Windows Desktop Search Loses Toolbar

At the IT Forum in Barcelona Tuesday, Microsoft took the wraps off a version of Windows Desktop Search without the MSN Toolbar, which is designed specially for deployment in businesses. The application replaces Windows' paltry built-in search functionality and can be integrated with Office and SharePoint.

Windows Desktop Search indexes a variety of file types, e-mail, and even documents across the network in order to provide a single starting point for searches. Aside from dropping the toolbar, Microsoft has added improved installation and management functionality.

"These new enterprise-class enhancements to the desktop search capabilities we introduced last spring will empower IT professionals to deliver higher productivity, lower IT management costs and greater ease of use throughout their organizations," said Christopher Payne, corporate vice president of MSN Search.

Starting next year, Microsoft plans to expand the capabilities of Windows Desktop Search through its new Windows Live offering. This means developers could build online applications that integrate with the search tool on the client side.

Windows Desktop Search is a free download for all businesses. To allay privacy fears, Microsoft says, "These products have been designed to respect the privacy of multiple users on a single PC by utilizing the Windows authentication and user account management infrastructure."