LookOut - Microsoft Outlook Search tool, still works
If you are like me, you don’t like filing of emails too much. I just love the Google’s way of ‘Archiving’ the mails and keeping my Inbox Zero and clean. But without a proper Outlook Search tool, this method would be highly impractical. I have been using Microsoft Desktop Search all these while but it took my laptop’s XP to a crawling speed. My outlook data weighs multiple GB’s. So I was in the market for a better Outlook Search tool. Here is what I found:-
1) Google Desktop Search - is just a waste of time. The search results were pointless. More or less it always gave me some generic results. I must admit that before the Windows Desktop Search days, I was a GDS fan.
2) Copernic Desktop Search - Could not handle the size of my Outlook Data I guess. It just vanished in to thin air most of the time. I cannot trust something which crashes this often. CDS was much better in the earlier versions.
3) LookOut - Yeah.. The world has come to a full circle once again. Circa 2004 thingie. LookOut was lightning fast and my favorite. Microsoft took over this tiny tool to make the MSN Desktop Search. Since then, most of us forgot about LookOut. But in these days of bloated Desktop/Outlook search tools, to see something like LookOut - which just does its job - is a rarity. Fortunately MajorGeeks still have a copy of LookOut 1.3 for download. I installed, indexed and was ready to go in just half an hour. Fresh Air!
I also found a new tool - Lookeen - which is actively being developed. LookOut works well with my Outlook 2003 install and there are ways to make it even work with Outlook 2007.
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January 23rd, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I totally agree with you on Google Desktop. I also hate Yahoo’s new desktop search tool. But I love love love Yahoo’s old one - based on x1 - which they now make you pay for.
January 24th, 2008 at 4:49 am
This guy has an even better way of getting Lookout to work on Outlook 2007:
http://www.wirwar.com/blog/200.....look-2007/
February 18th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
You should definitely checkout Xobni
http://www.venukb.com/blog/200.....5-invites/
Let me know if you want an invite :)
February 19th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Thanks Venu. But I’ve already tried Xobni few weeks ago. But it just sank with my Outlook. Uninstalled the next hour!.
April 29th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Lookout is as far as I know the only tool which searches through multiple .pst files and even if they are located on a network server. MS Desktop Search does not have the possibility to search on network drives for archived e-mails and files. If anyone knows a better tool then I am interested to know.
May 7th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Xobni is the best so far… but for the first hours or two it makes your system slower. So if you try Xobni, leave the computer running overnight and then try it.
It really works well.
/j
May 7th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I agree with the Observations on Xobni. After the private beta, Xobni has improved so much so that - it has become an integral part of my Outlook!
May 19th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
You should check ParadiSearch - it’s much lighter than Xobni:
http://www.paradisoft.com/paradisearch.asp
May 26th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
I ran into this blog today.
I checked out ParadiS.. thats not software, thats a one day programmers homework! Its a shame to call it software.
Xobni looks cool, but i have to search my attachments. I think it cant do. Yet?
Lookeen looks promising..
Keep you informed