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Introduction
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| A couple of years back there were no contenders for this title. Today we have a wealth of choices. |
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Discussion
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Changes & improvements: --Tweaked deskbar design for better usability
--Added video duration filters Fixes:
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Another option is 
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Related Products and Links
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Everything (http://www.voidtools.com/) indexes your entire hard disk and then you can search for a file by typing in part or all of the filename and it will display results as you type. Then just double click to run the file or right-click for the menu to open the path. The beauty of Everything is that it can be completely portable! Cons: It does not have a right click preview of common file types (txt, doc, pdf, etc.). It works only on NTFS drives. And, Everything does not search file contents, only file and folder names. |
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Google Desktop Search
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Google sidebar and gadgets. Just type a few letters or words into the search box and your top results pop up instantly. Indexes and searches multiple email programs. | |
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Google sidebar and gadgets. Large resource utilization. Difficult to remove once installed. | |
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http://desktop.google.com/ | |
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http://desktop.google.com/ | |
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1.7MB  5.9.906.4286  Unrestricted Freeware  Intel Pentium 400MHz processor. 128MB RAM. 500MB HDD space. Must have administrator privileges. |
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Locate32
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Available for Windows 98/ME/NT4/2000/XP/Vista. Much faster than Windows Search. You can choose to include or not include folder names in the search, and can search for text strings within files. | |
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Not really a con to me but it is to others--it uses databases to store information about directory structures and uses these databases in searches. Not as full-featured as Copernic or Google. | |
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http://www.locate32.net/ | |
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http://locate32.net/content/view/18/31/ | |
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1.1MB 3.1 RC3 (build 8.9210) Unrestricted Freeware Windows 98/ME/NT4/2000/XP/Vista |
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64 Bit version available | |
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Have Your Say
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You are invited to share and discuss your views in our freeware forum. To post in the forum you need to register first but that's quick and immediate. Alternatively, anyone can leave a comment at the bottom of this page. |
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Editor
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This software category is maintained by volunteer editor Kendall Alexander. |
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Please rate this article
I recommend TheSearchMan.
unlike Everything , TheSearchMan’s database is encrypted and it doesn’t show ALL files at the startup.
The database of Everything is on the most wanted List of hackers as it lists all your files.
TheSearchMan is a mere 30 KB download.
It is portable also. That means NO INSTALLATION.
Unlike Everything or Locate32 which can only search in the index, TheSearchMan can do real searching,ie, in the drive with a super fast speed.
It searched my 50GB Seagate drive in a little over 2 seconds.
It has bagged many 5 stars and Top Software awards.
The interface of TheSearchMan is extremely simple.
Just enter the path and search criteria
TheSearchMan’s database is updated on the fly.
The home page is:
http://venussoftcorporation.blogspot.com/2009/08/thesearchman.html
Its also been reviewed by ghacks and addictivetips.
THESEARCHMAN IS PORTABLE:
THAT MEANS NO INSTALLATION
It doesn't work on my system either.
When I get around to re-reviewing these products, I will add TheSearchMan to the list. However, I do note that TheSearchMan will not search within files. It only finds files or folders not words within documents. Not everyone needs that functionality, but for those that do, this is not your solution. If you only need to be able to find a file or a folder, this might be an option.
This program will not work on my system. Win 7 x64 P6T Intel Core 2 2.66 GHz.
Its a 32-bit program.
@Kendall
Hi
Have you seen the homepage of TheSearchMan.
In that there's an 'about us' page in which the picture of the developer of TheSearchMan is posted.
Thats a boy!!
Thanks for pointing that out. However, I'm not sure what relevance it has to the product or the software. For me, it's impressive that 2 young men can create something like a desktop search program by themselves at such a young age.
Ahem..
Only one young man created this.
Its Prankur Rusia.
In TheSearchMan, if want to have the database then keep the index.mdb file (provided) in the same folder as the TheSearchMan.exe.
If you don't want to have the index simply move the index.mdb file somewhere else.
A portable version of Copernic Desktop search is mentioned in the Quick Selection Guide section. Where can one find this portable version?
Thank you for pointing this out. I cannot find any mention of a portable version of Copernic Desktop Search. I will remove that mention in the article.
Please be aware that Copernic does now offer myCopernic OntheGo (formerly called Copernic Mobile). It is a commercial application that looks quite interesting.
Hello Kendall and rest of the forum,
I am looking for a software that indexes also my usb removable drives so that even when they are disconnected I know where stuff is.
I installed Google Desktop but it doesn't seem able to do what I am looking for.
Is there any software that does this (even paying ones)?
Thank you :)
P.s. Also you write that Google Desktop is difficult to remove.
What does it mean and what should i do if i want to uninstall it?
Thanks
Some good freeware programs are listed at Best Free File / Disk Catalog Organizer.
If you just want to know where files are, Cathy is a good choice. It does not scan within files, just by names, but is very quick and scans both NTFS and FAT32 drives.
Hello Keroff,
Thanks for the suggestion.
I actually already have Khaty but I am looking for a full fledged desktop search software like Google desktop that indexes external drives too.
I don't know if network searching in Copernic is referred to that function or else and i cannot find out on their site help pages.
I will open a thread on the forum too re this.
Many thanks.
I think your best solution is what you've already suggested--post a note on our forums. That way, you get the thoughts and opinions of 1000's of readers who probably know much more than I.
I am thinking that you are going to have to go commercial for this type of request, but I may be wrong.
Kendall, thanks for the recommendation for Locate32 - it's an excellent search utility.
However I don't think it can search in emails, so that is a bit of a negative.
Also it's not been updated in two years, although I guess if it works, that doesn't matter too much. I prefer that it builds a DB and uses that, running loads of apps 24/7 is no good unless you have a power PC or don't mind if things are slow.
chris.p
Launchy is still the best (and fastest) filesearcher/file-launcher program I've tried.
Launchy is excelllent for launching programs and files, but it used to have a limit to the index size. You still need a desktop search to find files across your entire workspace, and you may still need to look in a file manager to recognize a sequence of similar file drafts and related files in the respective folder.
I appreciate your feedback. However, Launchy does not belong in this category. From their website:
"Launchy is a free windows and linux utility designed to help you forget about your start menu, the icons on your desktop, and even your file manager."
Launchy is not a desktop search utility in the sense of indexing all your files. It certainly does not search within files.
Maybe the programs that don't index could be listed separate, since many have said that they are substantially slower to search. Then, maybe the indexing programs could be divided into those that do or do not index file contents.
That's actually a very good idea! I'll have to think about how to do just that. Maybe I could develop some type of table that shows 1)indexing vs. non-indexing and 2)only searches for file/folder names vs. indexes file contents.
The good idea gets better still. I like it!
http://www.koshyjohn.com/software/neosearch.html
neoSearch does a very fast index of filenames only. It resembles "Everything" in that regard.
Are you sure?
Everything: 1,000,000 files will take about 1 minute
neoSearch: only 122,790 files will take 1 minute 5 seconds
I guess we can cross that one off and keep "Everything" on top of those using the "fast index" method.
Maybe. Everything only indexes NTFS volumes; neoSearch indexes FAT-formatted volumes like USB flash drives, too. However, neoSearch appears to only identify removable drives by their drive letter, and there doesn't appear to be any way to re-index just the removable drive, so it isn't really practical for indexing flash drives unless you've only got one to index.
Oh, and with an 80MB index for a 40GB drive, it isn't very efficient; Copernic's content index for the same drive is only 7x as large (550MB).
Ok
Is that their report or your test?
First info is from Everything's site and the second is from Softpedia description for neoSearch.
Is it true that Google desktop search stores an index of your hard drive on the Google servers?
http://desktop.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=10559
...This index lives only on your computer and is never sent or made accessible to Google or anyone else without your explicit consent.
When you use certain Desktop features, the program may send non-personal information to Google's servers. These cases are described in detail below.
...
Desktop search wish list:
Search within files (as well as titles)
Search email (not just Outlook)
Indexing efficient on resources and fast
Search fast
term1 term2 produces AND results followed by OR results
search exact strings
Results sort can be changed by click-selecting a criterion
View into result files before opening
Locate search term in viewed files
Show result locations on disk
Open result files w double-click or equivalent
What would others add?
I like this list and can't think of any additions offhand. It sounds like Copernic, except Copernic is slow, hogs resources, has problems with email, and it frequently requires an index rebuild. Is anyone doing any active R&D in this space, or is this the state of things for the forseeable future?
I continue to explore options that others suggest. I've looked at DocFetcher and UltraFileSearch in the last couple of months. At this point, I am not planning a full review in the near future. I will update the review if new editions of already mentioned software emerge.
Slight error in your account. The free version currently will not index network shares. To get that you need the paid for professional/corporate edition
Who's account?
Which software?
The post must be about Copernic.
From version 3.0 forward, the network searching is only available with the pro or corporate versions.
http://www.copernic.com/en/products/desktop-search/cds-compare.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernic_Desktop_Search
I apologize. I must have missed that. I will update the review. In my opinion, this reduces the value and effectiveness of Copernic.
How about Doc Fetcher? Does anyone here use it?
http://docfetcher.sourceforge.net/en/index.html
It is very buggy.
It is limited to around 100 000 files.
From their website:
"At least two things set DocFetcher apart from other desktop search applications, such as Google Desktop. First, it defaults to indexing only what you need, not to indexing the entire harddrive, and second, it indexes documents only - pictures, music, videos, etc. are omitted."
So, it only searches for documents. It does not search email, pictures, music, or videos. I cannot tell from the website if it searches for only file/folder names or if it searches for words within files/documents.
No, I have never heard of it. Please tell us more.
I work in a certain Enterprise environment where software can only be installed by domain admins. The environment does not include advanced search capabilities and even disables those native to the OS. Therefore, I needed an exe that could index and search all my files and E-mails. I discovered Gaviri's Universal Search which is not free but can be installed by a non privileged user. Unfortunately, becuase I cannot customize other aspects of the system configuration, Universal Search does not handle the Outlook (not Express) files as well as I would like. It attempts to open them in Outlook Express which does not present them properly (if at all) and does not let you see/open the attachments. Many other file types are handled flawlessly and searches are very fast. It can also be installed in a flash drive which was very useful until those were outlawed in my environment as well.
Hey
I know this isn't exactly what you are looking for but it wasn't mentioned yet and it is a very reliable tool:
It is a Desktop Search and it is also good for searching emails (and contacts, the calender, attachements). So I think although it is not for free it might be worth trying (there is a 14-days-free-trial). John
Mod: Commercial link removed
Thank you for the recommendation. However, this site is about freeware. We only review and recommend freeware. I'm sure that this is probably a good product, but I will not be reviewing it as it is not freeware.
Ultra file search
http://www.ultrafilesearch.com/
I have spent the last hour or so trying out Ultra File Search. So far, I'm impressed. Unlike a couple other programs, it found my network without a problem. I was able to search for both files/folders as well as text within network files without a problem. Granted, it is not as fast as say Copernic or Google. However, it does not index your files or create any type of database. The good side of this is that it doesn't take up system resources and you can only run it when you need it. Finding files or folders on my PC was very quick. Finding text within files took significantly longer.
The only con so far is that there is no option to preview files before opening them.
In my opinion, this is a keeper. I will be adding it to the overall review in the near future.
Thank you. I have not heard of this before. It looks very promising. It appears to be able to search files and folders and text on your local drive, network drives, DVD/CD's, and flash drives. It also appears to find files which contain one or more specific words or sentences (searches within files?).
I will check this one out.
"it is able to sort out files and folders according to their properties (e. g. Modified Date) and find files which contain one or more specific words or sentences."
"this Utility does not enter into competition with desktop search softwares which index and search documents according to their contents"
The description sounds excellent. What about the contradiction?
you left out the most important part "which index and search documents according to their contents"
this program doesn't index, it just searches hence it's slower than software that makes an index first.
Left something out? What?
The prog can find files based on content, but it does not do it by indexing. Does that resolve the contradiction?
How fast is it? Any speed comparisons? Copernic can also be pretty slow these days.
I didn't do any official speed tests, but it is slower than Copernic and Google. However, it also does not index your files, so that is expected. If you want almost instant search results then you are going to have to go with a program that indexes your files. The speed of this program will obviously be dependent upon the number of files it has to search.
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