Some questions from a new IE9 user:

Some questions from a new IE9 user:

Is there any way to repeat your search query without constantly having to retype it into the address bar each time? In IE8 the last search query always remained in the separate search box making it easy to repeat the search, even in another tab. Searching from the address bar is driving me crazy, especially since I find myself retyping the same searches over and over again.

Is there any way to put Favorites back in the upper left corner where it belongs? Having it in the upper right corner is incredibly counterintuitive.

Is there an option to display a progress bar so you can see whether a site is loading slowly or not at all?

So far I'm regretting my decision to upgrade from IE8, but hopefully if I can solve the above issues I might start to appreciate it more.

It's a workaround and not a full solution: whenever you type something into the search box, before hitting enter just copy it to the clipboard. This is not so limiting if you use a clipboard extender/manager, for example Yankee Clipper III or ClipX (both available in the free great software thread)

Carnivore said:

...Is there any way to repeat your search query without constantly having to retype it into the address bar each time...

Use this instead: Google Advanced Search
(Set the Google search option Results Window
"Open search results in a new browser window".)

The UI on this browser is infuriating. If I uninstall it and then use System Restore to go back to the last restore point before I upgraded, will IE8 be fully restored or will I need to reinstall it? I can't find a standalone installer for IE8 for Windows 7 x64... all I can find are installers for XP, Vista or Server. Will one of these work or can someone point me to the correct installer for Win7 64-bit. Thanks.

Uninstalling it will take you back to IE 8.
Go to the Control panel.
Then Programs and features.
Then Installed updates.
Find Internet Explorer 9 in the list and uninstall.

For what its worth (I guess nothing), I like IE 9.

Phone Man said:

1) Your search requests are saved in History. In the Address bar click the down arrow and it will show the last 3 history entries. There is another down arrow on that screen that will show the rest of the history...

OK, that's helpful. It still involves that extra step of using down arrow(s) compared to having the separate search box, though. A step backward in usability IMO, but I might be able to live with this.

Phone Man said:

2) Hit ALT and it will bring up the Menu Bar which has a Favorite link. Select View/Toolbars to pin it.

Thanks, I hadn't considered the Menu Bar as a workaround. That's better, though still not as good as having the actual icon where it was (and where it should be).

Phone Man said:

3) Also select Status Bar which will show at the bottom of your window. See it the Status Bar gives you what you need.

I already had the Status Bar enabled but I don't see a Progress Bar on it. I suppose I can live without it, but all these things add up to a frustrating experience with the new UI. I consider myself pretty tech savvy and willing to adapt, so if I'm having trouble with these things I can't believe the average user won't be even more aggravated than me. Plus, I'm hitting so many websites that just don't function and/or display properly in IE9 I can't help but think Firefox is going to be the biggest beneficiary of this release. Anyway I appreciate the tips, and...

pbcopter said:

Uninstalling it will take you back to IE 8.

I guess there's always that if the above things don't prove satisfactory.

OK, I enabled the Menu Bar so my Favorites would be accessible in the upper left corner.

Then I added the Google Toolbar, putting it in the same row as the Menu Bar so together they take up just one row. I then went to the Google Buttons Gallery and added buttons for Bing, Yahoo, Wikipedia, etc. -- so now I have a separate search box supporting all my favorite search engines again, where the last search query sticks so I don't have to keep retyping it over and over again into the address bar.

I also considered using the new Bing Bar instead, but it doesn't look like you can add any other search engines besides Bing to that one, so that's another 'fail' for Microsoft.

I still don't like the UI with these customizations as much as I liked the stock IE8 UI, but at least it's getting closer to supporting the way I work.

I've found myself using Firefox quite a bit more though, and if it weren't for the fact that the websites I use at work require Internet Explorer (that's another story), I probably wouldn't use IE at all any more. The increase in speed, security and HTML5 support in IE9 are commendable, but in my opinion Microsoft really ruins the experience by locking users into a lousy UI and poor compatibility with too many existing websites.