or pc. They don't buy a new MS office product if there old versions of office won't install because they are too old, they are switching to OpenOffice instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahorsepip Veteran Posted October 12, 2015 Veteran Share Posted October 12, 2015 Modifying the hosts file won't work. Firstly Bing and Google will have different parameters expected, and secondly Cortana isn't "just Bing" - it expects results back in a different format. That's why I was thinking of making a website that does the format and parameter translation: hosts file: bing.com -> google.winsearch.seapip.com What actually happens: My domain accepts the bing parameters and fetches the google results and returns them in the bing format. That's maybe somthing I can get to work. Dick Montage 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahorsepip Veteran Posted October 12, 2015 Veteran Share Posted October 12, 2015 Seems firefox isn't the only browser with a workaround now: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chrometana-redirect-bing/kaicbfmipfpfpjmlbpejaoaflfdnabnc And the following might do the trick in the hosts file without the need for any browser: https://google.com/search https://bing.com/search Also I can't test anything right now since my windows 10 laptop died a week ago and is being repaired (hopefully). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RGC1940 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I use duckduckgo.com as my default search engine - it even marks legit sites in any search Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akwe-xavante Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 And the following might do the trick in the hosts file without the need for any browser: https://google.com/search https://bing.com/search Tried this and I get two errors, 1stly a Security Certificate Error followed by a 404 not found error from google when using the taskbar search box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akwe-xavante Posted October 12, 2015 Author Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) I can see now that there is more to it than just redirecting a domain name / ip address. Hopefully someone will come up with an app to solve the problem and give people a choice of search engines to choose from without having to install a different browser and an extension to achieve it. It won't be long before a script kiddie solves the problem and creates a virus, malware or adware to do it for us maliciously. For now i'll just continue to tell people it's not possible to change the default search engine used from the taskbar search box and use IE or Edge instead. Searching from the taskbars search box is fairly useless for now. Just had another thought, it may be better to simply remove the search box from the taskbar instead for now, it's fairly useless as it is so why have it there Edited October 12, 2015 by akwe-xavante Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Montage Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 That's not my experience in the field when someone has to have a new laptop or pc. They don't buy a new MS office product if there old versions of office won't install because they are too old, they are switching to OpenOffice instead. Sorry, just don't buy that at all. Maybe with steering they may look at alternatives, but joe consumer and certainly joe corporate uses Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Argue it all you want, but figures don't lie. MikeChipshop 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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