MSN Search

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MSN Search's homepage viewed in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0

MSN Search was a search engine by Microsoft that comprised a search engine, index, and web crawler. As of September 12, 2006, MSN Search is now Windows Live Search. This offers users the ability to search for specific types of information using search tabs that include Web, news, images, music, desktop, local, and Microsoft Encarta. MSN Search aims to make its over 2.5 billion worldwide queries each month "more useful by providing consumers with improved access to information and more precise answers to their questions." A configuration menu is available to change the default search engine in Internet Explorer, but the selection is sometimes criticized as being limited, and a custom URL cannot be entered without installing an add-on.

MSN Search first launched in the fall of 1998 using search results from Inktomi. In early 1999, MSN Search launched a version which displayed listings from Looksmart blended with results from Inktomi except for a short time in 1999 when results from AltaVista were used instead. Since then Microsoft upgraded MSN Search to provide its own Microsoft-built search engine results (list of web addresses with samples of content that meet a user's query), the index of which is updated weekly or even daily. The upgrade started as a beta program in November 2004 (based on several years of research), and came out of beta in February 2005. Image search was powered by a third party, Picsearch. MSN Search's search engine index now includes more than 5 billion documents, 400 million images and 3 million instant answers. The service has also recently changed its look and started providing its search results to other search engine portals in an effort to better compete in the market.

[edit] Windows Live Search

Main article: Windows Live Search

Microsoft is working on a new set of online services and tools called Windows Live, and MSN Search is being updated and rebranded as Windows Live Search. The public beta of Windows Live Search was unveiled on 8th March 2006, and is accessible through Microsoft's Windows Live web portal at http://www.live.com. MSN Search has been replaced by Windows Live Search on September 12, 2006.