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[silversurfer44]

I think I may have crossed ideas here. If I select Google as the search engine in the search box it will search by google.com & I get the page you describe. However if I type the search in the address bar as Sinbin suggests it will search via google.co.uk

[BritBrat]

It is OK here, I can switch from UK to USA.

But I have old browser IE6 and Windows XP.

[sevenlayermuddle]

Google have been redirecting to country-specific versions for many  years now.  I assume that allows them to make more profit from targeted advertising.  They probably do so based on source IP address so, if it's only started recently, maybe they only recently noticed that your ISP is UK based.

Regardless of browser, and regardles of ISP, if you want google.com , an not .co.uk, just use http://www.google.com/ncr

It's explained here:
http://www.google.com/support/websearch/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=873

[SinBin]

Thanks sevenlayermuddle, yes I read that on Google. I seem to have mucked everything up now by deleting Google search engine from the Opera browser preferences  . I need the 'Query String' found in the preferences in order to load Google but don't have them now and using Google to find them (with no sense of irony) I couldn't find them either  . I'll just do what tufftedduck said and set Google UK as my home page.

[sevenlayermuddle]

Fair enough sinbin, I don't use opera, but if that's resolved the question then ignore my ramblings.

Regardless ('hard to shut me up sometimes   ), I'd just add one more thing to note is that visiting the www.google.com/ncr address (or even just successfully reaching www.google.com, I'm not sure which), seems to lodge a cookie so that subsequent visits to .com go then to .com, they are no longer redirected to .co.uk.  If redirection behaviour recently changed, ie google.com has started redirecting to .co.uk, it may be that the cookie has expired or been deleted.

- 7LM

[SinBin]

Hello sevenlayermuddle. Sorry, I'm mortified if I seemed to be flippant about your answer - I didn't mean to sound like that at all  . Yes, I can also set  my homepage to the link you suggest too  . You're right about deleting the cookies though as in my quest to 'obliterate' all things 'browser history' related I deleted the Google cookies and so my problems began. Once again, never meant to sound flippant.

[sevenlayermuddle]

Hello sevenlayermuddle. Sorry, I'm mortified if I seemed to be flippant about your answer - I didn't mean to sound like that at all  .

@sinbin,
you didn't seem flippant at all to me, and I'm sure nobody else would have thought so either.  You've got me worried now, as I hope I didn't come across as if I'd thought you'd been flippant.   

[SinBin]

Thanks sevenlayermuddle  . No, you didn't come across as thinking I was flippant I'm just VERY sensitive much to  my chagrin  . I'm new to this website too which probably doesn't help.

I think I am getting used to the 'new' Google. The image results are different to say the least ! I typed in 'Larry David' and got the images but then you can also select which colour you would like to see the image in  - I don't get out much LOL.