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What is the currently best Desktop Search software?

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jdd:
... I got rid of all of them because more and more apps want to index the crap out of my HD, and I'm sick of my HD platters spinning and spinning and spinning when I'm not there.
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I agree with zridling's comments regarding the fact that a major difference between these search programs is the interface.  However, I respectfully disagree with the issue of continually spinning HD's. 

With X1, the user determines exactly when, if ever, the index should be updated, either on a scheduled or manually selected time. The initial indexing takes a while but incremental indexes are quite fast. 

The user determines the scope of the searchable index, ie. specific drives, specific folders or combinations, and whether or not Outlook Maill is included.

jdd

Cavalcader:
I agree with zridling's comments regarding the fact that a major difference between these search programs is the interface.  However, I respectfully disagree with the issue of continually spinning HD's. 

With X1, the user determines exactly when, if ever, the index should be updated, either on a scheduled or manually selected time. The initial indexing takes a while but incremental indexes are quite fast.
-jdd (May 07, 2006, 05:28 PM)
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By the way, a lot of people know about the Indexer that comes with XP (Pro? and maybe even 2k) or later. What most don't seem to know is that it can really be tweaked so that it stays out of your way. Its default settings have it getting in the way of doing anything else on the machine while it's updating. This is made worse by the "tweak" settings being not only left off of the menus, but they're only on one of two otherwise identical (or nearly identical) context menus. :tellme:

Just a quick once-over in case it helps some of the folks here: once you go through the Administrative Tools (or Run dialog) to get to the Microsoft Management Console and then the Indexing Service, you right-click the resulting pane on the right, winding your way to this menu:


Then you work your way through a couple of dialogs and you're (finally!) able to customize the performance settings.



Each of the two settings have 3 steps, and with Indexing set to "lazy", and Querying set to "High load", the system then waits for you to have stopped any activity for a period of time before it'll start indexing anything not already in the Catalog. As soon as you start to use the mouse or keyboard, *poof*, it stops and waits for you again. Makes a huge difference. :Thmbsup:

You may even get good performance with the Indexing at the middle position, but you're guaranteed for it to be getting in your way working regardless of your own activities if you set it on Instant, and you can count on a performance hit even with a peppy machine.

mouser:
nice post cc - i had no idea about that feature.

Cavalcader:
Thanks -- it's really nuts how deeply buried something like that is, considering the difference it makes. Have you seen the new Office that's coming out? They've really done a major redesign of the UI so that stuff you need related to what you're doing is easy to find, and stuff that's not related is not in your way. Here's hoping they'll do the same with Windows...

justice:
Has the situation changed? I'm running Vista and debating whether or not I should include more data to the built in WDS or install an alternative. I found GDS too resource consuming..

I love Locate maybe someone knows a desktop search that is light like Locate but does indexing too?

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