Yesterday Joel Spolsky bemoaned the search capabilities of Outlook 2007 in his blog.
There is no need to go to all that trouble to install the Lookout software that he mentions in his blog entry to do fast search inside Outlook. There is an easier solution – Google Desktop.
Google Desktop has excellent desktop search capabilities that includes searching email in Outlook. When you install Google Desktop, there is a new Google search toolbar that shows up inside Outlook 2007. Typing any text into it brings up search results in a new Google Desktop Search window in an instant. Since the indexing happens continuously in the background there is no delay after you type your search string, it really is instantaneous. Clicking on any emails shown in the results list opens up that email inside Outlook (Nice!). The results window shows only a list of emails – there is no way to drill down or trim your search from there. For that, click the “more desktop search results” link in the results window, which opens up the entire result set in a browser. This window helps narrow your email based on From and To fields. The result set in the browser also allows you to find the search string inside chat messages and any files that Google Desktop indexes. This can be very useful if you are trying to locate any information on your machine about a particular search string. I have found searching emails and chat messages from/to a person to be a handy.
One thing you can’t do is search within a single folder or folder hierarchy.
Gowri Sivaprasad's Blog 
Hi Shiva Prasad,
I read your experiences in Staples, I had an idea about visit that place to buy MP3 Player. Now I feel I should not visit that place. 🙂
By: Namitha on February 11, 2008
at 5:26 am
It is microsoft VS Google. i like Microsoft more…
By: Daniel on March 20, 2008
at 9:24 pm
I agree that if a particular mail is download to local *.pst file, it will be searched.
Will the google search works if we are keeping the mail in the server box itself ( this is needed, when you are traveling, you can do a web access and pull the mail).
By: ramesh on April 18, 2008
at 4:50 am
@Ramesh: Since Google desktop indexes the mails only after it reaches the outlook client, you need to first download it into Outlook to be able to search. If you are reading all your mail by web access, Google desktop search wont help.
By: gowrisivaprasad on April 18, 2008
at 3:37 pm
Only one word when it comes to Outlook search:
LOOKEEN
Best search ever!
Rgs
By: Thomas Hard on March 6, 2009
at 11:04 pm
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.
By: sandrar on September 11, 2009
at 4:52 am
i love your comments on google desktop in Outlook. I have become dependant on that toolbar for finding things in Outlook. But recently, coinciding with Microsoft’s big security update last week, i no longer have the toolbar in Outlook. I am lost. I have reinstalled and it wont come back. If you have any suggestions, i would like to hear from you.
Thanks,
Leslie
By: leslie on April 13, 2010
at 10:21 pm