Mysterious Dell branded search site within Google.com domain

[Mister Tut]

Anyone seen anything like this before?

http://www.google.com/hws/dell/afe

Do they offer this as a service to just anyone, or only major players?

any ideas what the /hws/ in the url might refer to?

[mariush]

Page is not working. As for "hws", it could mean "hardware solutions".

[samm27]

Maybe its a test site they use before they sell an organization on buying Google search?

[minstrel]

No, not a test site and not new.

They also have sites for Apple, HP, Linux, Microsoft, etc. I can't remember what all of them are any more.

Or at least they used to... that link is dead for me too.

Edit:

Here's the main page: http://www.google.com/options/specialsearches.html

I don't see Dell or HP there though.

[Mister Tut]

Hmm, Still works for me. I found it through my referrer stats.

It isn't the same as what you see at the link you supplied, Minstrel. This is a Dell logo'ed page with a google search bar that searches across all topics, not just Dell related items.

Thanks anyways, folks! A mystery to me still...

[minstrel]

I see this:

This page was generated because of one of these two reasons:

The web address you typed did not resolve correctly.

You typed a keyword query in the browser address bar.

This page is meant to provide you with helpful related content, including web search results and paid advertisements, based on the meaning of the web address/keyword query that you typed. This program can be uninstalled from the Control Panel Add/Remove Programs. Look for the application named "Browser Address Error Redirector". Older versions may be called "GoogleAFE".

I think you have spyware.

[Mong]

This page was generated because of one of these two reasons:

* The web address you typed did not resolve correctly.

* You typed a keyword query in the browser address bar.

This page is meant to provide you with helpful related content, including web search results and paid advertisements, based on the meaning of the web address/keyword query that you typed. This program can be uninstalled from the Control Panel Add/Remove Programs. Look for the application named "Browser Address Error Redirector". Older versions may be called "GoogleAFE".

[Smyrl]

I think it is something set up on Dell computers. I purchased a new Dell and get that ugly gray page.

[minstrel]

I have a Dell - that's what I'm posting on. I can't even get to the page - only that error page.

[minstrel]

See Google search for GoogleAFE.

[Mister Tut]

Ah thanks, Minstrel.

So it seems that is a default homepage set by Dell for at least some of the computers they sell. People are pissed because they cannot reset their start page.

I saw it in my referrer logs because someone did a search there that had my site as a result.

[ferret77]

when i type a bad domain on this dell on i get this page

http://www.google.com/hws/dell/afe?h...kjhlkhklh.com/

[schmidte]

It is an error page, but it has a Google search box on it. Try it.
It only returns 10 results and some "Related Searches" plus other stuff.

[MattUK]

It's good marketing by google, more new computer users are using their search instead of the MSN default that is usually set. Dell also get some pretty nice branding out of it

[DaveN]

wasn't this someting to do with the IG testing google did ..

http://www.google.com/ig/dell

DaveN

[dotcomsdotbiz]

Doesn't firefox have a similar start page by default?

[nate_king1]

Dell is probably moving from AskJeeves's http://dell.myway.com

[hulo]

It comes as the homepage on new Dells now. I have come across it on two new laptops.

The search results are different than any other DC, and has ads interspersed. Very strange.

[drewbe121212]

Firefox has a link similar to this too when you first load the "default homepage" when a fresh copy of firefox is installed. I can't remember the exact url, but it is similiar ( I think anyways)

[ice00]

google is probably just testing it out