Google's data sync tool breaks Windows search

Google is working on an update to its Google App Sync software, the latest version of which breaks Microsoft's Windows Desktop Search along with several plug-ins found in Outlook.

A post by Google on its enterprise blog late Tuesday details some of the broken plug-ins, which include Adobe's Acrobat PDF Maker toolbar, as well as Microsoft's Office Outlook Connector and Outlook change notifier. As a fix, Google is recommending that users with Google App Sync installed, and who need to use these tools and plug-ins simply uninstall the program until a fix can be made.

While the plug-ins may not be as important to some users, the crux of the problem is that Google's add-on disables Windows Desktop Search, and some other third-party search tools. It's not doing this maliciously though; Google says it does it to keep them from endlessly attempting to index the sync files the special software creates. Getting those programs to stop doing that will take cooperation from the companies that make them (including Microsoft), which Google says it's working on.

Google introduced its App Sync software earlier this month as an optional tool to its Premier and Education Edition users. It lets them sync up messages, calendar appointments, and contacts between Outlook and Google's hosted office services.

Corrected at 4 p.m. PDT: This story initially gave the incorrect day for the Google enterprise blog post. It was Tuesday.

[bensobel]

Google need to better test their software, especially these plugins which can break functions the enterprise users depend on.

[techman21]

Hey, we don't want Windows Search to index these files, so we'll just turn it off...

How about excluding those files from being indexed? There's gotta be an API.

[Dalkorian]

"Google says it does it to keep them from endlessly attempting to index the sync files the special software creates. Getting those programs to stop doing that will take cooperation from the companies that make them (including Microsoft), which Google says it's working on."

If I read that right, Google is working with M$ on the problem. That would imply there is no API to exclude files from indexing, otherwise M$ might have suggested that as well.

[Goodbye Helicopter]

haha

[Maccess]

As much as I like Google's online services offerings, their downloadable software leaves much to be desired. Google Desktop search occassionally can't even tell its gadgets which version is installed, and sometimes it just stops running and can't be re-installed.

[lennie22]

so wait....the only way to get it off your copmuter after that is to actually do a re-install windows? damn that sucks....I'm glad I don't use google desktop.

[L33tLuXX0rz]

Finally! This has caused me a problem for the past several days. It wont sync my outlook anymore adn always goes into this endless cycle of trying to sync and never being able to do it!

Of course giving me an error