IE 9 Search Box Missing

The address bar is now the search box.

What search box? The address bar is the search box as well, type the search string there.

I hope you like typing your search queries over and over again because that's what you'll end up doing in the IE9 address bar. Unlike the old search box where your last entry remains, the address bar will switch to the URL you went to forcing you to re-enter your last query if you want to search for it again.

I also like how typing a one-word search query into the address bar and hitting Enter causes the browser to put an http:// in front of the word and then time out instead of searching for it.

Or if you're really lucky it will autocomplete a URL you previously typed and go to that site instead of searching for the similar word you started to enter. Brilliant.

If you don't like all these new "features" you can install the Google toolbar and use that as your search box. For me it was like a trip down memory lane to have that back on my machine again.

Heres how to add the google toolbar.

Sneaky and Smart: New Google Toolbar 8 Installs Chrome Frame | thechromesource - Google Chrome and Chrome OS News and Forum

I have to agree with Carnivore.

The new search functionality is not the same as IE 8 AT ALL. It has been severely crippled for any kind of serious use The IE8 search box was just about perfect. Fast to use across multiple search providers, never have to retype searches when needing to change a word, even worked as the "find on this page" box.

IE 9 has caused me to have to cut and past and retype my searches ad nausium. It was a giant step backwards in functionality.

I'm really starting to hate all this "Dumbed down", "Streamlined" stuff. It works fine for the first day of use when "learning" something, then does nothing but get in the way for every day of actual use after that...

I like the html5 and hardware accelleration of IE 9 but please give me back my IE 8 interface!

One of the reasons I'm still using Firefox/Minefield instead of IE9.