Desktop Search Round-up: MSN Toolbar Suite Desktop Search and More in MSN's Toolbar Suite Joseph Moran
Introduction
Those who remember trying to find information on the Internet prior to the advent of the modern search engine would probably prefer to forget the experience. Of course, finding relevant information on the Web has gotten markedly better over the years, and now attention is turning toward providing equivalent search capabilities on individual computers. While not rivaling the sheer volume of information on the Web, the contents of a typical PC can be substantial, often making searching through them a daunting task.
Late last year Google was the first out of the gate with a utility to efficiently help conquer the accumulated morass of information on users' computers. Since then, however, several other giants of Web search, including Microsoft, Yahoo!, and AskJeeves, have each released their own similar tools. Like their predecessor, Google Desktop Search, these new offerings are all provided to the user gratis. They're also all considered beta software at the time of this writing and are likely to be the subject of frequent updates until official launches are ready.
Compared to Windows' built-in search tool, all three utilities proved adept at finding information on a file-laden hard drive in a short period of time (after being given enough time to create an initial search index, of course), slicing through search tasks like a hot knife through butter. Since they're all free, which one is right for you will likely come down to characteristics like file support, user interface, and customizability — factors that vary considerably among the four major alternatives now available.
MSN Desktop Search
Arguably, the limited abilities of Windows' built-in search tool is the raison d'etre for all these third-party search offerings, and not to be outdone, Microsoft is offering its own search tool, MSN Desktop Search.
However, don't look for MSN Desktop Search on your next visit to Windows Update — you must instead download it from beta.toolbar.msn.com. Plus there's a significant catch with the current download — unfortunately, Microsoft has chosen not to offer desktop search as a standalone application.
To get the desktop search tool, you must download the complete Microsoft Toolbar Suite, which includes various other capabilities such as a browser toolbar with a pop-up blocker, form filler, and password manager. (For purposes of this article, we'll focus only on the search tool.) System requirements for the toolbar suite are Windows XP or 2000 with Service Pack 4 and Outlook 2000/Outlook Express 6 or better.
MSN Desktop Search can index files from Microsoft Office 2000 or later, Outlook and Outlook Express e-mail messages, and various graphics, audio, and video formats. It will also index Web pages saved to the hard drive, but not the contents of the IE cache or IM chats (including Windows Messenger). And while MSN Desktop can't index compressed files at this point, it can search within PDF files with an optional plug-in module. Unlike AskJeeves Desktop Search, MSN Desktop Search won't index files belonging to users other than the one that installed the utility.
