How To Default To Search Companion With Windows Desktop Search 3
November 13th, 2006 @ 4:38 pm | Filed under Technical
Much though I love the newly released Microsoft Office 2007, one thing bugged the hell out of me. To get search to work in Outlook (and search is handy if you want to find specific emails from 6 months ago with work you were supposed to have done by now) you need to install Windows Desktop Search 3. This is all well and good until you decide you want to search for files on your hard drive. You click 'Search' and this comes up:
Yep, it's replaced the standard Windows search companion (and the friendly dog). That's all well and good, except it's an indexed search so doesn't necessarily reflect what's really on disk. And since by default my program files folder isn't indexed, it never shows any results no matter what I search for – until I go in and change the settings then wait for it to get around to indexing the folders.
There's a link at the bottom of the tab to use the trusty old search companion, but it means clicking it every time. Oh, and before you ask, no, there isn't an option to disable this irritating integration in WDS! I hate it when software comes along and arrogantly replaces existing functionality with itself and gives no way to remove it. I only put the thing on so Outlook would be able to search emails, not to make me click more buttons to search for files!
Of course, you can in fact turn it off, as a little digging has turned up. Simply open RegEdit (hit Start > Run then type 'regedit'). Go to the following node:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Desktop Search\DS
Then double-click on 'ShowStartSearchBand' and set the value to '0'. Close that and you're done, the next time you click 'Search' in explorer, the old, reliable search companion will appear. This applies to operating systems before Windows Vista, since Vista has far better search that actually works! (Okay, now someone will say it just uses WDS and I'm an idiot – wouldn't be the first time).
297 Comments on “How To Default To Search Companion With Windows Desktop Search 3”
March 14th, 2008 at 19:38 |
This is one of those “Thank God for blogs” moments. This has been driving me crazy and you popped up in Google. Problem solved. You made my day. Thanks!
March 21st, 2008 at 13:45 |
THANK YOU! I have the exact same situation, want WDS to search my email but the desktop search wields nothing if the folder isn’t indexed or changes frequently.
March 27th, 2008 at 01:22 |
Thank you, John. I tried several “fixes” but yours was the one that worked, and quickly at that. I am so happy to have the doggie back. You’re terrific!
March 27th, 2008 at 09:25 |
Heh heh, thanks Carol!
March 27th, 2008 at 20:02 |
John……..you are da man. Tell your boss I said you are underpaid.
April 15th, 2008 at 15:41 |
Holy… I’ve been completely driven nuts by that one… Finally… I decided to search for a resolution… And, I found your website…
GO JOHN GO!!!
April 20th, 2008 at 00:54 |
Annoyance resolved, my compliments.
April 23rd, 2008 at 20:37 |
Thanks for the annoyance removal. I appreciate the website.
-Darren the Dad
April 25th, 2008 at 08:17 |
Great post, is really helpfull!
thx!
April 26th, 2008 at 09:14 |
Dear Author,
Many thanks for the post! I installed WDS for exactly the same purpose (Outlook search). If it weren’t for you, i wouldn’t know how to get rid of this annoying thing with the rest of the search!
Aleksandr,
Russia
April 28th, 2008 at 18:30 |
THANK YOU!! I Loathe that indexed search, and turned it on out of curiosity… not realizing I wouldn’t be able to switch my default BACK to trusty old windows search…
Thanks again!
May 4th, 2008 at 19:37 |
Thanks for this. I have searched for a way to do this but never found anything understandable. (I had looked for ways to customize the rt cl menu.)
May 10th, 2008 at 09:57 |
Thanks a ton!!!
May 11th, 2008 at 20:35 |
Thanks so much! I was looking everywhere to try to turn this dratted thing off! BTW, if you use the TweakUI powertoy by Microsoft, you can switch the XP search (Rover) to the classic search from Windows 2000 which I think is simpler and faster to use (but it lacks the file type filtering). In TweakUI, click “Explorer” and scroll down that list and check “Use Classic Search in Explorer”.
May 13th, 2008 at 10:57 |
You da man !!!
Cheers Dude
May 19th, 2008 at 16:41 |
THANK YOU!
May 30th, 2008 at 16:50 |
Thanks for posting this info. I wanted to mention that it works in the preview for WDS 4 as well. Sometimes I wonder what Microsoft is thinking. WDS knows the location is not indexed yet it still appears. That’s just stupid.
And if it HAS to globally replace search companion it should definately have a GUI option to disable it. Making people play with the registry to get back functionality your program removed is bad form. Seems to be a regular occurance for Microsoft software though…
Also found this information at: http://forums.microsoft.com/MSDN/ShowPost.aspx?postID=1849066&SiteID=1&pageid=0#1849066
June 12th, 2008 at 10:37 |
Thanks, thanks, thanks! Numero 1!
June 19th, 2008 at 21:39 |
Thanks for the tip. This was driving me crazy!
July 15th, 2008 at 20:26 |
Perfect!! Thanks!!!
July 23rd, 2008 at 21:03 |
Thanks for the help getting the old search companion back. I hate that desktop search thing.
July 27th, 2008 at 20:34 |
Thx, i had the exact same symptoms: Retain indexed search in Outlook, but want to search my files normally. With the certanty that i would get all my files and not just the ones in an outdated index.
Thx man
July 29th, 2008 at 02:33 |
You sir are a champ.
July 29th, 2008 at 14:45 |
There is a logical reason for hating the dog.
When you open search companion, it has its cute little animation of walking toward the screen before it sits down…. And that takes at least…… 2.2 seconds…
Delay my search will you, dog! No longer!!
July 30th, 2008 at 16:46 |
Thank you! I’ve been trying to figure out how to remove Windows Search 4.0 and didn’t think of just disabling it. This worked like a charm.
August 2nd, 2008 at 16:38 |
Thank you very much for your help. I carelessly installed Windows Desktop Search 4.0 (via Windows Update) today and was less than amused when my trusty old search was gone. That little edit solved things perfectly, though. Thanks again!
August 4th, 2008 at 23:27 |
This fix is alive and well. It is now an autoupdate, so I think you’ll be getting alot more miles and accolades on this one. Thanks (for the billionth time)
August 4th, 2008 at 23:31 |
They’re forcing their inept desktop search on everybody now?! Grrrr!!
August 6th, 2008 at 01:03 |
Thank you, that was very very helpful!!!
August 8th, 2008 at 20:15 |
Thank you, it worked and it removes lot of frustration… I have been going thru with this for long time… Thanks to Google too, to get here….
August 8th, 2008 at 22:25 |
A heads up. It being in the list of MS Updates, it got installed on one of our major file servers. All of a sudden over 4 gb of space was being chewed up on C:. It was still building the index files for the search. Removed search and deleted the cache file under the “all users” profile. Reboot is necessary. Be especially wary not to install it on large file systems.
August 10th, 2008 at 14:47 |
Thank you!!!!
August 13th, 2008 at 21:04 |
WISH I WOULD HAVE FOUND THIS AGES AGO! CLASSIC SEARCH RULES! GET RID OF THE DOG AND WINDOWS DESKTOP SEARCH. THANKS JOHN!
August 17th, 2008 at 21:03 |
Bless you kind sir!!!! BLESS YOU!! I thought with Outlook 2007 I would be forced to live with that useless Desktop Search popping up everytime I wanted to use the little pup.
BTW Adam on July 29th, 2008 at 14:45
You can always disable the animation (just select “Change preferences”->”Without the animated screen character”). I turned it off once (reminded me of the paper clip) but I decided I liked Rover and wanted him back.
August 18th, 2008 at 09:07 |
Thank you …. this helps!
August 22nd, 2008 at 21:35 |
Thanks, I have been trying to figure this out for a couple of weeks.
August 24th, 2008 at 20:18 |
brilliant.needed this for weeks (months). shame on you microsoft.
August 24th, 2008 at 20:32 |
THANKS!!! You are The Man! Needed this for some time and I guess I just figured out the right words to search to get your site.
August 27th, 2008 at 13:33 |
I had the same problem. Enabled desktop search because of Outlook 2007 and found myself having to click and open two screens to get to the companion file search–the only one that really works.
Thank you for posting the solution!
September 2nd, 2008 at 12:21 |
Thanks John! Great tip! I got vexed of clicking twice every time, to open the search companion.
September 2nd, 2008 at 13:34 |
You solved it for me, thanks
Run – Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Desktop Search\DS
Then double-click on ‘ShowStartSearchBand’ and set the value to ‘0′. Close that and you’re done, the next time you click ‘Search’ in explorer, the old, reliable search companion will appear.
I didn’t need this next bit, as I’d been clicking on the Search Companion link with the little dog:
Have you clicked the link from the search panel to use the classic search? If you’ve not done this then the registry key I mentioned won’t exist (as mentioned by Louie above).
September 2nd, 2008 at 14:14 |
Excellent! Thank you for the information, because that was bugging me also. I much prefer the old companion search.
September 2nd, 2008 at 19:26 |
OOH this is fantastic – thank you!!
September 7th, 2008 at 02:15 |
Thanks for helping me get rid of Windows Desktop Search!
September 17th, 2008 at 05:58 |
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I wish I had found this earlier.
Im so glad to have the doggy back…!!!
September 20th, 2008 at 02:09 |
Thank you John! I can finally get the Windows Desktop search out of my sight!
September 23rd, 2008 at 15:50 |
Thanks for the tip. I was sick of this.
September 26th, 2008 at 02:27 |
Thanks heaps – hate the new search thang. . .
September 27th, 2008 at 01:01 |
Seek and you shall find. Couldn’t close without saying thanks. It’s exactly what I was searching for.
September 27th, 2008 at 10:32 |
Like so many before me……. Thank you so very much.
I really hated the new search, and I was used to the old one.
So again, thank you !!!