Is there any way to have Vista's search function index files on
network shares (on a server) in addition to files on an individual PC?
When I try to add search locations the dialog seems to restrict me to
files on my PC.

If Vista is installed on the computer you are trying to access over the
network, tell Vista on that machine to Index the location you want searched.

If the network computer you are accessing is running XP or Windows 2003
server, install Windows Desktop Search from the Microsoft Web Site, and then
add the files you want to acccess to the Desktop Search Index on that
machine.

Vista will then 'query' the network computer you are accessing, and Network
computer will use the index it has built to return the results to you. This
makes searches on Network computer super fast as each computer is
maintaining the index of their local files and your computer is not tasked
with this responsibility.

Trying to remotely index a location would be painfully slow on most
networks, as Vista not only index tags, names, etc. but also scans the
entire file contents and is capable of indexing advanced file contents
including ink, and embedded audio with keyword recognition for applications
like OneNote.

Basically why make your computer do the work or create redudant indexes,
when the Network computer should be maintaining this information already.

"DWAnderson" <dwa@alumni.uchicago.edu> wrote in message
news:1172680017.254786.130470@z35g2000cwz.googlegr oups.com...
> Is there any way to have Vista's search function index files on
> network shares (on a server) in addition to files on an individual PC?
> When I try to add search locations the dialog seems to restrict me to
> files on my PC.
>