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).
431 Comments on “How to default to Search Companion with Windows Desktop Search 3”
September 27th, 2008 at 11:51 |
Thanks for that concise tip.
Regards
Brian
September 29th, 2008 at 16:58 |
It worked! Yeah that is all fine and good but….
Here is what I really need, I want the Dog in WDS.
What is the registry fix for enabling that. I couldn’t find anything in the options. I tried this but it didn’t work.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Desktop Search\DS\Dog = 1
I have looked everywhere for how to enable this in XP, looks like I am going to have to upgrade to vista to get this one working.
I guess your fix is only for people who do not like handy search features from Microsoft, I need the convenience of the dog plus the power of WDS. Someone, anyone, everyone, please help…..
September 29th, 2008 at 17:05 |
Hi Gabe,
Unfortunately I think you can either have the dog and no WDS or WDS and no dog. The dog isn’t a part of WDS as far as I’m aware and WDS overrides the functionality that has the option of the dog. Personally I was never a fan of the dog – I’m more of a cat person!
September 29th, 2008 at 18:14 |
JC,
I think a cat would work OK too, as long he is as helpful as the dog. I know cats can sometimes do there own thing, kinda like WDS.
I think you are on to something here, when you want fast, but less reliable results, use the cat search companion with WDS.
I tried:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Desktop Search\DS\Cat = 1, but no dice.
Thanks again for the fix, I don’t know why MS wouldn’t have let you do a strait directory search as an option, oh well my F3 works again how it should.
September 29th, 2008 at 18:33 |
Sweet…
October 3rd, 2008 at 17:00 |
Well, I hate Desktop Search and I hate the little dog! I just use the Search Companion mode without all the stupid gimmicks, and now that I found this tip, I don’t even have to LOOK at desktop search again!! EXCELLENT STUFF!!
October 7th, 2008 at 18:53 |
John:
Windows Search has been so annoying ever since I installed SP3. Plus, I hear it eats up a lot of system recourses while indexing. Thanks. I’m now back to my good old search companion.
October 18th, 2008 at 17:31 |
thank u very much for the tips, it is WONDERFULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL you really the man!
October 29th, 2008 at 11:27 |
Thank you! I shall sacrifice a fatted thumb-drive in your name yearly. That idiotic interface was driving me up the wall. And to think all it required was changing one single digit in one single registry key?!
Now I’m back to the old search companion, and I’m MUCH happier!
Ed Becerra
October 29th, 2008 at 16:37 |
THANK YOU! This was getting so annoying. Gotta love Windows.
October 29th, 2008 at 22:57 |
Can’t thank you enough for this simple fix! I spent a day trying to get my old search back!
73,
Bob
November 2nd, 2008 at 16:48 |
Thanks — this has been driving me nuts.
November 3rd, 2008 at 15:02 |
Any luck with coming with a fix for 2003? This would be awesome…
November 3rd, 2008 at 20:01 |
Jiffy: Unfortunately I don’t have a Windows 2003 machine I can try it on I’m afraid. Have you tried the various suggestions in the comments above like this one?
I’d be very surprised if it was implemented much differently from 2003 to XP as there’s not a lot of difference in the way the shell works as far as I’m aware.
November 4th, 2008 at 11:42 |
I did try. Nothing seems to work… Oh, well just keep on doing what I have been doing. Thanks anyway.
November 4th, 2008 at 13:06 |
Thanks! This is a good tip, and – once again – shows how Microsoft just DOES NOT GET IT!
November 11th, 2008 at 18:49 |
Thank you John. That new search crap was driving me crazy!
November 12th, 2008 at 07:22 |
Thank you, very very much.
I was so annoyed by that but loved the inline searching in outlook, not it is not an ultimatum.
PhistucK
November 12th, 2008 at 08:00 |
Windows Server 2003 (32bit, haven’t verified x64) works the same as XP, at least for WDS 4.
When one clicks through WDS to reach the Companion search, it first looks for the ShowStartSearchBand key in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows Desktop Search\DS. On the first run per user, this key does not yet exist. Not finding it there, it then looks at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Desktop Search\DS and pulls the value, 1 or 0, from that ShowStartSearchBand. Then the key is set up under HKEY_CURRENT_USER with that value, and will look there first from then on out, for that user.
Rinse and repeat for every user, so setting HKLM before users start clicking away will change the default setup new users experience, but users who clicked it before the change will need it changed on their individual profiles.
November 17th, 2008 at 08:04 |
Hey people, what the hell are you talking about “you have to install Windows Search to use search in Outlook 2007″ ??
and search your socks off.
NO, YOU DON’T!
Just go to Tools > Instant Search > Advanced Find
(or use Ctrl + Shift + F instead
November 17th, 2008 at 20:33 |
I’m on Vista now which has the new Windows Search installed already but I was fairly sure you couldn’t search at all until you installed WDS. If you’re saying that’s not (or no longer) the case then cool!
November 17th, 2008 at 08:22 |
Thanks a million!!
November 17th, 2008 at 11:34 |
Thanks a lot,
Windows search was really very annoying..
November 20th, 2008 at 15:26 |
you saved my life! Thanks!
November 21st, 2008 at 21:37 |
Thank you!!!! I HATE that new search. And extra clicking drives me crazy. Yay!!!!!
November 21st, 2008 at 23:35 |
Two years after your message was originally posted and it’s still relevant. Thank you so much for your help!
November 24th, 2008 at 15:36 |
John… you are a legend !! Many thanks for your great tip!
It did the trick purrr-fectly!
November 25th, 2008 at 18:36 |
Sweet. that was buggin the hell out of me. that indexed search sucks for this.
November 27th, 2008 at 18:18 |
Thank You,Thank You,Thank You,Thank You,Thank You,Thank You.
I had shut off Windows search and always looked for a way to get teh DeskTop Companion back.
Thank You,Thank You
December 3rd, 2008 at 17:01 |
Excellent…. this fix works on Desktop Search 4 as well. MSFT disabled the ability to do decent searching in Outlook unless you install WDS4, so I had no choice. Glad to get the dog back.
December 4th, 2008 at 20:40 |
Thanks! I’ve been looking for this!
December 5th, 2008 at 19:18 |
Thanks. Seriously. That search was killing me. Never thought i would be so happy to see that stupid little dog again.
December 5th, 2008 at 19:58 |
Thank you, thank you! I have to re-fix it every time my company does an update to my laptop, but it is only one of several “fixes” that are part of my own “corporate image!” Thanks for sharing.
December 7th, 2008 at 19:30 |
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!
December 7th, 2008 at 22:56 |
“I hate it when software comes along and arrogantly replaces existing functionality with itself and gives no way to remove it.”
My sentiments EXACTLY.
I have an older version of Office and I don’t even use Outlook, so I’m beginning to wonder if I even have a good reason to have installed the new version of Windows Search (silly me, I just accepted it when it showed up as a downloadable update in Microsoft Update — “oh, sure, this looks like a good idea”). I mean, heck, most of the time when I want to do a seach I just open a Command Prompt and do the good old “dir *[filename]*.* /s”
I’d make a mental note not to install Search next time I reformat, but I think it includes the XPS viewer and printer driver which are extremely useful.
I think for now I’ll keep Windows Search but go with your registry edit to restore Classic Search, remove Windows Search from startup, remove all its indexing locations, and keep it around in case I ever get the itch to feel all modern while doing a search.
And you’re right — shame on Microsoft for not including a “user-accessible” option for disabling this thing! Where are they learning their usability methodology? From spyware developers?
December 8th, 2008 at 20:47 |
Thanks, this was so necessary.
December 9th, 2008 at 18:37 |
thanks, this was really annoying.
December 10th, 2008 at 08:05 |
That was great tip, i was tired of pressing the button each time it was irritative
December 10th, 2008 at 16:05 |
I’m excited to find this… I had no idea others were as frustrated as I was with WDC. I followed your instructions and now my old faithful is back… doggy and all.
December 10th, 2008 at 16:05 |
I mean WDS
December 13th, 2008 at 18:19 |
Thank you, trying for a few hours to get rid of the old search
December 15th, 2008 at 20:43 |
Thanks…this solved my problem…irksom
December 16th, 2008 at 12:39 |
Thanks heaps…
December 16th, 2008 at 19:45 |
Thank you. Just doing a regedit fixed my annoying problem!
December 17th, 2008 at 00:40 |
cheers for that
December 21st, 2008 at 01:33 |
Thanks for this! It even works if the key doesn’t exist by creating a new string value in a new key with the right name. I just had to restart explorer.exe, and my search was back to normal!
December 22nd, 2008 at 09:44 |
Many, many thanks for this. I’m out of my depth with computers and I thought I was going to have to manage without searching! You’ve completely solved my problem.
December 22nd, 2008 at 17:31 |
Thanks so much for this. That desktop search was driving me nuts.
December 25th, 2008 at 14:35 |
Beautiful !
January 15th, 2009 at 00:59 |
Thanks, this is exactly what I was after. Hated that new search feature.