What's this Windows Search 4.0 Preview for Vista ?

Ex_Brit

Ex_Brit

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Minimum requirements Vista SP1.

I'm curious if anyone has it and if so, how does it change or vary from the existing Start/Search function?

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...7f-c51b-49cd-b505-95b91b453284&DisplayLang=en

There's also one for XP linked at the bottom.

While I'm on a roll, are Microsoft shelving any ideas of replacing Vista Windows Mail with Windows Live Mail? I haven't heard mention of it for so long.
 
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I mentioned this in another thread when it first came out - it's an update to the behind-the-scenes code for Windows Search.

<Placebo Effect Warning>
I used to disable Windows Search service because of the constant hard disk thrashing it caused while it kept updating its index. With version 4, I have no such problems.
</Placebo Effect Warning>

It's a good update :smile:
I know that besides the performance it fixed a bug where Windows Search wouldn't find certain stuff in Outlook.


I heard a rumor that the next version of Windows won't ship with Windows Mail, and people will instead have an option of using Windows Live's desktop mail client in its stead.... That tallies up with Microsoft's disabling of access to hotmail accounts from Windows Mail: http://www.neowin.net/news/main/08/04/22/hotmail-via-outlook-express-no-more-after-june-30th
 
Thanks, I just realised that I had actually tried it a while ago in XP and after a couple of weeks had to uninstall it as it, as you stated above, hogged too many resources while indexing everything. It used to drive me nuts because it would start doing that right at startup before anything else had a chance to load properly.

So even though this is described as a "Preview" it's no longer beta and OK to install? No more CPU hogging?

Regarding WM....that's going to cause problems with people like me who get third party spam filtering to filter Hotmail as well.
 
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It's the first time I've seen MS recommend end-users install a beta product - go for it.

RE Windows Mail: you're forgetting the developers! As soon MS hits the death-knell for Windows Mail, anti-spam companies will be jumping on top of one-another to provide a plugin for Windows Live Mail :smile:
 
Thanks CG. I'll give it a whirl....again...LOL

I posted a question about that Neowin article on Spamcop's forum.
 
Will do. At the moment Spamcop can filter any email client that allows Forwarding or POP access. In most cases I forward my email to SC where it gets filtered and I can report the spam or delete it before releasing it to my inbox here.
Hotmail/WLM (Free) couldn't be forwarded and the arrangements hitherto have been as per SC's FAQ:
Summary: we can now download mail from and filter Hotmail, MSN, Yahoo, and AOL addresses.
Inside webmail, go to Options, then SpamCop tools, then POP servers. Use the following parameters:
POP server: popgate.cesmail.net (this same server is for all four email services)
POP username: your full hotmail or yahoo or aol email address, i.e. bob55@aol.com
POP password: the password you use to login to the service
Do NOT check SSL as it won't work at all. You MAY leave the messages on the remote server if you want to. Most people don't need to do this as your remote account will fill up if you don't eventually delete all that mail.
These instructions are the same as what we were using before. That means that almost everyone can just go in and change where they were using "hotmail.cesmail.net" to "popgate.cesmail.net". Please do that as I'd like to get as much usage as possible before we start advertising this service.
Click to expand...


Addendum:

Well CG, this is just great. In XP at least it plants a small Search thingamajig on the taskbar so you know where it is, but in Vista it disappears into , I assume, the already emasculated Start/Search area and now when I ask it to look for anything it brings up the internet. So much for "improved desktop search".

I want my search back in my Start Menu (without sacrificing something else), like it was when Vista first came out.
 
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On Vista it does indeed integrate under-the-hood; you won't see anything new.

The only reason I can think of that it's showing web results is that hasn't finished re-indexing your hard drive. On my PC installing v4 cleared the old index, so I had to give it a couple of hours for my PC to become searchable once more.
 
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