Not quite enterprise, but further-reaching than Google Desktop...

July 9, 2007 11:17 AM

Help me find a Windows-based cataloging program that can handle indexing of Word documents and can crawl network (SMB) shares.

I'm looking for something like one of the enterprise-level solutions (LiveLink, Cumulus) offers but without involving a centralized server. It has to store its catalog in a file or set of files - not a web server or dedicated database. Sort of like Google Desktop, but for my LAN and not quite as sophisticated.

WhereIsIt is the closest thing I've found so far; it meets nearly almost all of my criteria but won't index Word documents (although it does pull in attributes from them) and does allow me to write a plug-in that will import text (so I can sort of work around the indexed text limitation) but that's just a workaround.

Thanks!

posted by ostranenie to computers & internet (6 comments total)

How about Google Search Appliance?
posted by PWA_BadBoy at 11:43 AM on July 9, 2007

Windows Desktop Search is a free Microsoft product for WinXP, Win2000, and Win2003 that seems to do what you need. Capabilities are already included in some Vista editions.
posted by paulsc at 12:16 PM on July 9, 2007

Google Search Appliance is more of an enterprise server / dedicated database solution. I'm asking for more of an ad hoc, shareware/freeware type of solution like WhereIsIt or Google Desktop, but with indexing and SMB-crawling capability. Windows Desktop Search seems like it might work but I'm grateful for and open to any other suggestions anyone might have...thanks!
posted by ostranenie at 12:48 PM on July 9, 2007

You could try IBM OmniFind Yahoo! Edition. I've only used it on underpowered Linux boxes, so I don't know how it would perform on a reasonable desktop Windows system.

It indexes lots of document formats and does it well, but it is more enterprise oriented and took more resources than we had on the old server we tested it on.(but the Yahoo! edition is free and can handle up to a million documents)
posted by wierdo at 1:07 PM on July 9, 2007

Google Desktop can crawl networked drives. If it's mounted on your box, you can crawl it.
posted by wheat at 1:11 PM on July 9, 2007

You nailed it with IBM OmniFind Yahoo! Edition. It's everything I wanted and more. And free for the base version with no support! Thanks!
posted by ostranenie at 8:44 AM on July 11, 2007