Last week, I told you how to Replace Windows XP Search with a faster file search utility. In the article I mentioned three very good and fast replacements.

This week, I’ve found a fourth search utility that I can recommend as well.

A company, named Jam Software, has just released a beta version of UltraSearch. It’s a relatively small and very fast file search utility for NTFS local drives. It should run well in any Windows OS that uses NTFS file systems (WinNT, Win2K, WinXP, Vista, Win7).

Features I like:

• It’s very fast, almost as fast as indexed search tools
• It’s small, less than 2mb download
• It’s simple, no options other than selecting drives
• It accepts wildcard characters ( * ? )
• It allows the Windows context menus to show (right click on file)
• It’s available as a zip download and installed download
• It includes a help file (English and German)
• It can be used from a portable drive (flash drive, floppy disk, CD)
• It’s freeware, no strings attached

Screenshot:

First, I want to clarify why I like search tools that don’t create indexes. Usually, an indexed search tool must run in the background, continuously watching your hard drive for changes. Often the index databases can be large, sometimes very large (gigabytes). Indexed search tools, can not be used from a portable drive, at least not easily.

Techie Buzz Verdict:

UltraSearch isn’t a new idea. There are a few other tools that take advantage of the NTFS file tables to search quickly. It also does not search inside of files for text or other data. It cannot be considered completely portable since it appears to write data to the Application Data folders and likely other areas. However, if all you need is a very fast and easy file search, it’s a big winner.

Techie Buzz Rating: 3.5/5 (Very good)