• Google desktop searches can be narrowed down to improve accuracy.internet dating image by Graham Dance from Fotolia.com
  
  Google Desktop Search, often abbreviated as GDS, is a part of Google Desktop, a desktop managing system offered by Google that links multiple online and offline systems together. Google Desktop Search is one of the more popular examples of this application: when users search for a particular word or phrase in the GDS search bar, Google opens up a webpage that not only has all the Internet results for the search, but also all the file results from the user's computer, including most offline files. You can find numerous ways to tweak GDS based on user needs.
  
  

Protect Secure Pages

• A preferences section in the GDS program allows users to choose what pages they want to include in the searches that GDS performs. Overall, it is a good idea to deselect the option that says "show secure webpages." This prevents the search engine from turning up any pages that you want kept secure, such as banking sites, investment sites, and other sources of financial information.
  
  

Separate Accounts

• GDS can be installed as a separate application on separate user accounts for the computer. This means that when one user searches, the results will only return files and folders from that user account, not from the entire computer. This is an easy way of keeping information separated and creating a privacy barrier if the computer is being used by more than one person.
  
  

Skip Result Page Indexes

• Also in preferences is an option to choose various sites to not index, or to skip during each search. You can add the computer location for folders in here, but you may want to start by adding the "http://127.0.0.1/" page. This pages is actual the results of the previous searches that you have conducted. If this page is indexed, then Google will produce all the searches you have made for similar phrases, which can be distracting at best, and at worst lets you think the search is finding something when it really is not.
  
  

Use the Relevance Option

• An option in GDS is called "Search by Relevance." When you click on this button, the search will automatically reorganize to start with the results that match most closely with the phrase you searched for (instead of the results most frequently accessed or those Google happens upon first). This search option is very useful for people who can remember a word or two of the file they want to find, but nothing else.
  
  

Add GDS to Another Search Engine

• A number of plug-ins are available from Google to update and change GDS. One of the most common is the ability to add GDA to web browsers such as Firefox that users prefer to use, but with GDS capabilities. Other add-ons allow users to search data CDs or include compressed files in searches.