"If you want something that is a lot faster and less resource heavy (though can't index file content[1]), then Locate32 is a great alternative, it is a GUI pseudo-port of the unix locate command (comes in 32 and 64bit versions, is actively developed and is very small and portable):
http://locate32.net/content/view/14/26/
Windows Desktop Search, at least before version 4 in my testing was very poor performance-wise compared to Google Desktop Search. As I understand it, Microsoft have improved performance in the latest version.
[1] You can however in the advanced search options, find text within a set of files, but this doesn't use a pre-indexed database..."
"neoSearch is a desktop search program that can index your entire system in less than a minute.
Features:
Indexes your computer in a matter of seconds Presents you with dynamic results that keep changing as you type in your query. Presents you with a full list of files that match your query (when the search button is clicked or 'Enter' is pressed) in as little as 0.01 seconds. Lets you quickly navigate to any file or folder on your system using Super-Navigation. Tiny hard-drive footprint and RAM usage (1.5MB). Paths to be included and excluded can be explicitly specified. Indexing can be scheduled and can also be run on demand. Can be set to start with your system and can be launched from the tray icon later."
