Next Windows Search to have PC-to-PC search, increased speed

Redmond (WA) - Microsoft has posted a handful of details about the new version of Windows Search, allowing users more control over finding documents and programs hidden in their hard drive.

Microsoft’s Vista operating system made Windows Search more accessible with one-click searching over the entire computer. The next-gen version of the feature, Windows Search 4.0, will bring more enhancements.

In a preview on Microsoft’s Vista blog, product manager Nick White says the new version of Windows Search is on its way for all versions of Vista and will fix a handful of bugs found in the current search platform.

Additionally, search results will be found and displayed at least 33% more quickly. The biggest new functionality will be the ability to search multiple computers at the same time, as long as they all have Windows Search 4.0.

One final improvement will be called "rollback recovery," which White says will allow the search index to "roll back to the last good known state." In other words, the results are not always rebuilt from scratch.