My "Search Companion" window comes up empty and I can't search. How do I fix it?

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This worked! Can't thank you enough since I have spent a lot of time looking for the answer to this problem over the past 4 months. No one knew what I was talking about and of course, if you can't access System Restore, you are really stuck. I was almost ready to wipe the HD and reinstall the whole system.

Spent about an hour searching MS site before I stumbled onto your hint. Fixed the problem in 2 minutes. By the way, the problem started when I tried to install Norton SystemWorks. 15 minutes to install and about 4 hours to repair the resulting problems including several safe mode restarts and then having to reinstall Mcafee. Thanks for the hint!

Thanks. I was getting to feel quite desperate about how to fix this, and I use these features, particularly the search, regularly. In the end the fix was quick and easy.

Wow! This worked great! Thanks for the link to Microsoft! I work in a Real Estate office as the admin person which also means I handle all of the computer problems. Well one of the agents has had this problem for a long time and after going to techs all over the place she came to me. I was able to fix the problem and I also think Norton System Works affected the computer somehow, or jscript.dll got corrupted when this agent upgraded from WIN98. But thanks a lot. Made me look like a computer wiz.

THANKS SO MUCH! I was getting ready to tear my hair out because the search feature wasn't working after I uninstalled a piece of software!

Is there anyway to get rid of the search toolbar? Because my problem is that whenever I hit a page with frames or such, the search companion toolbar pops up, every time! I have never used it, and i just want to know if there is a way to get it to stop popping up automatically. I just want it to come up when i hit search.

My OS is Windows XP SP-2.

When I click Start and Search the search window opens with the search companion (dog) but there are no input boxes, text boxes, search button or any dialog boxes what so ever on the page. The left and right pains are empty. The window shows the menu bar (File-Edit-View etc) and the button bar along with a search bar and thats it. I can't do a search. Something has stripped the components from the window.

Also my IE home page keeps getting changed to http://www.makemesearch.com/?said=191

I have tried Adaware, SpySweeper, HiJackThis and AboutBuster. No help. Even tried to restore before the instalation of SP-2, however, Restore won't allow this.

Maybe just a coincidence, but my problem started after installing SP-2.

This file does not exsist in my registry.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID\{f414c260-6ac0-11cf-b6d1-00aa00bbbb558}\In procServer32
However this one does.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSES\CLSID\{f414c260-6ac0-11cf-b6d1-00aa00bbbb58}\In procServer32
Notice the only difference is 58 instead of 558.
The information in this file does meet the proper criteria that Microsoft has set forth except for the file name (558). Mine is (58)
Just wondering whats with this?

Doing the SFC does ask for an install disk, however I did not receive it with my system.
The manufacturer will send me one for a price. So, this will take some time.

Thank you for the info and have a GREAT DAY!

I mainly want to know how to turn off the search companion. it bothers me every time I get on the internet it pops up after I am already working, and moves my typing to the little box. I think this thing was really for the people who have no clue how to use the internet, but they did not state on how to get rid of it. I don't want this search companion popping up everytime I access the internet only when I open it myself. if anyone knows how to get rid of it please email me at [email address removed] it would be much appreciated thanks.

Thank you

I tried everything listed here and nothing worked. My Search Companion was still coming up blank. I came across KB-281679 "You cannot open a new Internet Explorer window or nothing occurs after you click a link"
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;281679
This did the trick. Simply typing in "regsvr32 urlmon.dll" from the Run dialog box worked for me.

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