Google search results are faster than local hard drive queries because Google is able to index and analyze more data.
Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites.
The Question
SuperUser reader Arne wants to know why his local search is so slow compared to a search engine query:
He’s certainly not the only one who has noticed the discrepancy; right out of the box with no customization operating-system based search is pretty darn slow.
If I fill in a search term in Google, the answer is on my screen in milliseconds. How is it possible for Google to search the Internet, that is many times larger than my hard drive, faster than my OS can search my computer.
Is it ‘only’ a matter of computing power and the right algorithm?
The Answers
SuperUser contributor Simon highlights the fundamental difference between a Google search query and a non-indexed Windows search:
For more information on speeding up Windows search queries, be sure to check out the following How-To Geek articles:
If you want to know more about how the Google search works you can read Google’s article “How Search Works” or read the article “How Stuff Works: How Google Works“.
How to Make Windows 8 Index Encrypted Files Learn How to Use Windows 7′s Advanced Search Operators Learn Even More Windows 7 Search Tricks to Find Files Easier Make Windows 7 Start Menu Search Find Your Applications Faster
Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.
