A program for searching media files on your computer. Software and services for professional search

Hello guys. Tell me how much time it takes you to search for files on your computer. I think a lot, and even more so if you run your own blog on the Internet or are just a photographer. In this case, a very large number of files are collected. There are several ways to quickly find required file. For example, like this or like this

It's good if you know for sure that they are there. What if you are looking for the file you need and know for sure that it is on the computer, where and in what folder? Well, sclerosis just comes to visit. And then the FileSearchy program will help us. See its capabilities.

It’s a cool program, I use it myself often and recommend it to you.

She looks like this. On the left side there is a search line where you must enter the name of the lost file. After that, click on the button located at the very bottom of the program window.

Not even five seconds will pass before the program searches everything hard drives and will display all files whose names contain the word that you entered in the search engine. You see how the FileSearchy program works quickly, but if they started searching manually, they would definitely not fit into the time it took for the program to complete it.

This is how we search for all files that contain a match to our request. And there can be a lot of files that contain the same word, and therefore we will still have to lose some of our time. In this case, the program provides us with an advanced search. That is, simplified.

Search files on your computer by type

If we need to find only pictures, then we are looking for pictures. If only folders, then we ask the program to show only the folders found under the name that we entered in the search engine. In general, we sort. Find all files and then specify the file type , by checking the box.

This way you will save even more time. FileSearchy can recognize file types such as images, audio, video, documents, programs and folders.

FileSearchy has other features as well. For example, we only need files from drive “D”. Under search bar check the box next to the “In directory” item. We will search in a specific place, and not in the entire computer memory. Look at the image to see how this is done.

By the way, the program allows us to select several places to search at once. Allow it on drive “E” and in one of the folders on any other drive.

You can also exclude from search some directories (drives or folders). This means that if you search the entire computer, then those directories that are excluded from the search simply will not be scanned and will not appear in the search result.

Please note that those folders and drives that are not scanned have an exclamation point before the drive letter or folder name.

So by clicking on the arrow in the search, we will know what will be scanned and what the program will exclude from the search.

Well, and some other features of this program, which, in principle, I very rarely use. Although in some cases they will be very useful.

Find files in document content

In the search parameters there is an item “In content” This search mode is more related to search text documents. Let's say you forgot how the document was signed. For example, we downloaded a book from the Internet whose title was in English or in transliteration. You don’t know how to write it correctly, but remember what words were found in it.

And two more filters that can be applied are searching by date and size. Everything is clear here.

The version I'm using.

And who does not want to install the program on a computer, there is portable version similar program. I’ll say right away that it is not so attractive in terms of interface, but it has its own interesting features.

You can find out about it and download it from the official website http://www.voidtools.com

This is useful to know:

Programs for searching information on the Internet.

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Talk about what in our time information technology and the endless growth in the volume of data available to both an individual and society, there are many problems with processing information and searching for it - this is already blasphemy. Who doesn't raise this topic? And in order not to burden you with subjective and, in part, objective judgments drawn from various information sources regarding the problem, I will move directly to its solution. Today we'll talk about search. That is, about programs and serious information systems that search for the documents and data we need.

Upgrade "direct search"

Not so long ago, when the trees were large, and there was not much information even on the enterprise local network, any search was carried out by simply searching through a handful of available files and sequentially checking their names and contents. Such a search is called direct, and programs (utilities) using direct search technology are traditionally present in all operating systems and tool packages. But even the power modern computers not enough for quick and adequate search in gigantic volumes of data during direct search. Searching through a couple of hundred documents on a disk and searching a huge library and several dozen mailboxes are two different things. Therefore, direct search programs today are clearly fading into the background - when it comes to universal tools.

Of course, this type of search has not been in demand for a long time in the corporate sector. The volumes are not the same. And, therefore, for many years now, and recently clearly, technologies capable of quickly and accurately searching for documents of various formats and from various sources are more than relevant. Not so long ago, Microsoft’s “father” Bill Gates, apparently envious of the phenomenal success of the Internet search engine Google, at one of the press conferences announced the desire of the software industry (and not only) to contribute in every possible way, develop and deepen the creation of search engines and technologies. But it’s too early to create any phenomenally working program from Microsoft or a competitive server on the Internet (MSN still doesn’t reach Google). Therefore, let's turn to existing developments. Index, query, relevance

At the core modern technologies there are two fundamental processes. Firstly, it is indexing the available information and processing the request with subsequent output of the results. As for the first, any program (be it a desktop search engine, corporate information system or Internet search engine) creates its own search area. That is, it processes documents and generates an index of these documents (an organized structure that contains information about the processed data). In the future, it is the created index that is used for work - quickly obtaining a list of necessary documents according to the request. What follows, although by no means simple in terms of technology, is quite understandable to the average user. The program processes the request (using a keyword phrase) and displays a list of documents that contain this keyword phrase. Since the information is contained in a structured index, query processing is significantly (tens and hundreds of times!) faster than in the case of direct search (the selection of documents is carried out not by searching through files, but by analyzing text information in the index).

The program displays the found documents in the resulting list according to relevance - the document's compliance with the query text. In various technologies, of course, there are various methods searching and determining the relevance of a document (the number of “occurrences” of a word and its frequency of mention in the document, the ratio of these parameters to the total number of words in the document, the distance between the words of the query phrase in the searched files, and so on). Based on these parameters, the “weight” of the document is determined and, depending on it, a particular file appears in the list of results at a certain position. In the case of Internet search, the situation is even more complicated. After all, in in this case many other factors must be taken into account (Google’s Page Rank is an example of this). But this is a topic for a separate article, so we won’t touch the Internet. Review of search engines

This material discusses the possibilities of several popular programs search engines, which boast both decent speeds and good functionality. But showing off in brochures is one thing, but standing under the gaze of an expert is quite another. And there were no more experts, no less an office full of people who liked to tinker with the software for its usability. On an experimental computer (Athlon 2.2 MHz, with 1 GB of RAM, 160 GB IDE hard Seagate drive at 7200 rpm and Windows system XP) a set of programs was installed: dtSearch Desktop, Bloodhound Prof Deluxe, Google Desktop Search, SearchInform, Copernic Desktop Search, ISYS Desktop. For tests, a text database of documents was compiled in doc formats, txt and html with a total size of neither more nor less, but 20 gigabytes. A group of comrades under the leadership of your humble servant tested, compared and shared their subjective impressions of each software. Read a summary of the findings below. dtSearch Desktop

A program that, according to the developers, claims to be the fastest, most convenient and best search engine. Like, in general, everyone else from this review. The dtSearch interface is quite simple, but some windows or tabs are somewhat overloaded with elements, which makes it seem difficult to use. But in reality there are no particular difficulties. The only really unpleasant point is the software’s lack of support for the Russian language (despite the fact that the program can search for documents in several languages, its interface is exclusively English).

But dtSearch is one of the few programs that can index web pages to a user-specified “depth” (albeit, taking into account the “additional purchase” of the dtSearch Spider add-on kit). This is in addition to supporting files on disk of various text formats and emails from mailbox Outlook. At the same time, the program cannot work with databases, which are such a tasty morsel for search engines due to the large volumes of information contained in them and their wide distribution in companies, and therefore in corporate networks. The speed of indexing dtSearch documents turned out to be at the proper level. Looking ahead, I will say that this program coped with the indexing of a given amount of information on a level with another competitor - iSYS - and shared second place with it in the list of the fastest systems. dtSearch indexed a test 20 gigabytes of information in 6 hours and 13 minutes, creating an index of 7.9 GB in size for subsequent search needs.

As for the search capabilities, here they are at the proper level. Firstly, dtSearch has a morphological search (searching for a word in all its morphological forms). Using this opportunity, you free yourself from, say, such thoughts as “in what case was a certain word used in the document I needed?” The use of morphological search is almost always justified, so it should be present in any professional search engine.

Search by sound is a non-standard feature even for professional search engines. Its essence is that the program will search for words that sound the same as the word you entered. And the best part is, this function also works for the Russian language! For example, when you type the word "ear" in a search query, you will see not only the words "ear" but also "ear" as a result.

Search with error correction - very important function. Used to search for words containing syntax errors- these can be both typos and errors in documents obtained using character recognition systems, for example. A simple example - you are looking for the word keyboard. Some document contains the word “keyboard”, it is obvious that in fact this is the word “keyboard”, the person just made a typo when typing. So, an error correction search will detect and include a document with the word "keyboard" in the result. There is also a setting in dtSearch that allows you to determine the degree of possible erroneous characters.

Search using synonyms. This feature uses a list of synonyms for various words. So, for example, by entering the word “fast”, the program will also find the words “high-speed” and others that are synonyms for the word “fast”, if, of course, they are present in the list of synonyms. A ready-made list of synonyms is not supplied with the dtSearch program, however, it is possible to use lists on the Internet (accordingly, a connection is required, which is not always convenient), or you can create your own list of synonyms.

In addition to the listed capabilities, dtSearch can search using phrases consisting of words connected by logical operations. Each word in a query can be assigned its own “weight,” that is, significance. A useful option is to use a dictionary consisting of unimportant words in order to not take them into account when searching, but this dictionary is also empty and you will have to fill it out yourself.

Next, let's look at the program's capabilities when working on the network. In fact, dtSearch does not offer any specific capabilities for working with the network. However, it is quite possible to use it online. Alternatively, you can create some kind of index and put it in a public (shared) folder. The program itself can be installed on each user’s computer, or it can also be placed in a folder open to public access, and create shortcuts in a special way for each user separately, using command line parameters, the purpose of which is described in the help file supplied with the program. Also, there is a possibility automatic installation programs to the network using MSI file. This will take into account the settings for each connected user.

In general, it is a good program from the category of professional search engines. It may qualify for a good rating, but gaining trust and respect from users may not be easy for dtSearch due to certain factors (not everything is smooth with the interface, Russian users are deprived, there are no bright features for working with the network). As for directly searching for documents, the program had no problems with Russian text. As there were none with the declared morphology, or with a fuzzy search. The system quite adequately found the necessary documents both for a simple one-word query and for use as key phrase a couple of paragraphs, some document.

Official website:
Distribution size: 23 Mb Bloodhound Prof Deluxe

Based on the name, you can guess that there is support for the Russian language in this program. This is already nice. As for the interface, in general, it is somewhat unusual, but in appearance it is very attractive. Another thing is convenience. A very controversial criterion, but still, probably, a multi-window solution is not the most successful option (the request is entered in one window, the result is displayed in another, and the like).

Snoop uses the same indexes to perform a quick search, but indexing is much slower than other programs. This is very strange, especially considering that the processing capabilities search queries it is very weak, and therefore the index structure is not complex. Most likely, this is due to unoptimized algorithms. This program turned out to be a clear outsider in indexing and search speeds: the time spent creating the index was six times longer than the same dtSearch and iSYS. Indexing 20 gigabytes of texts for the bloodhound resulted in 38 hours and 46 minutes of work. And the created “search area” took up the same size on the hard drive as the original data with a small minus - 19 gigabytes.

Bloodhound can be presented as an alternative to the standard search in Windows; it is unlikely to be capable of more. The fact that the Snooper's primary task is the simplest search for files is indicated not only by the small number of functions for analyzing the text of search queries and an advanced search by file attributes, but even by a results window that provides direct links to the files found, as well as to the folders containing these files. The results window is not very informative in the sense that you can read the entire found file only by running it, that is, it does not have a built-in file viewer. But an excerpt from the file where the searched word was found is displayed; in general, this display scheme is very reminiscent of Internet search engines.

Speaking about specific capabilities for processing search queries, it is worth noting that there is no such thing as “search text”; the maximum that can be searched is a phrase, if only because there is no multi-line text input field. However, you can analyze the entered phrase, and Snoop offers us a standard search set here: logical operations, mask search and quote search... not a lot. The program contains some rudiments of morphological search, but it is probably so crude that it most likely interferes with correct operation (during tests, many bugs with incorrect use of morphology were noticed).

But the program allows you to specify file attributes when searching (document date, file name, folder name), and in these queries you can also use the same search set. You can also search for letters by specifying the parameters (From, Subject..., etc.).

So, we figured out the search itself, what else is interesting about the program, for which it received so many awards, according to information from the official website? It’s hard to say what’s so special about it; most likely, the Bloodhound interface is attractive (exactly in appearance, not to mention usability).

Operations with indexes are very standard; a nice feature is the ability to update indexes on a schedule. Additionally, indexes can also be used online. From now on we need more details.

Despite the primitiveness of search queries, the program can be used to search for files, so its use can be justified in networks. Although with great stretch, since in a large network the priority task is quick search data using complex search queries due to the huge amount of information - and there are clearly problems with the speed of the search and the program. I must say that the work with the network at Izhishika is thought out as it should. Designed specifically for this separate application- Bloodhound Server. It works the same way as simply Snooper (they have one search engine), only for documents located on a central server or on shared resources on the corporate network. Snoop Server creates new indexes on shared resources or uses previously created ones. Any user of the corporate network can connect to the Search Server and use it to access any document (located in the current index) using an Internet browser. Agree, this scheme is extremely convenient: it turns out that files on your own network can be searched in the same way as information on the Internet through, for example, Google.

Assessing all the advantages and disadvantages of this program, the conclusion suggests itself that its capabilities are most likely not enough for corporate networks (despite the good organization of working with the network), but for a home computer or even for home network In principle, it might be suitable. Although neither the speed of work nor the search capabilities inspire optimism...

Official website in Russian:
Distribution size: 6 MbGoogle Desktop Search + GDS Enterprise

Of course, we couldn’t ignore such a famous developer. Google name already says a lot. People who have been using the most powerful Internet search engine for years will certainly, without a single doubt, decide to install this particular search engine on their computer. Just think: Google on your home computer! However, without giving in to provocations with a widely promoted brand, let’s try soberly, and most importantly objectively, to consider the capabilities of the “desktop” search engine from Google.

The first thing that catches your eye is the lack of its own shell for the program. Google Desktop Search is still located in the browser window; accordingly, the entire interface of the desktop version was inherited from the software from its older Internet brother. Whether this is good or bad is a moot point: some people like the minimalism in the design of this search engine, while others want to see a full-fledged application filled with all kinds of buttons and so on.

What catches your eye right after the design? And the fact that this same Google Desktop Search begins to index everything on the computer, without any demand! And what’s most interesting is to choose indexing paths when Google help Desktop Search is not possible. You will have to download a separate program (TweakGDS), which will allow you to somewhat expand the Google Desktop settings, including specifying the places necessary for indexing. Although, by the time you figure all this out, it will already index a standard hard drive, so this setting is more likely to be needed when working with large amounts of data, which is very important when used in corporate networks (Enterprise versions). However, it is not a fact that after downloading TweakGDS, your problems will be solved. After all, she needs Microsoft to work. NET Framework and Microsoft Scripting Runtime. Yeah... the installation, as well as access to the settings, could have been made simpler, although the developers can probably understand: why write something new when there is a ready-made search engine, ported it to local computer and let the user “enjoy”, and let the famous name make another masterpiece out of “this”. Come on, let's end this lyrical digression and move on to the search.

As for analyzing search queries and delivering results, everything here is absolutely identical to Google on the Internet: the same system for displaying results, the same standard set of logical operations for search queries. In general, Google Desktop Search, like the previous program, is designed exclusively for searching files - it, of course, does not have an internal viewer for these files. The number of file formats supported by Google Desktop Search is quite sufficient, and it is also nice that it searches visited Internet pages, taking data from the cache. Search and indexing speeds are quite acceptable. True, for home use. Google Desktop Search coped with an impressive 20 gigabytes of texts in 8 hours and 17 minutes. Spending several days processing information from the corporate network of a large enterprise is not something any system administrator would like to do. On the plus side: the size of the created index was on the same level (4.5 GB) as another search engine tested in this review - SearchInform.

The big advantage (or disadvantage - you decide) of Google Desktop Search is that it supports plugins, which can change a lot for the better. Another thing is that connecting plugins and setting them up complicates the task of installing a search engine so much that you begin to wonder whether all this is necessary when you can install a normal, full-fledged program in which everything will already be present. After all, to use each feature you will have to install a new plugin. Even in order for the program to fully work with archives, a separate gadget is needed. It’s fascinating and seductive that all these additional modules are free. However, if you do not take into account the desktop version of the search engine, then competent setup GDS Enterprise may not be within your power - it’s not for nothing that specialists from Google offer their services for setting up their own software for your network for only $10,000.

If you do go through the setup and installation procedure (or pay $10,000 to a quick response team from Google), you will understand that the complexity of the installation is more than compensated by the very flexible settings when used in corporate networks. An important aspect of using Google Desktop on a corporate network is the use of group policies, which makes it possible to set settings for each user.

To summarize, the most reasonable use for this program is a home or work computer. After all, for an ordinary computer it’s enough just to install the program - it will do the rest itself (it won’t even ask you anything).

However, Google Desktop Search Enterprise will be acceptable in cases where there is an urgent need for flexible configuration of network policy to use the search engine, while the ability to process search queries will be in second place in importance, and the time (or money) spent on setting up the program will be in first place place.

Official website:
Distribution size including TweakGDS: 1.2 MbCopernic Desktop Search

Click on the picture to enlarge

The program interface evokes extremely positive emotions - everything is done in accordance with generally accepted standards, nothing superfluous, in a word, a pleasant design. For a beginner, understanding the Copernic Desktop Search interface will be very easy. Although, it is somewhat confusing that the designers clearly created the program interface taking into account the fact that the program will work in the standard Windows XP theme. When using the classic theme, the program does not look so nice. But this is more a matter of taste.

At the first launch, the program prompts you to create indexes for search. It seemed somewhat unusual that after selecting folders for indexing, the program did not offer to press any button, such as “Start indexing”, and indexing did not start automatically, only then it was noticed that Copernic was trying to start indexing while the computer was idle. You'll have to dig a little deeper into the program's options to configure everything properly. It should be noted that there are quite broad possibilities for setting up automatic index creation: built-in scheduler, the ability to index while the computer is idle, background, with low priority. Indexing was not too fast - 10 hours 51 minutes - this is slower than in other search engines (except for Isle of Bloodhound, but Copernic is still an order of magnitude faster than the development of iSleuthHound Technologies.

Now about the structure of the index. In general, there is nothing special about it. It is possible to select file types, both in general and detailed form. That is, initially you can choose what you want to index - Documents, Images, Videos, Music. On the other tab of the options window, you will be able to select specific file types by extension. Additionally, you can configure the index so that, for example, pictures smaller than 16x16 in size are not indexed or sound files less than 10 seconds in length are not indexed. In addition to indexing files from folders, Copernic can work with emails and contacts from address book Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Outlook Express, indexing of Favorites and History from Internet Explorer is possible.

As for the search capabilities, they are very weak here. During tests it was even revealed that the program does not search for documents txt formats and html in Russian, allowing you to find them only by headings, and not by content. The only thing the program provides to improve search efficiency is the use of a standard set of logical operations, and even then, this feature was discovered experimentally, since it was not documented. By the way, not everything is in order with the program’s help either - it is only available via the Internet, which, you see, is very inconvenient, and even on the Internet reference information not too much. Apparently, the developers decided that the simple interface of the program does not imply the presence of normal help. Continuing the conversation about search capabilities, it should be noted that, despite the weak analysis of queries, the program provides an interesting search system - the user can select the type of files (images, videos, music, etc.), enter a search query and select attributes specific to selected file type. For example, for sound files, these can be values ​​from mp3 tags (artist, album, date, etc.), for images, for example, you can select their size (by resolution), in general, each type has its own settings. After searching for a specific file type, the program will display a very informative list in the results window, and if your request includes files of other types, you can open them by clicking on a specific link.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the results display window. Below the list of found files, the contents of these files are displayed (a similar scheme is often used in mail clients). True, text viewing can only be done in the native format, and there is no plain text display mode, which is not always convenient, since opening a document in this case takes more time. But, given that Copernic can search for images and music, it is possible to view these multimedia files.

The basic principles of operation of this program are described, now let's see what Copernic Desktop Search can offer us for working with the network... In principle, you can watch for a very long time, but you will hardly be able to see anything. In other words, this program was not intended to be network-based. Copernic Desktop Search is a home search engine exclusively.

Obviously, the only (most logical) application of this program is home computer. Here it will fully cope with all simple user search queries consisting of one or two words, find necessary information, and the division of search by file type and support for multimedia files along with background indexing in low priority mode, coupled with a pleasant interface, only give the program the strength to gain trust among inexperienced users.

Official website
Distribution size: 2.6 MbISYS Desktop

Click on the picture to enlarge

Very powerful program. In terms of its level of equipment with all sorts of functions, it is somewhere close to the next SearchInform search system on the list. Moreover, the size of the installation file is more than 40Mb! It’s hard to say what could be squeezed into such dimensions, because the same SearchInform, with similar functionality, takes up 15Mb.

The installation process here is also not very pleasant, or rather not even the installation process. Even before downloading the program, you will be asked to register, otherwise there is no way. Next, the interface. It is made very nicely, nothing unnecessary catches the eye, however, these are the impressions of a person who is already somewhat accustomed to it. It will not be easy for a beginner to figure out where and what is located, where to click and where to finally search. It is highly recommended to read the help before starting work - you will save a lot of nerves and time. Added to everything else is the complete lack of support for the Russian language in the program. Bad. In addition, the windows here are not overloaded with controls, but we had to pay for this with multi-modules and the use of additional windows. For example, search queries are entered by launching one program, and index management is performed using another program. Search queries are also entered here in separate pop-up windows. It’s hard to say which is better - an overloaded interface or ubiquitous multi-windows; rather, it’s a matter of taste.

When it comes to creating indexes, the program provides features to simplify the process of setting options for a new index. These features include several ready-made templates for creating indexes for the folder “My Documents”, “Mail”, “Mail and Documents”, “Specific Folder”, “Folder with a selection of file types”, etc. Such templates simplify the creation of indexes on the first stage. The utility for working with indexes does not have a very good interface, which is intimidating with some complexity (this is a very subjective assessment, to be honest), however, if you look at it, it provides a lot useful options and in general its use does not cause much difficulty. ISYS Desktop can index data from various data sources, and also provides many flexible settings for such indexing. Among additional features for indexing: support for SQL, FTP, TRIM Context, WORLDOX 2002, scripts. When creating an index, if you selected the "Folder with selection of file types" item, you have the opportunity to select file types for indexing manually (by extension). It must be said that there are simply a huge number of supported file types, but add your own type (extension) to existing list It won't work. You can also note the presence of an indexing scheduler. Creating an index and processing 20 gigabytes of information took ISYS Desktop 6 hours and 13 minutes, ultimately showing a good time and the size of the created file - 7.9 GB.

The search capabilities of this program are quite good. What is used in ISYS is much more powerful than conventional support for logical operations. Among the advanced search capabilities, the program offers the use of synonyms and a sorting filter (by path, name and date of file creation). Kit logical operators somewhat wider than the standard set. In addition to logical operations, the program allows you to work with many other operators, which, in principle, can replace some types of search; for example, search with parsing can be completely replaced by using special operators. I was very surprised that the program does not have a search using morphology. This is a serious omission, since search efficiency is greatly improved when using morphological analysis. In addition, there is no list of significant words, but there is an extensive list of insignificant words. Also stated are such search functions as “approximate search” and “heuristic analysis”.

ISYS provides a choice of several types of search queries, namely visual ones. This is done using different types of windows for entering search queries, however, in fact, not a single window allows the use of technologies other than those listed above.

The search results are very informative and are displayed as a list of documents sorted by relevance. Below is a preview of the selected document. Unlike Copernic Desktop Search, preview here is available only in the form of plain text; it was not possible to display documents in their native format, be it Word, Html or PDF, although this is, in principle, not too critical. The program allows you to divide found documents into groups according to certain criteria (by default they are divided by relevance). You can also view already found documents by selecting individual folders (this is convenient when the result produces a very large number of documents).

Using the program on a corporate network is also very justified, since it provides good opportunities for organizing network search. The search system is based on the creation of a public index that contains indexed data from publicly available online resources.

In fact, the program from ISYS is worthy of attention, at least getting acquainted with it. This program is a mature project with a huge number of functions (not always and not everyone, of course, needs them, but still). The chances that the program will see some improvements in terms of processing search queries are unknown, but at the moment it can be recommended for almost universal use. And given that it is still too heavy for home systems, the main places for its installation are corporate networks.

Official website:
Distribution size: 40 MbSearchInform

Click on the picture to enlarge

It’s probably not worth starting right away with a description of the SearchInform interface. We should first describe the installation process, or rather one of its details: you cannot install the program without an Internet connection. The fact is that before the first launch, the program requires user registration (free) and sends all entered data to the server. Apparently, the developers had to take such measures in the fight against piracy, but this did not have a positive effect on the ease of installation.

The program interface is designed in compliance with all generally accepted rules, however, at first glance, it is somewhat cumbersome. Using the program for the first time, it seems that it is too complicated, sometimes it is not easy to remember which menu or tab it is on required option However, with longer use, the interface no longer seems so terribly complex. The main thing is to read the certificate first.

Having understood the interface a little, you can start creating an index. The process itself is very simple and the indexing speed, even by eye, is significantly higher than all other search engines in the review. Clear test numbers show that SearchInform is twice as fast as dtSearch and iSYS in terms of indexing speed! The program indexed the provided data in the amount of 20 gigabytes in a record time of 3 hours 17 minutes. And the size of the created index turned out to be the smallest 4.4 GB - 100 megabytes less than Google Desktop Search.

The program supports, in addition to regular files and folders, also indexing emails, connecting and indexing databases (!) and other external sources (DMS, CRM), immediately during indexing you can specify a dictionary for conducting a morphological search, and all attributes can be indexed files. After creating the index, when trying to conduct the first test search for documents, you may become somewhat confused: “there are two types of search here, but which one do I need?” As mentioned earlier, the main thing is to read the certificate, then everything will become clear. The program can actually carry out two types of searches - phrase search and search for documents similar in content to the query text.

A description of all the main functions for analyzing a search query was given above, so now we will only list the search capabilities provided by this program. Let's start with phrase search: of course, morphological search, citation search, logical operations, search with word parsing (search at the beginning of the word, at the end, at the middle part, or a complete match), mixed citation search (when all words from the query must be present in the document, but not necessarily in the entered order), search with error correction, use of synonyms, “almost citation search” (search for the entered phrase as a citation, but other words may be present between the entered words), etc. Some of the options listed have their own specific settings. In addition, it is possible to use a dictionary of unimportant words, and the program already has ready list these words, you can also use the dictionary of priority words to search (of course, you will have to fill it out yourself).

Here, in principle, we briefly reviewed all the main features of phrase search.

Let's move on to consider the features of this program - searching for similar documents. The developers claim that this is by no means a simple text search, it is precisely a “search for similar ones” - this is how it is described everywhere, but oh well, you can call it whatever you want - the main point is. A quick search on the Internet can quickly reveal that so-called "similar search" is a new development in the field of text analysis. This system allows you to find texts that are similar in semantic content. The most pleasant thing was that after conducting test search queries, it turned out that the theory coincides quite well with practice! The program actually searches for documents with similar content and displays them in a list, sorting them by percentage of similarity.

Next, let's look at what SearchInform offers (in particular, its corporate version SearchInform Corporate) for working in a corporate network. There are two types of applications: server side and user side. The server part independently processes specified indices, and users can use them to search, depending on the access rights assigned to them. Users can be configured automatically using accounts Windows (in professional terms, SearchInform uses NTFS Windows authentication), and manually (users will have to be added separately). Each user can be allowed or denied access to certain indexes, and users can also be combined into groups. In general, SearchInform’s settings for working on the network are ahead of Google in terms of flexibility, and Ishhound Server in terms of convenience and simplicity.

Official website:
Distribution size: 14.7 Mb Comparison of indexing speeds

* Most of the documents.html and .txt containing Russian text, although they were indexed, were impossible to find except by their names. Summary

All programs are worthy of attention.

Based on tests and a careful examination of each program presented in the review, certain conclusions can be drawn. So, Google Desktop Search Copernic Desktop Search is quite suitable for the inexperienced user as a home information search system. They cope well with simple queries, do not overload the user with settings and, moreover, are completely free. Google's attempt to enter the corporate search engine market is not yet very justified: for full-fledged work the program needs to be loaded with additional modules, and it is far from easy to set up. Therefore, the self-explanatory names Desktop Search, Copernic, and Google reserve behind them the niche of “desktop” search engines.

True, more powerful solutions - dtSearch, iSYS and SearchInform are also not foolproof and offer users their “desktop” versions. But at a reasonable price, unlike free software from Google and Copernic. Of course, you have to pay for power, speed and functionality. But the main focus of the developers of dtSearch, iSYS and SearchInform is, of course, on the corporate sector. Networking, functionality, indexing and search speed are what distinguish these products from their “competitors.” Based on the test results, the favorite was identified - SearchInform. The program provides the ability to search for similar documents, has the fastest indexing and search speeds, and has a good set of functions.

05/10/2016

FileSeek - useful utility, allowing many users to easily find the files they need on their hard drive. The multifunctional program is capable of finding data using various filters. Setting up the procedure is quick and does not require special attention. The user can customize the search parameters to suit their needs. FileSeek is very fast and scans hundreds of files. Along with the result, the file size, line number, date of last modification and document name are displayed. You can also create, manage and sync multiple profiles for different projects. It is possible to switch to another language...

30/03/2016

Copernic Desktop Search is a convenient application for searching for diverse information. Through the program, users of different levels will find email messages, attached files, and other documents. A simple interface helps the user find files with formats such as doc, docx, pdf, xlsx and others. You can find music files, graphics, images and videos. The advantages of the application include the small size of the application and its minimal load on the computer. The program uses processor resources, disk space And RAM. Copernic Desktop Search (CDS) contains a variety of filters.

21/10/2015

NeoSearch is one of the most convenient applications designed to search for the data the user needs on a computer. The program has a convenient, understandable, stylish user interface. It has a number of simple functionality that even a beginner can easily handle. After installing the program, file indexing starts. neoSearch checks the status of all files that are on the computer at that moment. This entire process takes minimal time. A specialized scale informs you about the progress of the application. Afterwards, the search results are displayed on the screen simultaneously in the form of four documents, which are max...

01/12/2014

Wise JetSearch is a program that provides direct search for various files or folders located within various local drives personal computer or on removable portable storage media. This software honorably replaces the built-in operating system standard file search model. It can work with NTFS and FAT drives; data is searched using a user-specified template, name or other individual specific parameters. Scheme of the algorithm of actions when working with Wise program JetSearch is quite simple: enter keywords, select disk, start search...

29/09/2014

FileSearchy - created to simplify the search for files on your computer. Unlike other search programs, this program searches by name in real time. The program also allows you to search the contents of files such as doc and pdf, and if it finds it, then it highlights the found text. FileSearchy instantly finds the files you need by name. The program itself supports tabs, which will allow multiple searches, in different tabs, which can be leveled at the end. Supports search by date, file size and registry entries. It is possible to search for multiple lines as well as exclude lines that should not be...

05/09/2014

SoftPerfect Network Search Engine (NSE) is a program that is useful for quickly searching for shared files on a local network. It indexes and arranges files so that, with the correct request, any user with access to a given local network will find the desired file in a few seconds. The network administrator has many opportunities, because the program has a wide selection of useful functions that will undoubtedly come in handy during work. For example, the function of selective indexing of files and folders. Installing and configuring the program will not take much time, since it is not complicated, it will be enough to copy a few files to the folder with...

Programs for quickly searching information on a computer.

↓ New in the "File Search" category:

Free
Bloodhound 4.5.2 is a personal search system that has the ability to find the necessary documents or files on your hard drive in one second. The Snoop app allows users to find and use any document almost instantly with a simple keyword search.

Free
Archivist 3000 4.44 is an application that will search for documents and email messages on your computer, on removable drives and on the local network. The Archivist 3000 application conducts a search using keywords or query language.

Free
SearchMyFiles 2.06 is an application that will help replace the standard Windows search, expanding its functionality and making it more convenient. The SearchMyFiles application can easily search for files in the system according to specified parameters.

Free
REM 6.0 will help the user to quickly search by parameters such as name, content and user access to data of files and folders not only on the computer, but also on the local network or on available FTP servers. The REM application will help users who store a large number of different folders and files not only on local drives, but also on the network.

Free
NetLook 2.3 is a small utility that scans a local network. The NetLook utility also has the ability to navigate shared resources and exchange network messages between different users.

Free
Disk Investigator 1.61 is an application for finding hidden information from your hard drive. The Disk Investigator application will help not only search, but also restore data deleted by mistake.

Free
Copernic Desktop Search 3.5.1 is an application for collecting various data. The Copernic Desktop Search application also has the ability to work with mail message data and process attached files contained in the memory of your hard drive.

Free
CloneSpy 2.62 is an application for identifying duplicate files on your hard drive. The CloneSpy application will help you conveniently and quickly find duplicates of downloaded programs, regardless of their name or download date.

Free
AVSearch 3.13 is an application for searching files on disks based on text fragments with any encoding. AVSearch supports Windows, KOI-8R, UNICODE, OEM 866 (DOS) and ISO 8859-5 encodings.

Free
Auslogics Duplicate File Finder 2.2.1.0 is an effective and easy-to-use application for searching and removing duplicate files that take up extra memory. The Auslogics Duplicate File Finder application will help you quickly clean up about half of your disk space.