Video:Google Desktop

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Transcript:Google Desktop

Hi, I'm Don Schechter for About.com Computing. Today, I'm going to show you how to install and run Google Desktop.

This program allows you to search for items very quickly on your desktop as well as on the Web.

Download and Install Google Desktop

To install Google Desktop, go to desktop.google.com. Click on 'agree' and 'download.' Click 'save.' When prompted, choose to restart your computer now.

You can also customize Google desktop for personal preferences, like gmail and your personal homepage. Next, click 'enable advanced features.' Then click 'yes,' 'enable sidebar.'

Search for Files on Your Desktop

Once installed, go to the Google Desktop homepage to search for any file on your desktop.

You can get to this page by clicking 'desktop' above the search box on google.com, or double-clicking on the Google Desktop icon on the lower right hand corner of your task bar.

If you want to search for a file, for example, a Word document, type in a keyword from the document title and click 'search desktop.'

I will type in alumni list, and here's the result. The results will pop up just as they do when you're using Google to search on the Web.

Customize Google Gadgets

Google Desktop comes with Google Gadgets, which are interactive mini-applications, such as news, weather, and photos. They are organized into a sidebar on your computer screen.

You can move the different parts around your desktop or up and down the sidebar by clicking and dragging each application to where you want it to go.

You can personalize your gadgets by moving your mouse to the upper right hand corner of the specific application until a little gray bar appears.

Use Google Gadgets

Click the middle menu button, and you can choose what you want to adjust from the pulldown menu. You can even write to-do lists or notes in the sidebar.

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