Hi Gary,
I think the problem is that the "change preferences" icon is located on the
left side of the screen of the search companion page that comes up when you
click "search". Because you do not have search companion anymore you may not
get this same screen. I have seen that to change the search companion from
the little doggie to another icon you have to insert the Windows disk so
maybe you will have to get it back the same way.
I hope this info helps you.
Glenda