June 17th, 2009
Google Apps Sync cuts off Outlook's desktop search
Updated: Installing the Google Apps Sync plug-in apparently prevents Outlook to search your email data.
According to Microsoft’s Outlook blog, Google’s much ballyhooed effort to sync Apps and Outlook disables Windows Desktop Search, which indexes your email data and searches it. Well that could hurt.
Microsoft says:
The installation of the Google Apps Sync plugin disables Outlook’s ability to search any and all of your Outlook data. When a Google Apps user installs the sync plugin for Outlook, the plugin modifies a registry key which disables Windows Desktop Search from indexing and providing search functionality for all Outlook data, not just the Outlook data being synchronized from GMail. Because Outlook search relies upon the indexing performed by Windows Desktop Search, Outlook search functions are broken as a result. It is also important to note that uninstalling the plugin may not fix the issue.
There is a workaround if you’ve installed the Google Apps Sync plug-in, but you have to edit your registry keys. In addition, Google has also modified the registry keys that allows Windows Live Hotmail and Outlook to sync.
Microsoft said it has offered to work with Google to find a fix for mutual customers. Chances are good that this won’t be the last time there are dueling search issues when these two get together.
Update: Google said that Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook still lets you search Outlook, using the default Outlook search. The company said it is working with Microsoft to fix Desktop Search with Outlook.
In a blog post Google explains:
Some plug-ins don’t yet work with Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook, and we wanted to take this opportunity to highlight a few of the more common ones:
- Microsoft Office Outlook Connector
- Acrobat PDF Maker Toolbar
- Outlook Change Notifier
If you would like to continue to use these plug-ins, uninstall Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook, and the uninstaller will re-enable the plug-ins.
We’d also like to highlight another known issue that may be of interest. Programs that interact directly with the Outlook data file, including Windows Desktop Search and PGP.com’s encryption plugin, don’t currently work well with Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook.
Windows Desktop Search will not properly index Google Apps Sync data files, so in order to stop indexing from running indefinitely, the Google Apps Sync installer disables it. We recommend using the default Outlook search.If you want to re-enable Windows Desktop Search for your Outlook data files, you can uninstall Google Apps Sync. If you are using Google Apps Sync version 1.0.22.1945 or lower, you must first install the latest version and then uninstall Google Apps Sync to re-enable indexing.
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Smart Planet as well as Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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