We're all used to searching the web at blazing fast speeds: picking out the right webpages among the five billion choices takes only a few hundredths of a second. Yet when it comes to searching a relative puddle compared to that ocean, the number of files, e-mails and documents on our computer, the average person is stuck wasting minutes or even hours using Windows' standard search program.

Google has come to the rescue once again with a new application, Google Desktop Search. It indexes files, e-mails, AOL conversations (if you give it permission), Word and Excel documents just like Google indexes webpages. You can then use the convenient icon it places in your system tray to bring up a Google search box that brings the power, speed and ease of use of Google searches to your desktop.

Google Desktop Search, like its Web counterpart, takes only a fraction of a second to search, sort and list the matching files, e-mails, conversations and web history. Results can be filtered with a single click to include only, for example, matching e-mails, and to sort them by date or relevance.

While the new Google software is still in beta, it is free for anyone to download and installs in just minutes. It will take a short while before its full ability can be used as the program makes its index of e-mails, documents and other computer files only when the computer is not in use.

Download a free copy at http://desktop.google.com/