Searching your hard-disk for information has never been so simple. You can search for all types of MS Office documents, PDF and other popular formats.
The software here may do more, but the reason it's listed is because it can index your hard drive and let you find stuff really quickly. Oh, and they work on Windows. Here they are in no particular order
- X1 The blurb: X1 is PC software that uses an advanced indexing process that lets you find any word in any email message or file on your computer with breathtaking speed. Download your free trial version now! The price: $100
- dtSearch Desktop The blurb: dtSearch Desktop provides instant searching of desktop-accessible files. The price: $200
- SearchWithin (thanks Blog.org) The blurb: SearchWithin is a free full text index search engine that allows you to quickly search inside the files on your drive or network. It looks beyond the titles and inside PDF, HTML, Text, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Word Perfect and Microsoft PowerPoint documents. SearchWithin works just like major search engines, using advanced querying and full-text search technologies to help you find the information you need fast. Results are automatically displayed in your browser. The price: free
- HotBot Desktop The blurb: The HotBot Desktop allows you to easily search the web while not losing the context of where you are in the results. Quickly visit all 10 results with half the clicks! Easily adjust the language, number of results as well as other preferences through web settings. The price: free
- Wilbur The blurb: Once Wilbur has indexed your files, he can display all of the files containing a specific word or set of words almost instantly. It is able to do this while keeping its index file much smaller than that the alternatives we have looked at. Wilbur can optionally track information on all files on your disk, not just the ones whose content is indexed. The price: free (thanks, Henry Finn)
- blinkx The blurb: blinkx changes the way you find and access all kinds of information, from anywhere in the world, without having to search endlessly. blinkx rapidly links you with the information you need from the web, from online news sources and files on your own PC. The price: free