Printer Friendly

Stephen Bird*

This article will be a combination book review and product review. The book is The Desktop Search Handbook¹ (The Handbook) written by Peter Deegan, co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of Office Watch and other newsletters, while the products will include many of those mentioned in The Handbook including Copernic, Google, Windows Desktop Search, and Yahoo.

Wikipedia defines this topic² as follows: “Desktop search is the name for the emerging field of search tools which search the contents of a user’s own computer files, rather than searching the Internet. The emphasis is on data mining all the information that is available on the user’s PC, including web browser histories, e-mail archives, word-processor documents, and so on.”

While Wikipedia says it is an “emerging field”, at least one Desktop Search program has been around for a decade. One of my favorites, Wilbur,³  started in 1995 as (if I recall correctly) shareware and has since become freeware. I’ve used Wilbur at my networked WinNT office to quickly and easily locate a document which has become a dim recollection in the attic (figuratively speaking) of my law practice although, usually, with a name, key word, or concept upon which to search.

Deegan begins The Handbook with “Desktop Searching 101" which introduces readers to indexing – what and when, caching, rebuilding, text files and beyond, performance, and various subtleties (PDF, image, audio and other media files) – followed by a reminder of sometimes forgotten and unused Boolean search concepts. This material should not be overlooked, especially the part about “delayed gratification”.

Copernic Desktop Search (http://www.copernic.com)

Copernic is the program that I installed on my home WinXP SP2 system. I particularly like Copernic because it can search files on one’s system including mapped network drives, or terms on the Internet through Copernic’s metasearch function. “This means that instead of getting the best results one search engine has to offer, you'll be getting the best combined [metasearch] results from a variety of engines, and not just any engines, but industry leading engines like Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, About and LookSmart.”⁴

As a test, I first searched for “Deegan” on my system. While it quickly identified some of the instances of Deegan, it didn’t find the hard drive location of the latest version of The Handbook which was on a subfolder of G-drive. I thought that perhaps the index needed updating, so that was done with all of G-drive selected. However, that still didn’t produce the location of the file. I then selected the actual folder (PowerDesk⁵  was used to locate the file in the attachment folder of my email program) where I knew the file was located and Copernic then found the file.
 
At first I was surprised and disappointed this extra effort was required but then perhaps all that was needed was an update – Copernic doesn’t tell users that one is available. As Deegan mentions, it is not necessary to uninstall an older version before installing a new version. While I hoped the new Build would correct the need to choose individual sub-folders, this proved not to be the case. However before blaming Copernic for the problem I had a closer look at the sub-folder and the icon was different. After moving some files everything worked as expected and my faith in Copernic was restored.

Identified files on one’s system are listed with or without detail – see accompanying screenshot – with the option to preview the identified file. If the file is copy protected (e.g., to prevent unauthorized changes in a PDF file), then Copernic can’t preview it although it will launch the applicable (Acrobat) program. Copernic works with Windows 98/Me/NT/2000/XP with Internet Explorer 5 or later.

Google Desktop Search (http://desktop.google.com)

Google Desktop Search Version 2 (GDS2) is currently in beta testing. Deegan plans to review/include it in the next release of The Handbook which is due out before the end of the year. GDS2 features can be found at http://tinyurl.com/dfjcr while a collection of GDS2 screenshots can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/3n9zd

Ian “Gizmo” Richards, writing in the Support Alert Newsletter,⁶ says this about GDS2: “The latest version has a novel sidebar which, according to Google, ‘shows you your new email, weather and stock information, personalized news and RSS/Atom feeds, and more.’ Also new is a desktop find-as-you-type search box, personalized search, an application launcher, a new Outlook toolbar and the ability to search your Gmail offline. After using it for a week I'm impressed with the integrated desktop/GMail search and the search personalization but found the sidebar more intrusive than helpful.”

Although Deegan identified some limitations with the current version; for example, “... GDS was designed for single user environments only; for multiple user situations (several users sharing a single computer or networks) there are various limitations and concerns.” It seems Google was listening when designing GDS2. The features list says: “To search folders that Google Desktop doesn't automatically search, just click the ‘Add drive or folder to search’ link to select one. This is handy if you want to use Google Desktop to search a network drive...”

As with other desktop search programs, Deegan includes a number of helpful Tips in the 19-page section devoted to this desktop search program. He also describes some useful third-party utilities and plug-ins for GDS. Deegan says, at page 30: “It’s a simple setup, unobtrusive indexing and already familiar interface makes it a popular choice... this version is quite wonderful. What it lacks is made up for with a simple interface that anyone who has used the web will grasp effortlessly.” Unfortunately GDS only works with Windows 2000 SP3 and above.

Windows Desktop Search (http://desktop.msn.com)

There are a number of features Deegan likes about Windows Desktop Search (WDS); for example, new files can be quickly indexed while showing the index status while the snooze/pause option is impressive and, if the index gets too “messy” or you just want to start over, then the whole index can be rebuilt. One feature I particularly like, and which has been missing from Internet Explorer, is tabbed browsing. Unfortunately WDS can’t index the contents of PDF files without downloading a 9.66MB iFilter file from Adobe. WDS features can be found at http://tinyurl.com/ck4nr System requirements are Windows XP, Windows 2000 SP4 or later, or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1.

Yahoo Desktop Search (http://desktop.yahoo.com)

As Deegan correctly notes, Yahoo Desktop Search (YDS) is based on X1⁷ desktop search program which, unlike the other products in this review, is not free. YDS features can be found at http://tinyurl.com/82mac and frequently asked questions http://tinyurl.com/avgm7 Windows XP or Windows 2000 SP3+ is required. This seems to be the pick of Gizmo Richards, author of the TechSupportAlert newsletter, who says: “Google is now level pegging with Yahoo for the best free desktop search utility though I still prefer the way search results are presented in Yahoo DTS.”⁸

Final Thoughts

For those interested in the many products in this category, visit http://tinyurl.com/5h6gl. As mentioned, I have Copernic on my system and I plan to stay with it for now – this is also the pick of Claudia Almer, chief researcher of The Handbook. When I installed Google, which is the choice of Peter Deegan, I discovered that indexing would only take place while the system was idle – I couldn’t (easily) learn how to override this for immediate indexing nor could I find the indexing controls in Windows Desktop Search while I had trouble downloading all the files needed to install Yahoo Desktop Search. Perhaps, with time, these programs will become my friends, much like Wilbur. In the meantime Deegan’s Handbook is highly recommended to those wanting to make the most out of whatever desktop search program they choose.

A final “final thought” is offered by Brien Posey who writes about The Security Risks of Desktop Searches at http://tinyurl.com/apwe5 certainly, it is food for thought!

* Stephen Bird is a Perth, Ontario lawyer and a Contributing Editor of The Lawyer’s PC newsletter. He can be reached via e-mail at StephenBird@lawyer.com.  A version of this article was originally published in The Lawyer’s PC (West, a Thomson business) on October 15, 2005.

---

¹  The 125-page June 2005 ebook, in PDF format, is a great value at just $15 or save $5 by subscribing to the free ezine Office Watch, which has been an “independent source for MS Office advice and news since 1996" (www.office-watch.com). The Handbook is available at http://shop.office-watch.com/dsh/ and for more information visit http://shop.office-watch.com/dsh/FastTrack.asp
²  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desktop_search
³  Although Deegan gives it brief mention in The Handbook, it has served me well and the programmer, Craig Morris deserves credit in making it free under a General Public License. Wibur, and a sister product called Wilma for Linux/Mac platforms, can be found at http://www.redtree.com.
⁴  http://tinyurl.com/bhn6t. A reader reminded us of another search engine. Pat said: “I read with interest your article on search engines in The Lawyer's PC.  Have you ever tried Dogpile?  I've had very good results from this little known engine which pulls in results from Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask Jeeves.” Dogpile can be found at: http://www.dogpile.com.
⁵  VCOM’s PowerDesk utility “file finder” function was used to locate the file – see a review of VCOM’s  SystemSuite 6 utility suite in the October 1, 2005 issue.
⁶  www.techsupportalert.com, September 21, 2005.
⁷  See why Marc Orchant prefers X1 at http://tinyurl.com/9c2gf and why X1 costs $75+ at http://tinyurl.com/8k4kx
⁸  See endnote 6.