This product has undergone a number of name changes over the years, as is par for the course at Microsoft. Early versions of this were known as “MSN Desktop Search” and, somewhat later, “Windows Desktop Search.” These search engines were add-ons to Windows XP, and the technology was later integrated into the Vista shell as well as Server 2008 (via the File Server role). The latest version of this service is a downloadable update known simply as “Windows Search 4.0” and can be retrofitted to XP, Vista, and Server 2008. All these products share a similar architecture.
That architecture uses components called “iFilters” to derive textual content from different datafile formats. Components called “property handlers” derive file metadata, such as the file name, any defined tags, and other possibly relevant file attributes. The iFilters and property handlers are invoked during the building of an index, and when a user searches a non-indexed location.
Many Internet commentators have taken Microsoft to task for the user interface of Windows Search, and with good reason. Windows XP’s search facility was a little clunky but in terms of ease of use, it beats Windows Search in Vista hands-down. The GUI in Vista includes a search box on the Start menu, a differently-behaving one on the Explorer window, some rather confusing buried and scattered property pages, and an advanced search window that requires you to start a search before you can set advanced options! To really get the most out of this service, you need to learn one of two query languages. More on that later, but I think we can all agree that your average computer user shouldn’t have to learn a query language to perform a quick search.
I’ll have a LOT more to say about the Windows Search Service in upcoming posts, good, bad, and ugly – with details on how to set it up and manage it from the server side.
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Bill and Jerry
