Google Desktop (HD Search Utility) - FREE

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Sigity

Senior member
Jan 29, 2001
682
0
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Its an awesome search tool...it did crash my system twice when I ran concurrently with outlook, but it seems to be working fine now.

great for those of you (like me) who keep their files in the most random spots.

sig.
 

FiDo14DiDo

Senior member
Apr 7, 2000
603
0
0
It doesnt work with Net Limiter. And I like my Net Limiter, so no Google for me.

Good post. I was going to install it until I read this.
 

weepul

Diamond Member
Nov 5, 2000
5,134
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www.hd-trailers.net
does AIM 5+ keep logs? I've been using deadaim which keeps my logs. and get rid of ads and etc. or does google desktop record my aim logs?

also, y would google desktop conflict with net limiter? net limiter just limits bandwidth. i cant see how possibly it'd conflict...

//krunk (^_^x)
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,574
10,211
126
Originally posted by: integramodder
It doesnt work with Net Limiter. And I like my Net Limiter, so no Google for me.

According to this thread over on DSLR, the Google Desktop Search installs an "LSP" into your network stack, much like CoolWebSearch, New.Net, etc.

Take that for what you will, but it could explain why NetLimiter doesn't work. The fact that it feels necessary to install that, along with it "collecting and reporting non-personally-identifying information" back to Google home base, is enough to keep that program off of my HD. I have no problem doing exact string-searching using W2K's built-in Windows Explorer search feature anyways, and it can scan the entire contents of my entire local HDs in under a minute, if I really need to find something based on content.

PS. That thread also contains a link to a similar desktop search tool app created by AltaVista/DEC back in the day, if anyone wants to download that one and try it out instead.
 

hallf

Senior member
Dec 4, 2000
513
0
0
I used to love the Altavista Search my Desktop tool, but it wouldn't work with Win2000 and up (just NT4)...I wished they had kept it up because it worked great. I haven't had enough experience with Google yet to know how it compares, but I need to see if I can get it to index mapped drives...otherwise it's not going to be real useful to me.
 

ReiAyanami

Diamond Member
Sep 24, 2002
4,466
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can it make indexes of hardrives that aren't attached? ex: i hook up 3 HD's and install, then take away two HD's, can it search the two HD's virutally without having to plug them back in?

i looked at the screenshots and couldn't tell
 

M0NEYSH0T

Senior member
Jun 11, 2003
557
0
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Originally posted by: Jenova314
has anybody used this yet? is it faster/better than the native windows search feature?

Yes, I have... And it's unbelievably awesome! I will never use the search that MS builds into their OS again.

It indexes while your computer is IDLE, so performance isn't affected. It's just another awesome tool from Google.
 

Merlyn3D

Platinum Member
Sep 15, 2001
2,148
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Hmm...doesn't work with several Antivirus programs, definitely not with mine (NOD32), but I hate norton.
 

cpals

Diamond Member
Mar 5, 2001
4,494
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Originally posted by: db
Search on shared computers/public computers, bypasses usernames and passwords.

Well, if you are able to install this on a public computer then what goes to say that someone hasn't already installed a key-logger or something of that sort? The technology itself isn't bad/evil, it's how you use it.
 

sprint113

Junior Member
Jan 31, 2003
11
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From the linked article: "This is not a bug, rather a feature,"
Always funny when someone says that.
I think I hold off for a little bit.
 

dman

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 1999
9,110
0
76
Originally posted by: nodoubts2k
I had to unistall netlimiter for this to work :(. It also saves your AIM conversations.

I'm not sure why netlimiter is so popular here but anyway, you can disable the aim conversation saving and any of the other items as well.

As for searches, in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, etc, it does a great job finding stuff (it found a few docs that explorer search didn't find at all even with the same keyword field) and of course since it's already indexed it takes no time versus a minute or so with Windows search.

The summary text is very helpful and so far it hasn't caused any stability or incompatibility with any of my products such as NAV, Zone Alarm, VPN Client, etc.

Still the fact that it installed as part of the network stack concerns me... I imagine that's so it can tie into the google web search but I may uninstall it just to be safe.

 

Reikon

Senior member
May 25, 2003
693
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I don't think it's that comprehensive. It only indexed about 20,000 of my files when I have 40,000+ easily. After I left it to initially index, it couldn't even find a specfic document in My Documents folder until I opened the file. :|
 

dc

Diamond Member
Nov 26, 1999
9,998
2
0
trying copernic, taking a while to index. lol.

15k files in about 15 minutes so far.