IE8 Autocomplete Problem

Hey guys,

Even if IE8's been out for a while now, I was still using IE7 because I found IE8 to be slower and glitchier. However, I decided to try it out again today, hoping that the issues I faced before were fixed; and due to the fact that I can't download newer Windows updates without IE8.

Upon using it for the first time, I encountered a problem with new tabs not being opened when clicking from a link. I searched through fixes and found a simple registry fix that remedied the problem.

However, I'm using it now, and noticed another annoying problem.

Whenever I use Google, the autocomplete function does not remember or save my previous searches. I'm not referring to the "Query Suggestions" on the Google page, but the native autocomplete utility in IE8.

In IE7, I used to be able to save my previous searches on the searchbar. (For example, typing "B," would bring down "Battlefield 2, Battlefield Bad Company, etc. on the search bar)

Now, IE8 does not do this. It also does not remember my email address sign in names, even if all my Autocomplete Settings are on. This is really frustrating as I found the autocomplete search function quite useful when I was using IE7.

Does anyone have any fixes for this problem? I'm beginning to lose faith in IE8 again because of the many problems I'm encountering using it.

Thanks.

 

This is a common problem with IE8. Most people don't realize that IE8 has a feature called *inprivate*. When you install IE8, it will automatically set it to block saving form and password data. You need to turn it off in order to be able to save form data and passwords. At the bottom right of your IE window, there is an icon of a lock with a green arrow. Pull down on that and select off and that should solve the problem.

If you do that and it still doesn't work, try a reset.

1.	Close any Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer windows that are currently open.
2.	Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Internet Explorer.
3.	Click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
4.	Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset.
5.	In the Reset Internet Explorer Settings dialog box, click Reset.
6.	When Internet Explorer finishes applying default settings, click Close, click OK, and then click OK again.
7.	Close Internet Explorer.

 

I didn't know about the connection between autosaving passwords and "Inprivate." Thanks for the information Angelic. Rep+ to you!

 

Thanks for the suggestion Angelic. I saw those on other websites too and gave them a try. Turning off inprivate and resetting IE8 didn't fix the issue for me. What's weird is that autocomplete works fine on other sites. I tried it on AltaVista and my sign-in name on NBR among others. It's really only Google so far that's experiencing this.

Other people have this issue too, as seen in complaints like this: IE8 autocomplete is not working for google.com search box but works for forms and other search engines. But so far, it's been an isolated case and Google or Microsoft don't have any fixes for it.

What I don't understand too is why my mom and brother's notebooks have the autocomplete in Google working fine (we all have Vista Home Premium Service Pack 2). They upgraded to IE8 last year, like everyone else. I only upgraded a few days ago, so I'm not sure if I need newer Windows Updates to fix the issue. I tried downloading it straight from Microsoft website and installed from the .exe file; as well as automatically installing it from Windows Update.

I rolled back to IE7 and the Google autocomplete search worked fine. I gave IE8 a try again now, and the issue's still there.

I hope someone can still suggest a fix. I don't know what the problem is until now and hope to get it fixed, or I'll probably have to switch browsers from, or revert back to IE7. I know for one thing that the problem is definitely with IE8 since I'm trying Mozilla Firefox now and Google search autocomplete works fine.

 

You should just try a different browser, I can't think of anything else that would help. Was never a big IE fan anyway, Firefox and Chrome should give you 0 headaches.

 

Thanks. Just installed Firefox 3.6.3, and after testing it for awhile, I must say that I was missing out on a lot. The add-ons and customization are awesome.

Anyways, I re-installed IE8 as well. Just a pointer for anyone else who may experience this problem; not upgrading to IE8 from Windows Update causes your PC to not receive any newer updates from Microsoft. In other words, IE8 seems to be a pre-requisite for future updates, as I noticed I was missing a lot because I didn't install IE8. The past two days, my notebook's been updating like crazy since installing IE8. So either way, it's still necessary to install IE8 if you want to receive automatic Windows Updates (but this doesn't necessarily mean you have to use it). Until now, autocomplete on Google with IE8 still has issues for me.