• by March 7, 2005

Google has officially made its desktop search tool available; a test version has been out for a few months. Google's desktop search, like offerings from Microsoft's MSN and Yahoo!, is designed to help consumers quickly locate e-mail and files stored on their PCs.

Google Desktop Search can also find AIM (AOL Instant Messaging) chat sessions, previously accessed Web pages, audio, video, and photo files, as well as PDFs and Microsoft Word files.

Google's tool doesn't index password-protected files (such as bank transactions), a decision made in a bid to protect users' security. But users who want to search for those kinds of files can opt to turn the feature on.

Microsoft recently launched its desktop search product, while Yahoo! released a test version of its offering, which boasts the ability to let consumers search 200 different types of files. The MSN tool can be accessed in multiple ways - via a Web browser toolbar, the MSN Search Web page, and task bar in the Windows operating system.