Microsoft Officially Updates Desktop Search - A closer look at the suite
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MSN Search Toolbar with Windows Desktop Search offers not just one, but three toolbars to help users find their stuff. They work from three different areas: Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer; Outlook; and the desktop. The toolbar lets you perform a keyword search, very much as you would do when you search the Web. As you would expect, the toolbar manages to achieve tighter integration with these programs than any of Microsoft’s competitors in this area.
The aforementioned Preview feature seems to be very simple to use. Click on a search result, and a preview of the item appears on the right hand side of the screen. This can be very useful when a particular search returns a plethora of results.
Microsoft is particularly proud of the number of different types of documents this software is able to search –- Word files, Excel files, and about 200 more. If that doesn’t provide you with enough variety, you can visit http://addins.msn.com/. At this site, you will find add-ins that you can download to extend the software’s ability to search different file types. For example, if you want to be able to search PDF files, you can download an add-in provided by Adobe.
One interesting point that might give it an advantage over its competitors is that the MSN Search Toolbar is not just a search toolbar. Along with the toolbar, you receive a pop-up blocker, one-click access to various MSN services, and automatic form fill.
The latter feature in particular could be a real time saver if you ever get frustrated with filling out long forms online. The toolbar lets you save address, sign-in, and credit card information, and fills out Web forms for you. It also manages your passwords. The personal information you enter into this feature, in turn, is protected by another password that you create.
There is one point worth noting about the one-click access to MSN services. While you can access them from the toolbar, you can’t search documents stored on Microsoft’s servers –- leaving Hotmail users out in the cold, for example. This puts Microsoft’s tool at a disadvantage to Yahoo’s tool, which has just started to search server-based information (or will be starting to do so soon).
On the other hand, Microsoft’s search tool has gained a certain degree of customizability and ease of use. The upgrade gives users somewhat greater control over what items on their desktop the software indexes; this is particularly useful for those who have sensitive documents on their computers or who share their computer with multiple users. Wizard-like setup tools make it easy to install the software on a computer. Overall, the search tool is said to be a solid performer.
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