Windows Search Deskbar is missing - please help.

Windows Search Deskbar is missing - please help.

• jstawski

  Andy,

  You should be able to bring back the deskbar by removing the "db" registry entry and restarting your computer. Of course, please do this only if you comfortable making changes to your registry. Also - make sure that the same entry isn't present in HKCU. If it is you'll want to delete it there as well.

  Paul Nystrom - MSFT

  
  
  

• imaginator_biit

  I too installed Windows Desktop Search via Solidworks 2007, and also found that many features are disabled with NO way to restore them other than the registery edits posted in this thread. Another change I've noticed is that the old windows search is still activated in the start menu, rather than the new one. I took a gamble and deleted the registery entry that mentioned something like "disable new search in start menu" but the old search still remains. ;_;
  
  

• zuoliang

  If you have not already, please try re-installing the product again. I'm suspecting that something changed the security policy on registry keys that we use. Did you use any anti-spyware/registry cleaners lately
  
  

• Mark.Stockton

  Thanks for your helpful posts. In my case the deskbar is missing but I am the administrator, and there is nothing in the registry to indicate that the deskbar has been disabled. When I first installed wds 3.01 the deskbar was present, but something I have done recently has prevented it from being displayed.
  
  When I click on the wds icon in the systems tray and select help and then click on "show windows deskbar" I get a very small window in the center of my screen with a yellow triangle and an exclamation point within the triangle.
  
  
  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Steve
  
  

• oasisman

  Paul,
  
  Thanks for responding so quickly. I checked the registry and in HKLM it is set to:
  
  HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Desktop Search ... db is set to REG_DWORD as you suggested.
  
  The only problem is: I am the adminstrator! Of both my machines. I suspect that this has been set during the installation of WDS by Solidworks (the 3D CAD software that originally automatically installed WDS as it uses it for it's own search). So although I unistalled WDS and reinstalled it, I guess this reg value would have stayed.
  
  Please could you tell me how to change this - That would be most excellent!
  
  Thanks Paul
  
  Andy
  
  

• baobab

  Andy,

  Are you using WDS on a work machine It sounds like the Turn off Windows Deskbar group policy has been enabled. This prevents the display of the deskbar and removes the options to display the deskbar from the WDS options.

  You can check your registry to see if the setting was made.

  Setting will be in either HKLM or HKCU

  Software\Policies\Microsoft\DesktopSearch

  If you see a type REG_DWORD of db then the deskbar has been disabled my your administrator. You may need to check with him or her to get it back.

  Paul Nystrom - MSFT

  
  
  

• Boogiebac

  Paul,
  
  Excellent - you hero! After a quick googling managed to find my way to the right file in Group Policy folder:
  
  C:\Windows\System 32\Group Policy\Adm\DesktopSearch.adm
  
  And read the contents. Clear as day the first entry said disable desk bar... There was also one about disallowing options during install, so I guess this was all set by the Solidworks install so as not to confuse people ("Windows Desktop Search options I thought I was installing Solidworks !").
  
  Anyway I commented the first section out and was just wondering whether I should remove the registry key when I saw your reply... has worked. It's even got my shortcuts from when I had the msn one working. Superb.
  
  Thanks very much
  
  Andy
  
  
• Windows Search Deskbar is missing - please help.