Google Desktop Search vs Windows Vista Search

Comparing Google's Desktop search with Windows Vista desktop search. Accessing the Google Desktop search is easy, the fastest way is probably by pressing twice on Ctrl or just F3 as it seems like it'll replace Vista's search hot-key. But even if you turn off or had Google Desktop turned off it seems like it'll start-up again by pressing F3. So you won't get access of Vista's search by that Hot key. In Vista when searching, the fastest way except then from pressing F3 is by clicking at the start button and use the limited search space in the menu or opening Windows Explorer. Another way is to access the Search with Google desktop is in the sidebar or in the task bar/floating desktop depending on how you have configured it. But there are no desktop search function provided neither in the task bar or desktop from Vista. Doing a conclusion, Google wins here.

Quick search box

For Google Desktop it's not a big deal to display the desktop search result. The result will display instant even if the volume of the result is heavy. Even the quick find seems not to be impacted by any performance loose. With Vista search without indexing, it'll crawl throu files but that wouldn't be fair to compare the search without indexing but even in previously indexed files it'll crawl. But running Vista with it's default search and indexing it's nearly as fast as Google Desktop. Comparing the search paramters Google offers a bit more than Vista. One thing to remember with Google Desktop, that if you turn off Google Desktop or disable the content indexing it won't update files opened (to cache them) and new files that's added to the computer. Comparing to Windows Vista, the indexing is a service and as long as it's not turned off it'll continue index files. I've to say that both search function is working ok and I think it's a matter of taste which one to do desktop search with. In my opinion I liked to see Google Desktop as the winner on the search part and Vista winner in the indexing.

How about the performance changes when they are indexing? We know that Google Desktop starts it's indexing when the computer is idle. With Google Desktop there is at least to say noticeable performance changes when the the indexing has started, fortunately you wont notice it as you are not using your computer but this is not the case with Windows Vista search indexing. Windows Vista search indexing will run continuously and the performance will decrease much. This performance decrease will lower in the time as less files need to be indexed. Even thou both of them use's a lot of resources when indexing Google desktop is a bit smarter to not index while the computer is in use.

Closer look at Desktop Search

Now that we know the basic of installing and running Google Desktop from the latest 2 previous blog posts I've made. I've decided to take a closer look at the Desktop Search. How can we control the Desktop Search.

We know that Desktop search makes an index over supported files. Some of the files are:

• Outlook, Netscape Mail, Thunderbird Emails.
• Word, Excel, Power Point documents.
• Internet Explorer, Firefox, Netscape web history.
• MSN, AOL, Google Talk Chat conversations.
• PDF documents.
• Music, Video and Image files.
• Archived ZIP files.
• Text files.
• Other files.
  

The search function don't only search on the file name, it also search within the files so you get a more relative search result. However you can find more Indexing plugins here that improves the Desktop search. If you open the options for Google Desktop you can choose what items will be indexed. Also you can set the indexing to index password-protected Office documents and Secure pages in the web history.

There is an setting to Encrypt the index and data files (May not be supported in other operative systems), by doing this the index and user data will be encrypted. What happens is that you enable Windows Encrypting File System for the folder that contains the index and data files. However there is a downside, by doing this the performance will decrease when displaying the search result as the index needs to be decrypted during each search. Note that the the encryption is only avaible on NTFS volumes. Also EFS needs to be enabled or if the volume is FAT the encryption setting will have no effect. The encryption will start to work right after the next time Google Desktop starts up.

Another setting is to Integrate the Desktop result in the web result. By default this setting is true. With another setting you can index and search emails within a Gmail account.

Google Desktop search provides search functionality on your local computer and the web but it also makes it available to search on other Computers. By turning on the setting "Search Across Computers" it'll index files from other computers who has enabled it. You can choose between what the other computers may index:

• My Documents and web history.
• My Documents only.
• Web history only.
• Nothing.

It requires a Google account to enable this setting. Because this feature, Search Across Computers transmits the text of your indexed files to Google Desktop servers for copying to your other computers. You might want to read the Privacy policy before enable this setting.
Note that the encryption is disabled and wont work at the same time by enable the setting for Search Across Computers.

Displaying a desktop search result.

One of the nice feature is the cached version of files. If you accidentally delete a file or change it you are now able to restore it to a previous state. Each time you open a file that's indexed Google Desktop will make copies and store them on your Hard drive.

One of the thing I love is how you can preview a file directly in your web browser instead of opening in an external program. That can be real time saving. And in a combination with the cached files if the case would be that I've lost or made any bad changes in a document I can just compare those twos.

The results is displayed sorted by the date of files but you may want to sort them for relevance.

How about performance changes when Desktop is indexing? As I mentioned before the indexing wont start before the computer is idle, and that is set to 30 seconds. There is at least to say noticeable performance changes when the the indexing has started, fortunately you wont notice it as you are not using your computer. But you may experience the computer a bit slow when going back.

One thing to remember with Google Desktop, that if you turn off Google Desktop or disable the content indexing it won't update files opened (to cache them) and new files that's added to the computer. There doesn't seem to be a way to only turn off the desktop search function (remaining the sidebar), the only way is to shut Google desktop down.

In the next post I'll have a look comparing Windows Vista desktop search with Google Desktop Search.

References:
Introducing Google Desktop
Getting Started with Google Desktop
The Encrypting File System

Getting Started with Google Desktop

Now that we know what Google Desktop is, it's time to getting started with it.
First of all you need to go and download it from http://desktop.google.com/ Note:Google Desktop is free to download.
It's available (when writing) for Windows XP or Vista, Mac OSX 10.4+ and Linux users. Note that Google Desktop doesn't fully support 64 bit Windows (x64). If you try to install Google Desktop on a 64bit Windows you'll get a message saying that it's not currently compatible with your operating system. It requires a 32 bit version of Windows Vista, Windows XP or Windows 2000 with Service Pack 3 or above. Anyhow there is a way to go around this compatibility problem. By opening the command promt with Run in Windows, writing cmd.exe. Then you locate the installation file "GoogleDesktopSetup.exe" and write this "GoogleDesktopSetup.exe /force". By doing that it'll force to install Google Desktop on your computer but Not all features will be available with 64 bit's Windows. The sidebar will work on 64bit but the search wont. The Google Developers of the Desktop application is of course aware of this and there will be a support for 64 bit's later on. On the other hand, there are support for 64bit Linux version.

After the installation is completed Google Desktop will start up automatically and also each time you reboot your computer. As I wrote before in a previous post Introducing Google Desktop it'll start indexing files on your computer automatically when your computer is idle, and that is to say more than 30 seconds. It has a real time indexing, it'll continuous index files as you open a file or update a file. Note that it also includes a web page. The indexing will continue for some minutes to a couple of hours depending on how many files you have stored on your computers hard driver.

There are some few options and status regarding the indexing if you click at the icon in the taskbar. You can pause the indexing for 1 hour or re-index everything, also there is a status for the indexing. Also you'll find others settings if you click at Options.

It's pretty obvious how to search with Google Desktop. There are several of ways, maybe to many?

• Through the search field in the sidebar.
• Through the search field in the floating deskbar.
• Through the search field in the deskbar.
• Click on the icon in the taskbar.
• Press twice on the "Ctrl" button.
• Clicking on the Desktop link at Google's homepage (The preferred way if you want to use the advanced search options).
  

Google Homepage Desktop search

The main thing with the Desktop sidebar is probably the gadget function. You can have a personalized sidebar with any gadgets that are available to download. Gadgets to show you new emails, weather report, photos and customized news. Gadgets that are included are Analog clock, weather, scratch pad, web clips, news and photos. Not only that they can be added to the sidebar but can also be integrated with your personal iGoogle page. To add new Gadgets to your sidebar you do this by right clicking somewhere at the sidebar and choose Add Gadgets or on the "plus" button on the sidebar. There is no need to install any other external programs when adding a new gadget. The new gadgets will be instant added to the sidebar. You can place the gadgets outside the sidebar by dragging the gadgets to the desktop. By clicking on the Desktop icon you can choose how Google Desktop will be visible and by choosing Floating deskbar the Sidebar will be hidden.

I'll be digging deeper in both the Search- and the Gadget function. Compare the Desktop search with Windows search. Compare Windows Sidebar with Desktop sidebar. Working with the Gadget API. Writing your own gadgets and more.

References:
Google Desktop Download
http://desktop.google.com
Google Desktop - Getting Started
http://desktop.google.com/en/gettingstarted.html

Introducing Google Desktop

Beginning with Google Desktop.
We know that you have lots of information stored on your computer. Wouldn't it be great if you could find what you need when you need it?
Main parts with Google Desktop is that it makes searching your computer as easy as searching the web with Google. It's a desktop application that makes your computer search able by indexing your local files on your computer such as email, music, photos, videos, word, excel, chat conversations etc. Of course does it also provide web search.

When you make a Desktop search (a search for local files) you'll go to a local web page showing you the most relevant search results as you are used to when making a web search at Google. You have some filter opportunities for your search result. There is also a preview file function so you don't have to wait for an external application to open a file. When making a search on the Desktop homepage there are some advanced search options provided to refine the search.

The Desktop search doesn't work if there are no files indexed. After you install it, it's supposed to start indexing the email, files and web history stored on your computer, but if it doesn't automatically start index you may have to change the options so it does that. This is a one-time indexing and to not slow down the performances of your computer it only index files while the computer is idling. The Desktop also updates your index by adding new for example emails as you receive them.

The Desktop does also provide function to find deleted files. How Google Desktop do this is by creating cached copies of your files each time you view them, and stores these copies on your hard drive.

But that's not all. Not only that Google Desktop makes your local files search able with the app, it also provides information from the web and help you organize with Gadgets and the Sidebar. Google gadgets are mini applications that can be placed on your desktop, in the Sidebar and also be integrated with your iGoogle page. Gadgets can show you the latest news, photos, weather etc. The Sidebar is a vertical bar on your desktop which basically functions as a control panel for your gadgets. You have a full control to add and remove gadgets and place them freely wherever you want on your desktop.

References:
iGoogle
http://www.google.com/ig
Google Desktop - Features
http://desktop.google.com/en/features.html