Author Topic: I need a search software that does not index, searches mp3, email, video, txt... (Read 14448 times)

kartal · « **on:** March 14, 2008, 01:24 PM »

I am looking for a search engine that does not index(hate those gobblers) for 3 weeks. It should be able to search emails(thunderbird,, express), contacts, pdf, html, ascii based files, mp3s, videos etc. It should have some what a preview. I am ok for paying as long as it provides most of these functionality. And I am ok with search waiting times because I do not search 20 times a day. Best would be both indexing and non indexing options. I have found couple search programs like scanfs, index your files etc. But they lack email, contacts etc viewing options.

Any ideas?

Curt · « **Reply #1 on:** March 15, 2008, 04:12 AM »

Forgive me for even asking, but just to make sure: You have of course already read all of our thread "What is the currently best Desktop Search software? « 1 2 ... 11 12 » "?

-
I am sorry that I cannot answer your question, as none of my favourites will search all you want.

jgpaiva · « **Reply #2 on:** March 15, 2008, 10:23 AM »

I think you could to with an alternative file explorer.
An example would be xyplorer, which does not index and can preview all the stuff you mentioned. (at least, i think so

)

edit: oops, i didn't read your post correctly. xyplorer can only search files, not emails or contacts

kartal · « **Reply #3 on:** March 15, 2008, 10:42 AM »

Curt, I read most of that thread. But the thing is is that almost most of the desktop search apps indexes your files. Indexing is a huge resource hog, and creates alot of data.

Darwin · « **Reply #4 on:** March 15, 2008, 10:58 AM »

There are some lightning fast non-indexing search tools, but I don't know of any that will search through e-mails. I'd be interested in such a beast as well!

Curt · « **Reply #5 on:** March 15, 2008, 11:01 AM »

I am maybe missing to understand the problem right. If all this is for 3 weeks only, why then are indexes so big a problem? Or did you mean "in 3 weeks (from now)"?

Darwin · « **Reply #6 on:** March 15, 2008, 11:05 AM »

heh, heh - kartal was exaggerating for effect. Essentially, he was implying that it takes 3 weeks for indexers to index a harddrive. Hyperbole to emphasise that it takes a long time.

nosh · « **Reply #7 on:** March 15, 2008, 11:11 AM »

I wouldn't be altogether surprised if there's some seriously FUBAR app out there that take upwards of three weeks to index.

xyplorer can only search files, not emails or contacts

*waits for Don to step in with a "new beta" announcement*

Curt · « **Reply #8 on:** March 15, 2008, 12:01 PM »

... that does not index(hate those gobblers) for 3 weeks.
-kartal (March 14, 2008, 01:24 PM)

heh, heh - kartal was exaggerating for effect.
-Darwin (March 15, 2008, 11:05 AM)

oh, no comma!

kartal · « **Reply #9 on:** March 15, 2008, 12:09 PM »

I actually used copernic, x1 and google desktop in the past longer than 3 weeks. I had gigs(I think at some point I had 9 gb of copernic index) of indexings data which I hated. I have alot of reference images(over 100.000 I had collected over 10 years) , pdf files, gigs of project files(50 gb of binary and ascii), 13 years of emails, videos etc. Other problem is that to be able to find what you want, the file needs to be indexed first so search is not happening in real time, it depends on timing of the index. Even if you index every 15 mins (which is not realistic, because indexing generally takes longer than 15 mins, ).

I think that desktop search is good for emails and small mp3 collections. But for people like me who has a lot of data it is not a good idea. Also I do not want to use multiple search engines for different tasks.

I am maybe missing to understand the problem right. If all this is for 3 weeks only, why then are indexes so big a problem? Or did you mean "in 3 weeks (from now)"?
-Curt (March 15, 2008, 11:01 AM)

jgpaiva · « **Reply #10 on:** March 15, 2008, 07:37 PM »

Maybe you should take a look at mouser's FARR. Lost of people use it for searching for files because it's very fast.
It still doesn't index the email, but maybe someday someone will make a plugin for your email program

Darwin · « **Reply #11 on:** March 16, 2008, 11:09 AM »

Kartal, you could try PowerDesk Pro 6. I just noticed its "File Finder" entry in my context menu (I generally use Directory Opus as my file manager and Windows Explorer replacement) and put it through its paces. Wow! It works without indexing and is as quick as Search GT (and as accurate/thorough as well). An added bonus is that it can be further configured to search within files. I'm still playing around with this function and will report back with my results.

Best thing: PowerDesk is a very good File Manager, comes with Stellent Viewers, and can be had for the princely sum of $9.95 (presumably until PD 7 comes out). Thanks, Curt and cthorpe, for finding this for us last year (I've just confirmed that the discount is still active)

Darwin · « **Reply #12 on:** March 16, 2008, 11:29 AM »

hmmm... update: Outlook pst files are listed as a file type and I assumed that this meant that File Finder could search within them. Wrong assumption - the file types tab simply provides a pull-down menu that is populated by all of the file types listed in your registry.

However, I am still very impressed by the quick searching in other file types and the fact that the results are optionally previewed using Stellent's viewers. Finally, File Finder is a standalone program - you are not invoking PowerDesk to run it (or, as in Search GT's case, Windows Explorer). The only niggle with this is that if you select "open containing folder" from the file menu, PowerDesk fires up instead of your default file manager. I'm sure that this behaviour can be modified, though.

Darwin · « **Reply #13 on:** March 16, 2008, 11:37 AM »

Note: Dopus 9's built in search feature is equally as capable - when I tested it I failed to notice that I had search for Flash files specified, so thought that it wasn't finding anything

Dormouse · « **Reply #14 on:** March 16, 2008, 11:50 AM »

When I compare SearchGT with Dopus, SearchGT is much faster.

kartal · « **Reply #15 on:** March 16, 2008, 12:00 PM »

Darwin thanks for the heads up. I actually downloaded and used the trial version but I was not impressed with it, especially because trial version did not have any of the pro features really. And all the free explorer replacements have those feature sets in powerdesk pro`s. So I am little puzzled about it. I may give it another shot.

DonL · « **Reply #16 on:** March 16, 2008, 12:30 PM »

I wouldn't be altogether surprised if there's some seriously FUBAR app out there that take upwards of three weeks to index.

xyplorer can only search files, not emails or contacts

*waits for Don to step in with a "new beta" announcement*
-nosh (March 15, 2008, 11:11 AM)

Not this time. Emails or contacts are not "filish" enough for a "real" file manager.

However you can drag+drop emails to XY and then search them.

Darwin · « **Reply #17 on:** March 16, 2008, 03:13 PM »

Hmm... interesting, Dormouse. Dopus, XYPlorer, PowerDesk, and SearchGT each take about 5 seconds (actually 5 secs for XY and DOpus through 7 on SearchGT and 9 seconds for PowerDesk) on my system to search 70GB.

Curt · « **Reply #18 on:** March 17, 2008, 08:35 AM »

@ kartal

Darwin thanks for the heads up. I actually downloaded and used the trial version ...
- I may give it another shot.
-kartal (March 16, 2008, 12:00 PM)

My version of PowerDesk Pro is 6.0.4.2 © 1998-2005
- Any newer ones?
Edit:
Maybe 'someone' will download the supposedly new trial and tell what version's number it is?
-Curt (March 16, 2008, 01:49 PM)

Dormouse · « **Reply #19 on:** March 18, 2008, 05:47 PM »

Search of 306db data across 2 HD (376,952 files)
Search 3 was a repeat of Search 1.
Google Desktop Search averaged about 7 seconds for all the searches, but also produced a lot of files that were non-files (like HTML caches)

SearchGT seemed to get progressively faster as I kept searching for new words, but to drop back to longer if not used for a while.

SearchGT dramatically faster than XYplorer and Dopus

Dormouse · « **Reply #20 on:** March 27, 2008, 06:39 AM »

Also checked with Powerdesk. Powerdesk much slower than SearchGT, on a par with Dopus & XYplorer.

kartal · « **Reply #21 on:** May 19, 2008, 03:35 PM »

I am using this one also. I think it is very good free alternative. It can also index files

http://www.saleensof...ware.com/ScanFS.aspx

Shades · « **Reply #22 on:** May 19, 2008, 04:26 PM »

You could also consider your own personal search engine for free....IBM OmniFind Yahoo! Edition http://omnifind.ibm.yahoo.net