How to remove start menu's search box?


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Hi all,

I just migrated from Windows XP and turned off the indexing/caching or whatever Vista does by default. This makes the search box "broken" and unneeded. I use another program to locate my files...

So the search box is collecting some dust down there. Is there any way I can remove it? Thanks!

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Why the hell did you turn it off?

You clearly don't know what it does. The search is a massively integral part of Vista. Indexing under Vista != indexing under XP.

"I won't use it"... No but the OS will.

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Why the hell did you turn it off?

You clearly don't know what it does. The search is a massively integral part of Vista. Indexing under Vista != indexing under XP.

"I won't use it"... No but the OS will.

+1

Not only that but I found the search box VERY helpful.

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It was a recommended tweak for Vista at notebookreview, and my new notebook seemed to access the HD more than it did on XP with the constant flickering and little clicks which I did not experience on XP. I thought it only indexes the files so that it can search quicker and keep updated? Please tell me what else this service does :) I don't use Vista's search function, but how does the OS use it?

Here's a snippet of the guide I followed:

6. Disable Vista Search Indexing

All versions of Vista have Search Indexing enabled by default which is an unneeded resource for most. Its function is to continuously update files on your system so that they can be made available for faster searching. Unfortunately, this takes its toll on system performance which is why its listed in several tweaking programs as a top tweak; I agree totally.

To disable Windows indexing:

1. Click Start, then computer;

2. Right click on Local Disk 'C:'

3. Left click on Properties;

4. Uncheck 'Index this Drive for Faster Searching';

5. Let it complete and select 'Include subfolders and files' in any subsequent dialog box

EDIT: From here we will go one step further and turn off Windows Search in your services as per Trebuins recommendation. I was going to wait and shut all useless services down at once but, he is right and, this does pertain strictly to this so...

1. Click on start/run and type in 'MSConfig' and hit ok;

2. Click on Services tab and find Windows Search

3. Uncheck/Apply and Ok...Your done!!!

Voila!! Its funny eh, a feature that is supposed to speed up searching that is one of the worst reasons for system slowdown.

Thanks!

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That guide seems to be written by an idiot. It assumes indexing on Vista is the same as on XP. They are 100% different.

Moreover, laptop power modes take care of it.

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That HDD activity will only last for a few days or so of regular use while it's indexing everything on the drive. There is no reason to disable it, and, as said, you really should keep it on.

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Yeah, people continually spread this whole "XP indexing = Vista indexing" BS. Vista is a far more advanced OS and actually has usable searching. Turning off indexing is just plain dumb. Not to mention the "resources" that it uses are minimal. I don't know why people continually complain about resource usage. When you cram your system with lots of RAM, aren't you expecting the OS to be using it to its full advantage? In XP, RAM often just sat there unused. Vista has SuperFetch so that RAM is used intelligently, and this intelligent use of system resources is why Vista's indexing works so well.

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Personally I am using Locate32 - http://www.locate32.net/ for searching forstuff on my pc so disabled Vistas own Indexing. As long as you dont have a third-party software doing the indexing/seraching I see little point in disabling the OS's own function.

That's what I've been using for the past two years on Windows XP.

I suppose it's not necessary to use anymore with Vista :)

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That start search bar is a fantastic feature of Vista.. I just type the name of a program I want to launch, hit enter and there I go (Y).

You should give it a shot, see what it's like.

And yeah, the HDD activivity will die down after a while. For me it tends to go nuts after uninstalling something.

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That start search bar is a fantastic feature of Vista.. I just type the name of a program I want to launch, hit enter and there I go (Y).

Exactly. It's so much easier to access programs - to access Calculator I just hit Win > C > A and press Enter, which has saved me a lot of time.

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