Search Engine Optimisation Web Log (BLOG)

MSN Desktop Search

In the ever growing field of Desktop Search MSN Desktop Search have played their trump card. It has been well conceived it must be said. Some of the issues arising from privacy have been addressed. The search relies on personal windows authentication, and unlike other products the MSN Desktop Search doesn't cache http files, so there is no risk that your online bank account cache can be searched.

The MSN Desktop isn't just another toolbar, although it does place a tool bar it Internet Explorer. It can be disabled in Internet Explorer like all others which is useful as my browser is getting so full of toolbars that I don't have much space to view web pages anymore. That said I quite like it, and I would probably keep this one running and that's nothing to do with being one of the MSN Search Champs.

MSN Desktop search actually compares quite favorably with others on offer in terms of features. It provides a fast search from local hard drives, it can even search network drives. It searches email, contacts, notes, pdf files, bmp, avi and meta data. One thing I do like is that it doesn't use a browser window to open the search, it stays within the application. The results can be sorted, copied, deleted, drag and dropped in fact pretty much anything you can do in windows.

Another useful feature is the whirligig auto fill for the shortcuts. MSN Desktop can have shortcuts set up to open applications, files, web pages etc. By typing in the MSN Desktop box in the Desk bar, Outlook or Internet Explorer you can basically open anything you want just by typing on the keyboard. It almost makes the "start menu" redundant.

M.P