Microsoft Windows Live Toolbar

Windows Live Toolbar
by: Victor Caballero

Windows Live Toolbars are a great addition to the browsers for a completely satisfactory user experience. With best configuration with Windows operating systems of Windows XP Service Pack 2 or something more lately and even with Windows Vista it enables users to go for a search almost from any Web page. It even enables previews of maps from any web page. Looking into the hardware configurations with 128 MB of RAM and 800 MHz processor, it even needs an Internet Explorer 6.0 and beyond. Indeed the search option on the Windows Live Toolbar enables the users to search anything from the online reserves of the World Wide Web from news to pictures and maps to theory. Microsoft has also come up to augment Windows Live Toolbar and its potentials by its very well planned strategy of acquisition of “Onfolio”. The users of toolbars now would have the added advantage of great resources of assembling, categorizing and distribution of information online.

Windows Live Toolbars also enables users to have custom buttons to get the most important information that the individuals care for the most. Things like that the individuals need like air ticket, sports etc. It even offers Smart Menus to obtain customized maps, medicines, weather forecasts, money, stock exchange information and so much more. Windows Live Toolbar version 3.0 supports all these exclusive features to make information access even faster. Windows Live home page links makes the experience just a click away and highlight contents and text information on a Web page. The Windows Live Toolbars usually work in unison with the other major toolbars available however when installed alongside the Yahoo Toolbar then the tabs of these appear as sub tabs of each other sometimes. However turning off tabbed browsing for either of the toolbars can prevent this. It even helps the users to clear their search history at their own discretion and maintains the users privacy policy. The Windows Live Toolbar also comprises “Windows Desktop Search” that usually runs as a background process and help in indexing all files and emails of the user data. The search option is also a very effective one and starts rolling up and listing its results within moments and even as the user keys in a search query, the probable search topics appear before him or her and help them choose from the list and gives a great experience to the entire search and find information for them.

Windows Live Toolbar is much similar to the MSN Search Toolbar and usually performs all the tasks that the MSN Search Toolbar does. However alongside it does incorporate some added functionalities and does a lot more for the better user experience. To state an example that is commonly referred, the usual MSN Toolbar Pop Up Blocker is still available and comes with the added functionalities of the Microsoft Phishing Filter that helps block websites that usually try to sneak into the users personal information from a computer. The Windows Live Toolbar usually installs a standard toolbar in the Internet explorer browser coming along with a search text box and a few more add-ons. In certain cases it comes with an add-on for the Microsoft Outlook Express as well as a toolbar. The installation process is also simplified with a few clicks and customization options and usually completes within minutes. However it currently works with only Internet Explorer 6.0 and above and no with Firefox. Also with the launch of Internet Explorer 7, it is important to note that Windows Live Toolbar works with 32-bit version of Internet Explorer 7 and not with the 64-bit version of it. However it works well with Windows Vista 64-bit and Windows XP Professional x64 version with the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer 6 as well as 7.

It can be stated that truly the Windows Live Toolbar is a utility that is designed by Microsoft as a member of the Microsoft's Windows Live service ranges. It is indeed a really deserved successor to MSN Search Toolbar. The ultimate in the success of any web product is the user feedback and liking and with the great features offered by the Windows Live Toolbar and its systematic assembling of different domains of good and useful user experience; it has truly earned the distinction of being one of the leaders of this business in the current ruling market and everybody has look ahead to much more features and advantages from this endeavor for even greater landmarks to be attained from the services offered by Windows Live Toolbars!