Dieting my laptop, starting with Windows Desktop Search -But I'm stuck, Help !!

[patteo]

I have long entertained the idea of reducing my computer overload by removing the software that I seldom or rarely use but are just around chewing up CPU cycles during startup and while in normal use or otherwise occupying my registry and disk space.

So I thought this ought to be a piece of cake (bad example to use when dieting).

Well, my cake example was ominous enough when I started by trying to uninstall Microsoft Windows Desktop Search.

I got a warning message which essentially said if you remove me, it will gum up your computer saying that a series of programs (including Mouser's beloved Find and Run Robot and others ) and Microsoft patches etc may no longer work.

See jpg attached.

Has anyone removed Microsoft Windows Desktop Search and experienced the "End of The World" ?

Any suggestions and help would be much appreciated.

[mouser]

i can assure you that find+run robot couldnt care less about desktop search being installed.

[Grorgy]

I got that message to, i thought about it for a bit and it seemed that all the programs listed had been installed or modified after windows search had been, i got rid of it anyway, no dramas at all.

[f0dder]

Yeah, it probably just checks if any apps have been installed after itself, and warns about those instead of tracking real dependencies. Seems like a scare tactic to me...

[patteo]

Thanks everyone for the input and assurance.

So I bit the bullet and removed it. And so far so good.

[patteo]

I've got an incredible bonus from removing Microsoft Windows Desktop Search.

Part of the reason for wanting to send my laptop on a diet was because my Laptop was inexplicably hanging every now and then.

I wasn't sure what it was due to. I had hoped that reducing the over-load on the processor would reduce these hangs and reboots.

But ever since I removed Windows Desktop Search, I have not had a single instance needing a reboot compared to at least 4 or 5 reboots everyday. I hope I'm not speaking too soon.

I had been dreading the day I would be forced to reinstall the laptop especially since I had been forced to do that only a few months ago.

From now on, I would go lite when possible and try to remember to remove the software I rarely if ever use. Or better still, ask myself do I really need a particular software before I install it (them).

[Darwin]

Patteo - did you replace WDS with an alternate indexing app, by chance? I want to remove WDS from my wife's computer but need to replace it with something that will preview office and outlook files with formatting (ruling my favourite indexer - archivarius3000  - out of the mix)? WDS was installed as an alternative to X1 (latest full release) which conisistently crashes Outlook when using a notebooks standby or hibernate feature.

[patteo]

Patteo - did you replace WDS with an alternate indexing app, by chance? I want to remove WDS from my wife's computer but need to replace it with something that will preview office and outlook files with formatting (ruling my favourite indexer - archivarius3000  - out of the mix)? WDS was installed as an alternative to X1 (latest full release) which conisistently crashes Outlook when using a notebooks standby or hibernate feature.

-Darwin (August 19, 2007, 08:31 AM)

I must confess !!!

One of the reason for removing WDS was that I was an indexing junkie at some point in time.
I actually had 3 indexing programs installed all at once.

I had Windows Desktop Search, Google Desktop Search and X1 (But X1 was only called up as and when needed)

Anyway, since I rarely used them, I thought it was wise to remove one, and I happened to removed WDS which was installed because it was the only one that indexed I think Onenote. But as I stopped trying Microsoft Onenote, I thought I should then removed WDS (thank God I did).

In any case, I have used X1 without problems with Outlook 2003. Maybe you can try Yahoo Desktop Search which is actually the free version of X1. Alternatively, you can always use the older versions of X1 in which you hopefully had no problems with.

There's also the free Copernic Desktop Search which I believe is good and free. But I never tried it though.

Anyway, all things considered, I think the X1 interface is the best.

[Darwin]

Thanks patteo - X1 has jiggered Outlook 2003 for me on three different notebooks (XP Home, XP Pro, Win2k) for over a year, so I wouldn't know which build to try reinstalling! Also, love it though I do, the hit on resources that I experience with it coupled with the agonizing length of time that it takes to load previews (sometmes it never does) - both problems that go back numerous builds as well - means that I am not terribly interested in trying it out again. I've re-installed Copernic on my wife's notebook and will see how she likes it. I like it much better than WDS at any rate! If that proves to be to resource hungry, I might give Filehand Search another try...