Perhaps you resort to using the search facility built into windows, but this is often very frustrating as it finds dll's and other systems files instead of the word document you want and searching email well that's down to outlook! What if you could unit this search with a tool that was easy to use and searches all documents and emails on your machine. Well maybe the latest release of Google Desktop Search Beta is part of the answer.

The Google Desktop Search Beta builds on the Google technology deployed in their award winning and heavily used search engine , the desktop search application is a small (400k) download which acts as a Web service on port 4664, once complete the install process gives you a few options including a privacy setting (more on that later). Its first task is to set about indexing your hard drive, depending on the disk size this could take anywhere between 30 mins and 2 hours as it chugs its way through all your email and documents, it is a one time process as all further indexing is done as an incremental process.

The Google Desktop Search Beta Application will index all text in Outlook and Outlook Express email, text, HTML, Word, Excel and PowerPoint files, AOL chat, and Web pages viewed through Internet Explorer, you can check up on progress by clicking the swirl icon and seeing how many items have been indexed, but its best to just go have coffee.

And now to the really good bit, you know how you like the simplicity of the Google search engine interface, well you get exactly the same with the desktop search, in fact you just get an extra option for "desktop" and that's about the only visible change, but now (after the first index) every time you search on Google you get a report on how many matching items are found on your machine.

So when you are next looking for some information on an order or report and can't remember where it is on your PC it's a simple search on the friendly face of Google, just tap in a few keywords and presto all the results from your machine plus matches from the web and all the other Google sources of information.

You can filter just web searches by hitting the search web button or desktop by hitting search desktop, much like the wonderful design of the Apple Ipod the beauty of the Google desktop search is in its simplicity, behind the application is Google's web conquering indexing algorithms and spiders constantly indexing your machine.

Now the word privacy has been lurking in the back of this review and we do have to caution against using Google desktop search beta in your business environment, while you can specify folders not to be indexed (useful if you share a home pc) the agreement with Google is a one way thing, you agree not to misuse their technology and they agree to .... well supply you with the application, no real promise on privacy. More like a gentlemen's agreement that they will only collect usage information and data to better help improve this beta version.

Now as a business you have to be very careful, you wouldn't let a third party work their way though your computer records unless you had an agreement or were carrying out due diligence, so why would you let the desktop search index you shared drives? On the flip side Google as a publicly listed company would be hung out to dry if it did use any of the data captured even if it was fed back (which of course it is not).

This version is still a Beta but Google have promised more security options for administrators in the release version which may make company IT departments happier, of course Google's own search appliance which is a product available to companies is the best option for corporate use so its unlikely the full privacy / security set of features will ever hit the Google desktop search.

But for home users the Google desktop search beta wipes the floor with Blinkx which we tested a few months back, it's quick, user friendly and accurate and with a little care on privacy its the best way to find those lost emails and files on your hard drive.

Google Desktop Search is a trademark of Google Inc.

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