Blog GT

There are many comparison tests about Desktop Search software’s. They generally focus on their interface, functionalities, speed,… But they do not address some features that are fundamental to my point of view. Are you sure that your desktop search engine does not miss some files? Does it index

• accented letters and some other diacritics
• comments in Excel worksheets, text zones, graphic zones
• metadata in your images (IPTC, XMP)
• ZIP archives
• MHT archives
• EML files
• various text files (principally in DOS format)

That is why I have made a test procedure, and tested some desktop search engines that I had at my disposal: X1 Desktop Search, Yahoo Desktop Search, Copernic Desktop Search, Windows Vista Search. The procedure is available here (see the readme file inside the archive), and the results are available here (you can add your own results, and I will incorporate them in the online version). I have made most of these tests  more than one year ago, and an update would be useful. For instance, Copernic’s features seem to have been enhanced in newer versions (see also here).