[Google-Desktop] I've gone Microsoft....first report

Thursday, 10:30 a.m.

After all my recent frustrations with Google Desktop, I decided to
experiment with Microsoft's version of desktop search. Downloaded it
last night and set it to start indexing my 80 gig drive and left it on
all night. It's been indexing now for about 12 hours, has so far
indexed 121,576 files.

I did a quick test to make sure it is indexing my emails and it is.

So far, 12 hours in, no problems. I can work on my computer WHILE it is
indexing and my CPU is only taxed 55 to 60%. Totally different from
Google which was pegging my CPU at 100% and slowing my computer down
terribly, making it almost impossible to use, unless I would kill the
GoogleDesktopIndex.exe process in TaskManager.

And--after uninstalling and reinstalling three times AND reindexing my
drive--the latest version of Google Desktop would not (as everyone
who's been reading this forum the last week knows) index my emails any
more. No idea why.

Will report back after a few days of experience with Microsoft. Sure
hope it works well and is consistent.

One thing I *am* liking about it, on this initial indexing, is that it
has an option that Google does not, that allows you to force it to
continue indexing in the background--and that it does this well, using
only a small amount of the processor's power. And if you do NOT force
it, it is very careful to avoid indexing until the computer is idle. I
had that experience with Google Desktop Search in beta back in '04--it
would never interfere with other work. But starting with an update in
Sept. '05, it took over my processor and would not share. And I was
never able to get it to behave again--despite uninstalls, new
downloads, reinstalls.

I loved Google for about 10 of the last 13 months. Even recommended it
in a magazine I edited. But have had nothing but computer-crippling
frustrations with it since late September '05. I estimate it has cost
me roughly a full month in lost productivity since Sept. 30. Frankly,
it screwed up my computer really badly and I literally have spent
several full weeks trying to get my system running right again, and
then have limped along other weeks while still devoting lots of time
(and money for optimization and troubleshooting programs) trying to
figure out what the problem was. The problem, I'm sorry to say, was
Google Desktop--and I could not get it fixed.

Way too premature to say that Microsoft's desktop search has solved my
problems. But so far, so good.

Best,
kwc

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k e n w i n s t o n c a i n e
Box 95, Cerrillos, NM 87010 505.780.1894