Customize Internet Explorer using Two great toolbar add-ons

Submitted by pcsnpixels on December 30, 2005 - 9:27pm.

Those of you who have followed my advice over the years know that I usually follow the "if it's not broke, don't fix it" philosophy. I'm not an advocate of downloading and installing every little promising piece of software to my computer. However, I have found two toolbars that you can add to Internet Explorer (for free) that will make your Internet experience not only quicker, but also more fun.

I use the Google search engine more than any tool in my arsenal. You can add the Google Toolbar to your Internet Explorer quickly and easily by clicking here. Then click the "Get the Google Toolbar" button and finally the "I agree..." button. The toolbar allows you to do a search instantly while on the Internet because the toolbar is omnipresent. You can also highlight a word or phrase on a page and RIGHT click on it and choose Google Search to automatically search for the word or phrase you highlighted.

The second toolbar I like to use is the Merriam-Webster toolbar. This handy toolbar gives you instant access to a dictionary, thesaurus, and a word of the day. Like Google, you can RIGHT click on a word and have it defined for you as well. Click here to give it a try!

Lastly, I would like to point out that not all toolbars are good. If you have ever downloaded the Hotbar that adds on to Internet Explorer and Outlook Express, I would recommend uninstalling it. It will produce many advertising
pop-ups and is also considered spyware.

If this helped, consider buying me a beer or an Americano!