Agent Ransack: A Fast File Finder for Free
| Published: | Sep 19, 2012 | |||
| Author: | Stacy Reed | |||
| Software that can help | Good for | Cow Rating | |||||
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This tool finds files and information on your hard drive. |  |
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Here’s a piece of freeware everyone should have installed on their computer, especially if you’re fed up with the slow and inefficient performance of Microsoft’s built-in file search engine. Agent Ransack helps users look for files or specific information - even if it’s text within a document - by scouring your hard drive and returning matching results quickly. I put this software to the test and was pleased with many of its features, particularly how easy it is to actually search using familiar Boolean terms and operators (several great examples are provided within the program’s help files) then see the results immediately as they are found. For instance, when I did a search for documents containing a certain keyword, the matching text results appeared highlighted in the viewing area so I didn’t have to waste time opening each of the files individually in order to find the information I was looking for. What’s more, Agent Ransack provides a helpful Wizard that walks users through the searching process, making it super easy to use for beginners and seasoned pros alike.
Another advantage over the average search tool is that users can save their search criteria in order to access it later if needed. Results can also be printed and exported for easy sharing or further reference. Besides offering many different options for narrowing or broadening search criteria, the software also allows the user to customize the interface by choosing preferred highlight colors or setting a different font.
Agent Ransack is free for both personal and commercial use, and just to clear up any confusion, it also goes by the name FileLocator Lite, which has been rebranded for corporate environments. Both are offered as reduced functionality versions of FileLocator Pro. If you’re interested, the developer has posted a side-by-side product comparison chart of the Lite and Pro versions on their website. Also worth mentioning, they will provide a locked-down version of Agent Ransack by request, which they recommend for high-security work environments where the user is not allowed to search their local PC.
About Stacy Reed
Stacy Reed is Tucows' resident software librarian and editor. She has been reviewing PC and mobile software as well as web services for over a decade. Helping developers improve and promote their products is only one of her areas of expertise. Stacy is also an advocate for Open Source, Creative Commons and freeware, taking special interest in educational resources, social media, cloud sharing, and mobile technology.
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