I have some questions to Microsoft:
Why it is so difficult to create even a simple search that is _fast_ (and silent) for finding files and folders by their name. I do not know about you but most of the time I need to find a file or folder by name in the current system - It is very rare that
I need to find certain string inside a document. I know I am an exception here, but when doing so much simpler search (fuzzy match string againt filename/foldername string) one would expect the local search to be atleast a somewhat faster than Google query
over the network when a computer has only less than million files/folders - certainly something very much achievable by average home computer if its well done.
I know MS provides the Indexing service, but I've tried to figure it out many times, and it has never made any sense to me (I doubt it's necessary to point out where it has failed). And I am not even interested to build my own UI to the indexing service
for the reason that it makes a lot of noise during the indexing (Unless you happen to have solid state storage).
I would like to present how simple it is, in theory, to make a silent full indexing:
1. Suppose user introduces a medium not previously indexed (cd/dvd/serial-ata hdd?)
2. As the disc is recognized, it is matched against previous media signatures
3. User loads a file from the disc
3a. The loaded file is entered into the index, which is partially stored in memory to avoid noisy random HDD access and lazily updated with transactions to system HDD
3b. As the user mode process does something with the file(s), in the file(s) content is being analyzed in the background (like your virus scanner does) and proper records created into the memory for the lazy noiseless update.
4. User is done with the file and does no further access in the so far mostly unindexed media.
4b. Incase the medium is CD/DVD or other very noisy one, the appropriate driver is notified to spin down the speed enough for the medium not to make noise during read (in case of CD drive this should be either user or manufacturer definable rotating speed)
4c. The last (before idle/after lowering speed) position of the hdd/dvd is picked up.
5. Now the full indexing can begin from the position of the disc, making no noise that would indicate the media is being indexed.
Certainly there are other questions, like what if user removes the media before its indexed etc - but the key point here is the silent, pleasant way of access - some of which NCQ may help slightly, but in the case of jumping around between file data and MFT
- I think not.
One thing that really amazes here, is that Anti-Virus programs pretty much do everything that would be needed to create fast searchable index.. Why they do not take advantage of this, must be because searching the user file contents for certain data is not
their core business (Or is it, I am not the expert here).
I can understand that some people may have not yet learned to appreciate more silent environment, but looking at what people say about the new set-top-boxes and other livingroom "PC" equipment with HDD's, you can expect that if they get a Longhorn Embedded
on their box and it has noisy indexing, there may not be many positive reviews in that regard. EndRant();
PS. To anyone who cares, certain Seagate SATA HDD's may have annoying feature that writes some data to the HDD that only Seagate can read at their service during idle moments. So incase your HDD will fail, Seagate may have better clue why their certain products
<beep>. Hitachi has same feature, but where the Seagate noise is like short ranged constant seeking, Hitachi noise is like the drive is going to fail any moment. The takeaway - Do Not Buy if the computer with these HDD's is anywhere near you (<10 meters).
Lets hope there is a time again where MS stock is in demand 
