How can I prevent my PC from listing prior search criteria when I
begin to type in a new search?  For example, when I list 'a', all
prior searched that began with 'a' appear, such 'Antarctica',
'Attic',....

Hello Tczako

The problem you are experiencing is because of the AutoComplete
function within your internet browser.  It is trying to guess what you
will type next to help you out, some people find this useful whilst
others find it an annoyance.

You can either have this feature switched on or off and the way to
tackle this is as follows:

1) In Internet Explorer, click on the Tools menu at the top of the screen.

2) Select Internet Options.

3) In the new window that opens click the Content tab along the top.

4) Press the AutoComplete button.

5) Select the level of AutoComplete you wish to use.  There are
several options available for web addresses, forms and
usernames/passwords.

6) If you wish to clear the existing data you can use the clear
buttons (also note there is information on how to clear the internet
history here if you wish to do this also).

7) Click OK to close the window.

If you wish to simply remove a few items from the list you can follow
this procedure:

1) Click in the Google Search box and press the down arrow on your keyboard.

2) The list of entries should now appear, simply scroll down this list
with your cursor keys until you find the entry you wish to remove.

3) With the entry you wish to remove highlighted press the delete key.

4) Repeat steps 1-3 until you have removed all the items you wish to remove.

There is further information on these procedures to be found at these websites:
://www.google.com/contact/search.html
http://www.andyrathbone.com/tips/autocomplete.html
http://www.happy-online.co.uk/tutorial/auto_complete.htm
http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/t1035637167

If you have any further questions on this subject please ask for
clarification and I will do all I can to help.