CSearcher : Search Files in Windows Without Indexing

Windows has been offering a search function for many many years and you can search for any file quickly through this search function. But the Windows search requires you to index your files regularly so that it can display the results instantly. The indexing of the files could cause your hard disk to work overtime and keep it spinning even when your PC is not in use. This is why many people turn off or disable the Windows Search service (WSearch) which is responsible for creating an index of all the files on your various disks.

If you choose to disable the Windows Search indexing service, you can still perform a fast search for all the files stored on your computer using a third party program called CSearcher. This free program is portable and can be run without having to install it on any of Windows computers. You can just copy it to your pen drive, and then use it to perform the quick search on any PC.

CSearcher

The user interface of the CSearcher brings back the memories of the search function that existed in Windows XP or perhaps in the Windows versions before that. You can type in the search pattern, exclusion pattern, add folders to search the files in, add filter restrictions (file creation or modification dates, file sizes, file contents) and so on. And when you hit the Start button, it will perform the search really fast.

CSearcher

The found files are displayed in a nice list and they can be sorted by the file size, modified dates, creation dates, file names or the folder locations. You can also right-click on any of the files and carry out various operations including calculating the MD5 hashes and view the files using an in-built hex viewer. In addition, you can also integrate the CSearcher with Windows File Explorer so that you can just right-click on any folder to search it for files.

Verdict: CSearcher can perform very fast file searches in Windows without consuming too many of your system resources. It can be a great alternative to the native Windows Search function and does not require indexing of the files.

You can download CSearcher from http://www.hnsoft.pt/.