One of the great things about Windows Vista is the way that search capabilities permeate the OS. From the Start menu to Windows Explorer to the Control Panel, search is everywhere. The same is true of Windows 7, of course, but in addition you can install so-called "search connectors" that let you search various Web sites directly from Windows Explorer.

If you've ever added search engines to Internet Explorer 7 or 8, you've encountered a similar idea. In Windows 7, click the type of search you want--Amazon, eBay, Flickr, or whatever--and then okay the addition in a few confirmation dialog boxes. When you're done, you'll see the new option in the Favorites section of Windows Explorer. Start typing in the search field and watch as results appear dynamically (that is, as you type).

You can find a bunch of these connectors over at , where you'll also find instructions for creating connectors of your own (to reach them, scroll down to the section titled 'Create Your Own Standard Basic Search Provider'). So if you're handy with the copy/paste commands, you can make a connector for just about any site--say, PC World.

Copy the XML code into Notepad, replace the bolded bits with the appropriate info (for instance, Sevenforums becomes PC World, and the URLs become pcworld.com); then save the file with an OSDX extension. When you double-click the new file, it will install itself in Explorer's navigation pane.