It is easy to lose track of where files are stored, even in the most organized filing systems. Luckily, with the advent of technology, physical files have been replaced by virtual ones. However that does not guarantee always being able to locate an errant file expeditiously.
Locating a file on the vast hard disks that come with computers these days can be compared to looking for a needle in a haystack. The inbuilt Windows search engine is not very effective as it takes quite a while to pinpoint the file. So much like the concept of search engines for the Internet, the concept of searching a hard disk then evolved.
Perhaps the most popular tool is Google Desktop, built using the same principle and the search engine of the same name. Copernic is an alternative to Google Desktop, as it performs in much the same manner. Instead of searching all the files like the Windows search engine, Copernic first creates an index of all the files on the hard disk. While this is a time consuming task, it takes place only once after installation – the first time the software is used. By indexing all the files on the hard disk, Copernic is essentially creating a list that will enable it to cut down on search times by searching the list and then going to the corresponding location given in relation to the list item. The results are quick and painless.
The good thing about Copernic is the wide plethora of file types that it is able to index. Documents, spreadsheets, presentations, music, photographs form but a small portion of the supported file types. It is possible to locate an email with Copernic, as the software supports quite a few different email clients. HTML pages can also be indexed, making it a rather smart tool to have.
Copernic has a different method of indexing the files as well, where not only are the file names indexed, but also the metadata that is associated with the file and its contents. This way, if a file name is elusive, it is possible to locate the file focusing on what is actually known about it. Metadata is best described as data about data, which comprises of the information that is stored about the files.
Any changes that are made to the contents of the hard disk reflect immediately in the Copernic index. The alterations to the index are made simultaneously, where the software makes use of system resources that are idle.
With the release of the latest version, Copernic has drawn some flak. There were a few packaged distributions available; the one with the minimum functionality was free of charge. The other packages were priced according to what features they had. However, with the new release, some of the features that were originally in the freeware package have been shifted to the paid packages. Unfortunately the factor is deterring many faithful users to stick to their older versions in order to retain the functionality. The newer versions contain bug fixes and quite a few improvements, but the popular sentiment displays a reluctance to relinquish any feature.
Copernic Desktop Search is particularly useful when the hard disk is quite large, or there are more than one. Also, organization is still no surety of locating files, so it can be quite a boon at those moments. It is definitely a viable option to Google Desktop.
