Hot Pick! Copernic Desktop Search

After gathering documents, writing papers, and collecting images, how does one search them all? To deal with this problem, companies have come up with desktop search engines Windows Search comes built into Vista: type in the space at the bottom left corner of your screen and Windows Search will find files that contain your search term. The Apple equivalent is called "Spotlight." Google Desktop Search is also popular but very sluggish and privacy-invading.

These three programs find file names containing your search term but do not go to the precise location of your search term; instead, you have to open the file you think you need and then scroll through a preview screen (even worse, Apple Spotlight requires you to open a second program to simply Preview and scroll, scroll, scroll). The Window, Apple, and Google engines are also limited to a certain number of file types--you need to add plug-ins for additional file types. You also need to add "filters" to play PDF if you don't have Adobe on your computer.

The Windows and Apple search engines perform like go-carts compared to the Porsche of Desktop Searching: Copernic.

The free version of Copernic is

*Lighter and faster than its competitors

*Indexes remarkably fast

*The interface includes a built-in preview pane

*The preview pane can play music or video from within (no need to open a separate player)

*No need for plug-ins or filters: Copernic plays all file types "out of the box."

*Most important, the preview pane highlights your search terms and jumps to them as you hit on the term you are seeking. This is a REAL time saver if you are zooming through documents that are very long. No more futile scrolling.

*If you have Vista, install Copernic and check the box to replace Window Search. Turn off the Windows Search function so it isn't indexing too; you will see a major boost in the performance of your PC. Copernic works right from the Orb (the search space at the bottom left-hand corder).

Mac fanboys rave about Spotlight but it is clear they have not used the best Windows desktop search engine. I found Spotlight to be primitive at best compared to Copernic and even Windows Search. For all of the above reasons, Copernic is the tops! Show it to your Mac friends and then ask them for a demo of how they find information. Think of the famous advertisement: "Hi, I'm Mac Spotlight," "and I'm Copernic." Except this time Mac loses.

REVIEWS:

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/software/desktop-search-engines/

http://www.filesworld.com/downloads/file/fid,24670-order,1-page,12-c,desktop/description.html


http://blogs.pcworld.com/tipsandtweaks/archives/002800.html

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/102276/copernic-desktop-search-2.html