How to kill Google Instant

[driller41]

There must be a way, it is driving me nuts, I turn it off and every time I restart the browser it is there again, why doesn't Google believe me when I turn it off I want it left that way. aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

The only permanent way I have found so far is to use Noscript to stop all Google scripts, but that means I cannot use the Autocomplete which is useful, I only want to stop the Instant rubbish.

Any ideas.

[lammert]

Did you switch it off with the link near the search box, or in your personal preferences [google.com]? The second one should be permanent AFAIK.

[deadsea]

I agree. Instant would be better if it created shorter url without two q= params that would be easier to share. I also can't get it to show more than 10 results per page. :-(

[netmeg]

Google doesn't retain preferences. I've been telling it for YEARS to open links in new windows, and I still have to go in and keep setting it again and again.

[Demaestro]

netmeg, I am pretty sure if you stay logged in google will remember it.

google.com/ig

[driller41]

Whenever you clean the machine's cookies the preferences are lost so no that does not work Lammert.

Surfing logged into big google gives me a cold sweat, so that is not an option Demaestro.

[netmeg]

netmeg, I am pretty sure if you stay logged in google will remember it.

I'm pretty sure they won't, and haven't since Google Accounts first started.

[lammert]

Ahhh, if you delete cookies and don't login to the Google server, that explains a lot. How do you want Google to remember your preferences if you don't want to store settings on their server, and don't want to store settings on your local computer.

Just checked my config: with IE8 not logged in to Google, settings for instant search survive a browser restart.

[netmeg]

But I don't. And in FF, I am always logged in.

(I'm not a newb, guys)

[HuskyPup]

I mainly use Opera and Firefox.

Opera without cookies enabled and it always remembers the no instant preference, in fact I don't think it even offers me it.

Firefox with cookies but no instant turned off and I only have to re-set when I clear out my cookies...I think!

I'm so used to automatically turning it off I honestly can't remember when it happens but I do know I simply hate instant with a passion.

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

I've been fighting the same fight to keep Google displaying 100 results per search instead of the default 10. I'm always logged in and FF is not set to clear upon restart, and it doesn't for anything else, but I have to redo the change each time.

Especially frustrating since you have to turn instant OFF before being allowed to set results to 100 and instant comes back periodically.

Definitely still some cleaning up to do, Google.

[Demaestro]

I wonder if the problems some have with Google forgetting settings has to do with having multiple G accounts?

I use FF and it keeps my settings.

[Pjman]

Instant does get on my nerves too. I also notice when I turn it on in Firefox; as I scroll down it automatically clicks the first result.

[norton radstock]

A suggestion:

How about 'Google Classic' -a version of Google that does what it originally did so well. Simple, straightforward search. No frills, no second guessing, no mind reading, no behavioural analysis. If there were such a search engine, that would be the one for me.

How about it, Google?

[vordmeister]

If you have a really slow connection Google will detect it and turn instant off.

They seem to remember that for me. I don't log in and don't clear cookies on firefox restart. I do have a static IP address which might help them remember.

[aristotle]

Another setting Google likes to change is search history. If you turn it off, it usually gets turned back on somehow within a few weeks. They don't tell you it's been turned back on, so you have to check it periodically

[ken_b]

Turning off JS works, but of course it turns off other stuff too.

[ron15]

The best way to turn instant off is to use Bing.

[tedster]

Sometimes you do need to see what's going on with Google - to understand your search traffic situation. Searching on Bing won't help you with those kinds of questions.

You can use the Opera browser for your Google searches. Google Instant does not support Opera (and I appreciate that!)

[graeme_p]

Google will detect it and turn instant off.

Yes, and it often manages to turn it off in such a way that nothing works until you reload the page.

I had lots of experience of that with my third world ADSL until I upgraded recently.

How about 'Google Classic' -a version of Google that does what it originally did so well.

Yes please. Google (and Bing etc.) is increasingly catering to stupid. Unfortunately, that is where the money is.

[Lexur]

How about 'Google Classic' -a version of Google that does what it originally did so well.

Best selling Gibson guitar last year was the Les Paul Traditional(*).
Engineers and marketers are depressed for sure because people just want properly built guitars wich sound like are suposed to sound. Just a few 'explorers" want blue light buttons, self-tuning gitars, etc. and are ready to pay any price to have one.


(*)I got mine and it's exactly what I searched for in a guitar like this