MSN Toolbar Suite Beta

Anyone can download the free MSN Toolbar Suite Beta at http://beta.toolbar.msn.com.

Indexing of items proceeds in parallel with the search for items to be indexed, so at first both numbers keep growing.

Eventually all items are indexed; keeping the index up-to-date from this point on is a much easier task.

By default the MSN Deskbar resides within the taskbar, but you can choose to place it elsewhere.

The Deskbar uses "word wheeling", which means it finds items indexed on words that begin with what you have typed.

A search that yields results from the Deskbar may produce nothing in the Search Results window, because the latter does not use "word wheeling".

The deskbar also offers direct access to a variety of web-based searches.

The Search Results window offers a rich view of found items, with thumbnails where appropriate and snippets of found text.

Search results from Microsoft Outlook include appointments, unlike X1 Search.

In addition to searching and providing links to MSN services, the new MSN Toolbar includes a form filler and a popup blocker.

The MSN Toolbar within Outlook is simpler, with just a few search options.

You can configure the toolbar to automatically save username and password information for sites that require login.

If you wish, you can save one or more sets of address information for automated form fill-in.

The MSN toolbar can highlight search terms, optionally with different colors for each term.

An optional highlight navigation window lets you jump between instances of search terms in the current web page.