•What is Search Assistant?
•Why am I seeing this?
•How do I "uninstall" the Dell Search Assistant?
•Is the Dell Search Assistant "spyware" or "adware"?
•Why do some people mistake the Dell Search Assistant for spyware?
•Primary Search Provider Settings
•Seeing old or outdated information on your My Way page
•Contact Us

What is Search Assistant?

Search Assistant provides search results when you enter either a search query or an incorrect website address into your Web browser's address bar. Search Assistant will allow you to see search listings relevant to your intended address bar entry - a better alternative to simply showing you an error message.

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Why am I seeing this?

You received these search listings because you entered either a search query or an incorrect website address into your Web browser's address bar.

Such results allow you to see search listings relevant to your intended address bar entry - a better alternative to simply showing you an error message.

If you wish to remove this feature:

1. From your computer's "Start" button, select "Settings", then select "Control Panel".
2. Double-click on the "Add/Remove Programs" icon.
3. Select "Dell Search Assistant".
4. Click "Change/Remove".

This feature will then be uninstalled.

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How do I "uninstall" the Dell Search Assistant?

You can easily uninstall the Dell Search Assistant using the instructions below:

1. From your computer's "Start" button, select "Settings," then select "Control Panel."
2. Double-click on the "Add/Remove Programs" icon.
3. Select "Dell Search Assistant."
4. Click "Change/Remove."

Follow the simple instructions and the Dell Search Assistant will be uninstalled. Should you reopen your Web browser and still see the Dell Search Assistant, you may need to restart your computer for the uninstall process to be completed.

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Is the Dell Search Assistant "spyware" or "adware"?

NO! The Dell Search Assistant does not collect any personal information and is completely "spyware"-free and "adware"-free.

The Dell Search Assistant was specifically designed to provide a great user experience free of spyware, adware, direct marketing, data collection or other similar activities. In order to achieve that goal:

• The Dell Search Assistant DOES NOT collect personal information of any kind. No email address, member name, registration, zip code, password or other information is required to use the product. Unlike many other products, we do not attempt to collect data upon startup as a requirement of use.
• The Dell Search Assistant DOES NOT monitor the websites visited by the end user, collect or in any manner report any information about what sites the end users visits (or any clickstream activity), nor does it monitor or scrape information when you are on other sites.
• The Dell Search Assistant DOES NOT serve or facilitate "contextual advertising" or pop-up ads. Many applications are identified as spyware because they monitor end-user Internet usage and serve contextual pop-ups. The Dell Search Assistant does not engage in any such practices. In short, the Dell Search Assistant provides a superior search experience on an ANONYMOUS basis and without any additional monitoring, contextual ads or other nuisances.

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Why do some people mistake the Dell Search Assistant for spyware?

We feel compelled to respond to the fact that our product is sometimes erroneously referred to as spyware. Such statements are completely false and in many cases subject to legal challenge as a form of libel. However, the reality is that there is a substantial amount of confusion and misinformation on the Web about how programs work and what "spyware" means.

This problem has been compounded by the evolution of so-called "spyware" detection programs that are being operated in many cases without attention to the facts or details. In many cases, these programs may label programs as "adware," "spyware," "malware," "dataminer" or another classification simply because the program is a plug-in.

We have engaged in a productive dialog with many providers of spyware detection software that have acknowledged that our product is not spyware

* But here's what you really need to know: The Dell Search Assistant does not collect any personal information and is completely "spyware"-free and "adware"-free.

The Dell Search Assistant was specifically designed to provide a great user experience free of spyware, adware, direct marketing, data mining or other similar activities. In order to achieve that goal:

• The Dell Search Assistant DOES NOT collect personal information of any kind. No email address, member name, registration, zip code, password or other information is required to use the product. Unlike many other products, we do not attempt to collect data upon startup as a requirement of use.
• The Dell Search Assistant DOES NOT monitor the websites visited by the end user, collect or in any manner report any information about what sites the end users visits (or any clickstream activity), nor does it monitor or scrape information when you are on other sites.
• The Dell Search Assistant DOES NOT serve or facilitate so-called "contextual advertising" or pop-up ads. Many applications are identified as spyware because they monitor end-user Internet usage and serve contextual pop-ups. The Dell Search Assistant does not engage in any such practices.

In short, the Dell Search Assistant provides a superior search experience on an ANONYMOUS basis and without any additional monitoring, contextual ads or other nuisances.

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In order to store your search engine preference, you will need to have cookies enabled on your Web browser.

To enable your browser to accept cookies in Internet Explorer 6.O:

• Click on Tools, then Internet Options.
• Click on the Security tab.
• Click the "Default Level" button.

If you are using a different Web browser or a different version of Internet Explorer, please check the Help information for your Web browser for the exact location of these settings and how to change them.

If you have set your Web browser to accept cookies and are still having this problem, you may want to clear the Temporary Files or Cache in your Web browser. For information on how to delete your Web Browser's temporary files, click here.

Finally, it is possible that you're using a third-party Web browser or Internet security program that is not allowing the search engine preference to be set. In this case, you may need to temporarily disable this software and then pick your default search engine, or adjust your program to allow Dell Search to set this cookie going forward automatically.

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If you are seeing information on your Dell Search page which is outdated or your page is not updating, then your browser is most likely storing local copies of these pages in its cache. While cached pages help speed download times, they are best suited for pages that do not change very often.

Clearing your browser's cache will most likely resolve this type of problem. If you consistently encounter this problem, it is possible that your ISP is caching frequently visited pages at their end, in order to speed download times. If this is the case, you may wish to contact your ISP directly.

To clear your Web cache in Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.x

• At the top of your browser, click on "Tools" then click on "Internet Options."
• Click the "General" tab.
• Under "Temporary Internet Files," click the "Delete Files" button. Then click "Ok."

To clear cache in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.x

• At the top of your browser, click on "Tools" then scroll down to "Internet Options."
• Select the "Delete Files" option.
• Click "OK."

To clear your Web cache in Netscape 6.0 and above

• At the top of your browser. click on "Edit," then click on "Preferences." Double-click on "Advanced." Under that, click "Cache."
• Click on "Clear Memory Cache."
• Click on "Clear Disk Cache."
• Under "Document in cache is compared to document in network," select "Every Time."
• Click "OK."

The steps may differ depending on the version of the browser you are using, so you may need to consult your Web browser's help files for information on clearing your browser's cache. Also, always close your browser and re-open it after clearing the cache. To view a fresh version of the page without clearing your entire cache, try clicking "Reload/Refresh" to see if that sends a new page. If it doesn't, try holding down "Control" while you click "Reload/Refresh." Your browser may or may not respond to this technique. If it doesn't, you will need to consult your Web browser help pages for further assistance.

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