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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
Hello all,
#1: I would like to know if there is a way to stop file-explorer of trying to go online when something is entered in the adressbar it does not recognise. #2: I would also like to remove the 'websearch' option thats made available when you, from the file-explorer, select "find". If've _blocked_ both using very crude methods (registry editing involved), but would very much like to know how to do it the "clean" way. And a funny thing: #1 goes to google, #2 goes to bing. :-) :-( Regards, Rudy Wieser |
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#2
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
On Fri, 8 Sep 2017 15:01:32 +0200, R.Wieser wrote:
Hello all, #1: I would like to know if there is a way to stop file-explorer of trying to go online when something is entered in the adressbar it does not recognise. AFAIK, the Windows shell is hardcoded to treat typed text as an URL if it's not a valid application file searchable from the PATH environment variable or a file in the current working directory. The shell use below registry path to get the default URL prefix (i.e. protocol). HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\URL\DefaultPrefix When I check it with Process Monitor, it doesn't try to read any setting after trying to find application-specific path (i.e. "App Paths" registry) and before trying to access the above URL registry. Neither Explorer policy setting or plain Explorer setting. That is, at least for the Windows 7's shell. #2: I would also like to remove the 'websearch' option thats made available when you, from the file-explorer, select "find". They're stored in below registry. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\FindExtensions If've _blocked_ both using very crude methods (registry editing involved), but would very much like to know how to do it the "clean" way. Start by searching the above registry key. If MSDN doesn't have it, chances are that you can only find unofficial ways to remove them. And a funny thing: #1 goes to google, #2 goes to bing. :-) :-( IMO, it depends on the Find handler as specified in the above registry. MSDN *should* have an official documentations for that. |
#3
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
Hey JJ,
The shell use below registry path to get the default URL prefix (i.e. protocol). HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\URL\DefaultPrefix Thanks. By appending the "no place like home" IP I've re-routed the search to a place it cannot do any harm, and I can possibly even catch it to return an appropriate "web page" for the attempt. Not quite _disabled_ , but the possible the next-best thing. :-) They're stored in below registry. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\FindExtensions Before posting here I found that GUID too. But when I googled it all I got was 5 pages with 'how to fix a problem with ...' results. :-( I've just tried to block access to the GUID (either prefixing it, or the registry key its mentioned in, with an exclamation mark, but I still got the "websearch" option, and it still tried to seach bing* *I found an "SearchAssistant" entry and inserted a 127.0.0.1/ by which I can, just as with #1, tell if a certain change is effective or not. It also effectivily blocks the request, but doesn't remove the option (hence the "crude" I mentioned earlier)... Thanks for the response. Regards, Rudy Wieser -- Origionalo message: "JJ" wrote in message news On Fri, 8 Sep 2017 15:01:32 +0200, R.Wieser wrote: Hello all, #1: I would like to know if there is a way to stop file-explorer of trying to go online when something is entered in the adressbar it does not recognise. AFAIK, the Windows shell is hardcoded to treat typed text as an URL if it's not a valid application file searchable from the PATH environment variable or a file in the current working directory. The shell use below registry path to get the default URL prefix (i.e. protocol). HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\URL\DefaultPrefix When I check it with Process Monitor, it doesn't try to read any setting after trying to find application-specific path (i.e. "App Paths" registry) and before trying to access the above URL registry. Neither Explorer policy setting or plain Explorer setting. That is, at least for the Windows 7's shell. #2: I would also like to remove the 'websearch' option thats made available when you, from the file-explorer, select "find". They're stored in below registry. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\FindExtensions If've _blocked_ both using very crude methods (registry editing involved), but would very much like to know how to do it the "clean" way. Start by searching the above registry key. If MSDN doesn't have it, chances are that you can only find unofficial ways to remove them. And a funny thing: #1 goes to google, #2 goes to bing. :-) :-( IMO, it depends on the Find handler as specified in the above registry. MSDN *should* have an official documentations for that. |
#4
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
Grmbl ...
I was too fast: the changes I mentioned work for a _single_ word (which is supposedly being regarded as a(n HTTP) server name), but not for two or more (those still go to bing). I've now been searching both the registry and the web for a few hours, and have not come anywhere near to discovering how to change (and by it possibly disable) the search provider/engine for the _file_ explorer (most of the results are related to several kinds of webbrowsers). Neither has it turned up anything in regard to which program/dll actually contains the "search provider" (so I can possibly "attack" it from that angle). Does anyone have an idea ? Regards, Rudy Wieser -- Origional message: "R.Wieser" wrote in message news Hey JJ, The shell use below registry path to get the default URL prefix (i.e. protocol). HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\URL\DefaultPrefix Thanks. By appending the "no place like home" IP I've re-routed the search to a place it cannot do any harm, and I can possibly even catch it to return an appropriate "web page" for the attempt. Not quite _disabled_ , but the possible the next-best thing. :-) They're stored in below registry. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\FindExtensions Before posting here I found that GUID too. But when I googled it all I got was 5 pages with 'how to fix a problem with ...' results. :-( I've just tried to block access to the GUID (either prefixing it, or the registry key its mentioned in, with an exclamation mark, but I still got the "websearch" option, and it still tried to seach bing* *I found an "SearchAssistant" entry and inserted a 127.0.0.1/ by which I can, just as with #1, tell if a certain change is effective or not. It also effectivily blocks the request, but doesn't remove the option (hence the "crude" I mentioned earlier)... Thanks for the response. Regards, Rudy Wieser -- Origionalo message: "JJ" wrote in message news On Fri, 8 Sep 2017 15:01:32 +0200, R.Wieser wrote: Hello all, #1: I would like to know if there is a way to stop file-explorer of trying to go online when something is entered in the adressbar it does not recognise. AFAIK, the Windows shell is hardcoded to treat typed text as an URL if it's not a valid application file searchable from the PATH environment variable or a file in the current working directory. The shell use below registry path to get the default URL prefix (i.e. protocol). HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\URL\DefaultPrefix When I check it with Process Monitor, it doesn't try to read any setting after trying to find application-specific path (i.e. "App Paths" registry) and before trying to access the above URL registry. Neither Explorer policy setting or plain Explorer setting. That is, at least for the Windows 7's shell. #2: I would also like to remove the 'websearch' option thats made available when you, from the file-explorer, select "find". They're stored in below registry. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\FindExtensions If've _blocked_ both using very crude methods (registry editing involved), but would very much like to know how to do it the "clean" way. Start by searching the above registry key. If MSDN doesn't have it, chances are that you can only find unofficial ways to remove them. And a funny thing: #1 goes to google, #2 goes to bing. :-) :-( IMO, it depends on the Find handler as specified in the above registry. MSDN *should* have an official documentations for that. |
#5
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
On Sun, 10 Sep 2017 11:13:39 +0200, R.Wieser wrote:
Grmbl ... I was too fast: the changes I mentioned work for a _single_ word (which is supposedly being regarded as a(n HTTP) server name), but not for two or more (those still go to bing). I've now been searching both the registry and the web for a few hours, and have not come anywhere near to discovering how to change (and by it possibly disable) the search provider/engine for the _file_ explorer (most of the results are related to several kinds of webbrowsers). Neither has it turned up anything in regard to which program/dll actually contains the "search provider" (so I can possibly "attack" it from that angle). Does anyone have an idea ? You could just change the Search setting in the Advanced tab of the Internet Options. Set it to not submit anything to any search site (IE8+), or do not perform a search (IE7). Meaning that anything typed will be treated as a host name - not as local file/folder name. Cause Windows Explorer is basically MSIE and vice versa, after all. |
#6
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
Hello JJ,
You could just change the Search setting in the Advanced tab of the Internet Options. ... Cause Windows Explorer is basically MSIE and vice versa, after all. I really did want to apply the change in the registry (something I could automate with a script), but you're right. When all else fails I should at least *try* to go that way. :-) Alas, changing "Search from the Address bar" to "Do not search" just seems to change the targetted server to "auto.search.msn.com" -- which I also cannot find/block in the registry ... And from the above a new question (just curiosity): where is that setting good for ? It does not seem affect the web and filebrowser at all. Regards, Rudy Wieser -- origional message: "JJ" wrote in message ... On Sun, 10 Sep 2017 11:13:39 +0200, R.Wieser wrote: Grmbl ... I was too fast: the changes I mentioned work for a _single_ word (which is supposedly being regarded as a(n HTTP) server name), but not for two or more (those still go to bing). I've now been searching both the registry and the web for a few hours, and have not come anywhere near to discovering how to change (and by it possibly disable) the search provider/engine for the _file_ explorer (most of the results are related to several kinds of webbrowsers). Neither has it turned up anything in regard to which program/dll actually contains the "search provider" (so I can possibly "attack" it from that angle). Does anyone have an idea ? You could just change the Search setting in the Advanced tab of the Internet Options. Set it to not submit anything to any search site (IE8+), or do not perform a search (IE7). Meaning that anything typed will be treated as a host name - not as local file/folder name. Cause Windows Explorer is basically MSIE and vice versa, after all. |
#7
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
On Mon, 11 Sep 2017 09:56:17 +0200, "R.Wieser"
wrote: Hello JJ, You could just change the Search setting in the Advanced tab of the Internet Options. .. Cause Windows Explorer is basically MSIE and vice versa, after all. I really did want to apply the change in the registry (something I could automate with a script), but you're right. When all else fails I should at least *try* to go that way. :-) Alas, changing "Search from the Address bar" to "Do not search" just seems to change the targetted server to "auto.search.msn.com" -- which I also cannot find/block in the registry ... But you can block with your hosts file. Try it. []'s And from the above a new question (just curiosity): where is that setting good for ? It does not seem affect the web and filebrowser at all. Regards, Rudy Wieser -- origional message: "JJ" wrote in message . .. On Sun, 10 Sep 2017 11:13:39 +0200, R.Wieser wrote: Grmbl ... I was too fast: the changes I mentioned work for a _single_ word (which is supposedly being regarded as a(n HTTP) server name), but not for two or more (those still go to bing). I've now been searching both the registry and the web for a few hours, and have not come anywhere near to discovering how to change (and by it possibly disable) the search provider/engine for the _file_ explorer (most of the results are related to several kinds of webbrowsers). Neither has it turned up anything in regard to which program/dll actually contains the "search provider" (so I can possibly "attack" it from that angle). Does anyone have an idea ? You could just change the Search setting in the Advanced tab of the Internet Options. Set it to not submit anything to any search site (IE8+), or do not perform a search (IE7). Meaning that anything typed will be treated as a host name - not as local file/folder name. Cause Windows Explorer is basically MSIE and vice versa, after all. -- Don't be evil - Google 2004 We have a new policy - Google 2012 |
#8
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
In message , R.Wieser
writes: Hello all, #1: I would like to know if there is a way to stop file-explorer of trying to go online when something is entered in the adressbar it does not recognise. I don't _have_ an addressbar in my explorer. (I do have the word Address - with the first d underlined - at the right end of the button bar [if that's the right name for the line below "File Edit ..."], but it doesn't seem to do anything. Including if I type Alt-D.) How I got to this state I can't remember - I have had it thus - which is how I like it - for years. #2: I would also like to remove the 'websearch' option thats made available when you, from the file-explorer, select "find". I don't have "find" in my explorer - direct or in any of the menus. (Again, I can't remember how I got thus.) If've _blocked_ both using very crude methods (registry editing involved), but would very much like to know how to do it the "clean" way. [] I don't know any "official" way (since I don't have addressbar or find, that's probably not surprising); I use Everything for finding, which I believe is faster than built-in finds anyway. (Is "stop ... of trying" [#1 above] yet another variant of US/UK English of which I haven't been aware?) -- J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf If you're playing a killer monster, be very quiet. - Anthony Hopkins, RT 2016/10/22-28 |
#9
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
On Mon, 11 Sep 2017 09:56:17 +0200, R.Wieser wrote:
Alas, changing "Search from the Address bar" to "Do not search" just seems to change the targetted server to "auto.search.msn.com" -- which I also cannot find/block in the registry ... I'm clueless on this too. It seems like the search URL is hard coded in one of the MSIE or shell DLL. And from the above a new question (just curiosity): where is that setting good for ? It does not seem affect the web and filebrowser at all. It seems to affect the URL Search Hook handler specified in below key. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\URLSearchHooks |
#10
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
Hello Shadow,
But you can block with your hosts file. Try it. Yes, I also thought of that and it seems to work (better yet, I rerouted it to a small program which returns a dummy (blank) page. Looks quite a bit better than the standard HTTP failure page). The reason that I'm saying "seems to work" is that I saw the string "msn.com" pop up in a dll related to DNS requests ... Regards, Rudy Wieser -- Origional message: "Shadow" wrote in message ... On Mon, 11 Sep 2017 09:56:17 +0200, "R.Wieser" wrote: Hello JJ, You could just change the Search setting in the Advanced tab of the Internet Options. .. Cause Windows Explorer is basically MSIE and vice versa, after all. I really did want to apply the change in the registry (something I could automate with a script), but you're right. When all else fails I should at least *try* to go that way. :-) Alas, changing "Search from the Address bar" to "Do not search" just seems to change the targetted server to "auto.search.msn.com" -- which I also cannot find/block in the registry ... But you can block with your hosts file. Try it. []'s And from the above a new question (just curiosity): where is that setting good for ? It does not seem affect the web and filebrowser at all. Regards, Rudy Wieser -- origional message: "JJ" wrote in message .. . On Sun, 10 Sep 2017 11:13:39 +0200, R.Wieser wrote: Grmbl ... I was too fast: the changes I mentioned work for a _single_ word (which is supposedly being regarded as a(n HTTP) server name), but not for two or more (those still go to bing). I've now been searching both the registry and the web for a few hours, and have not come anywhere near to discovering how to change (and by it possibly disable) the search provider/engine for the _file_ explorer (most of the results are related to several kinds of webbrowsers). Neither has it turned up anything in regard to which program/dll actually contains the "search provider" (so I can possibly "attack" it from that angle). Does anyone have an idea ? You could just change the Search setting in the Advanced tab of the Internet Options. Set it to not submit anything to any search site (IE8+), or do not perform a search (IE7). Meaning that anything typed will be treated as a host name - not as local file/folder name. Cause Windows Explorer is basically MSIE and vice versa, after all. -- Don't be evil - Google 2004 We have a new policy - Google 2012 |
#11
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
Hello JJ,
I'm clueless on this too. It seems like the search URL is hard coded in one of the MSIE or shell DLL. Yup. Some further searching into the Windows files revealed that its located in shdoclc.dll -- which you can't touch (in use by the system). :-) :-( It seems to affect the URL Search Hook handler specified in below key. [snip registry key] Yeah, I also stumbled over that one. No idea what its used for though, as disabling the GUID in it did not seem to have any effect either. It needs some more googeling. Regards, Rudy Wieser -- Origional message: "JJ" wrote in message ... On Mon, 11 Sep 2017 09:56:17 +0200, R.Wieser wrote: Alas, changing "Search from the Address bar" to "Do not search" just seems to change the targetted server to "auto.search.msn.com" -- which I also cannot find/block in the registry ... I'm clueless on this too. It seems like the search URL is hard coded in one of the MSIE or shell DLL. And from the above a new question (just curiosity): where is that setting good for ? It does not seem affect the web and filebrowser at all. It seems to affect the URL Search Hook handler specified in below key. HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\URLSearchHooks |
#12
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
On Fri, 8 Sep 2017 15:01:32 +0200, "R.Wieser"
wrote: Hello all, #1: I would like to know if there is a way to stop file-explorer of trying to go online when something is entered in the adressbar it does not recognise. #2: I would also like to remove the 'websearch' option thats made available when you, from the file-explorer, select "find". If've _blocked_ both using very crude methods (registry editing involved), but would very much like to know how to do it the "clean" way. And a funny thing: #1 goes to google, #2 goes to bing. :-) :-( Regards, Rudy Wieser I sure can relate to this problem. I have a computer I use to do graphic editing, and is also my machine to store a huge amount of music, videos, photos, and other personal stuff. That computer has never and will never be connected to the internet. I dont trust my valuable files to the internet, and should not have to. Having several computers, I dont have any need to connect that machine anyhow. That computer runs XP SP3 Pro. I get extremely tired of it opening my browser and giving me an error message. I was thinking about renaming a copy of something like "Calc.exe" (The calculator), to the name of the browser, and just removing the un-needed browser. At least that way, I'd just get the calculator whenever a webpage is supposed to appear. I am not sure if this will work, or not. |
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer?
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#14
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
Mike,
I was thinking about renaming a copy of something like "Calc.exe" (The calculator), to the name of the browser, and just removing the un-needed browser. At least that way, I'd just get the calculator whenever a webpage is supposed to appear. That will work for any case which works tries to start the web-browser program -- which, in IE's case, is just a small GUI program interfacing with all the OS-embedded web components -- but not in the case of what I described, from within file-explorer. Try it: put one or a few words (they are handled differently!) into the addres bar of the file explorer, and notice it turning itself into a webbrowser (even the toolbar changes). If you had the folder tree open it turns into a "search assistant" window (just as in the web browser) I am not sure if this will work, or not. Alas. It will work partially, not wholly. Regards, Rudy Wieser -- Origional message: wrote in message ... On Fri, 8 Sep 2017 15:01:32 +0200, "R.Wieser" wrote: Hello all, #1: I would like to know if there is a way to stop file-explorer of trying to go online when something is entered in the adressbar it does not recognise. #2: I would also like to remove the 'websearch' option thats made available when you, from the file-explorer, select "find". If've _blocked_ both using very crude methods (registry editing involved), but would very much like to know how to do it the "clean" way. And a funny thing: #1 goes to google, #2 goes to bing. :-) :-( Regards, Rudy Wieser I sure can relate to this problem. I have a computer I use to do graphic editing, and is also my machine to store a huge amount of music, videos, photos, and other personal stuff. That computer has never and will never be connected to the internet. I dont trust my valuable files to the internet, and should not have to. Having several computers, I dont have any need to connect that machine anyhow. That computer runs XP SP3 Pro. I get extremely tired of it opening my browser and giving me an error message. I was thinking about renaming a copy of something like "Calc.exe" (The calculator), to the name of the browser, and just removing the un-needed browser. At least that way, I'd just get the calculator whenever a webpage is supposed to appear. I am not sure if this will work, or not. |
#15
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How to disable internet search from the adresbar of file explorer ?
Good guy,
Just for interest sake, I have never seen file explorer trying to go online so can you tell us how can we replicate this bizarre phenomenon? Open your file browser and enter a single word into the addres bar (where you normally enter a filename/path) and see it try to connect to it as if its a HTTP server. Use two or more words and it will go to bing. Also notice the toolbar being changed to accomodate web access and the folder tree replaced by the web-search assistant. Although File Explorer and Internet Explorer are inter-twined, search results never goes online from within the File explorer. I must be high on something than. :-p By the way, this is on W98se and XP. I have no idea how (and if) it works on other, later versions of the OS. Regards, Rudy Wieser |
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