Microsoft recently released version 4 of Windows Desktop Search so I decided to check it out. If you’d like to check it out for yourself, launch Internet Explorer, head over to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com, do a "Custom" (instead of "Express") install and you’ll see the option to download it there. It’s free.
WDS installs itself in the taskbar and will look something like this:
I have the indexing window purposely open in that screen shot because when you first install it it will take time to index everything. If you don’t have the indexing window open, you will know WDS is doing something by a fade-in/fade-out magnifying glass icon next to the clock (you can see it in the screenshot above).
The Big Question: Is this better than the standard built-in XP search?
Yes.
But it depends what you’re looking for.
My biggest gripe: E-Mail searching
I do like the fact you can search thru e-mails without having the client running. If you use Outlook, Outlook Express or Windows Live Mail, WDS is a nice little shortcut to search thru mail quickly.
The only drawback is that it doesn’t show the title of e-mails, just the cryptic-looking file names.
Like this:
Not cool.
There is a specific way you could use WDS where you can see the information that matters when e-mail searching. You have to use the "big" version (by clicking the magnifying glass icon), then click "E-Mail" then purposely select "Large icons" and then you can see e-mail content when searching for it.
Big pain in the rump if you asked me.
Searching everything else? Does just fine.
Aside from the e-mail searching b.s., this is a genuinely good utility for finding anything else in XP. It does find things faster than the standard search does.
Will this slow down your computer?
Only on older systems – especially during the indexing process. For example, I’d never put this on a computer with a Celeron processor in it or on any anything with under 1GB of RAM.
How to uninstall in case you don’t like it
Easy enough: It’s listed as Windows Search 4.0 in your Add/Remove via Control Panel.
Looks like this:
The big, big problem with this is that you are encouraged to download WDS id you use Windows Live Mail (WLM) because the search facility within WLM is total shite (a backwards step even from Outlook Express). WLM’s own search only looks through the titles and to/from addresses of your emails, not the body text (as OE’s used to do).
‘If you want a search tool that works – try WDS’ say Microsoft. Great, so I install that and guess what. It automatically indexes Outlook (that I only use as an address book), it automatically indexes Outlook Express (where my old emails are stored), but does it index Windows Live Mail (the program that recommended WDS in the first place)? No siree!
Someone at microsoft who came up with that idea should be shot and hung on a pole over the carpark (alongside the vista team) as illustration to others what happens to those who do a half-arsed job.
Or do you think that’s a bit harsh?