Beware – Copernic Desktop Search 3.0 is a Freeware Downgrade
Posted by: Barry Cleave in Freeware, News, tags: Desktop Search, Independant Review, Independent Review, Power Saving, Pro Reviewer, Utilities, Windows, WIndows Vista, Windows XP
What’s This About?
Copernic Desktop Search has been my desktop search utility of choice for sometime. The main reasons for this were
- Searching Network Shares
- Reasonably stable
- OK Interface
and in that order!
There are obviously other desktop search products out there and I have tried most of them. I quite like Google but I don’t like the browser interface. X1 has a great interface with lots of options for refining searches and setting personal searches but won’t index network shares in the free version. MS Windows product was not as good as other solutions but I will certainly be looking at the new version 4 in the next few days. Anyway up till now I have been using Copernic on my home network to index 3 desktop PCs, 2 Laptops, my Windows Home Server drives and my NAS boxes.
Yesterday I was greeted by the following message box while suing Copernic Desktop Search 2.3:
A major new version "update” (note they don’t use the word upgrade) is always interesting with the promise of new features and options.
In fact the message box states:
We recommend that you update the current version to benefit from the latest features and improvements.
I duly updated by letting the automatic download and install process run.
What Did I Find?
When Copernic 3 restarted I immediately noticed 2 things:
- My Saved Searches were no longer there
- The Preview Pane was showing
(I normally don’t have it displayed)
OK, I though lets check this out and reset the options.
My Searches
So I clicked on “My Searches” in the menu bar to be greeted by a popup window with the following banner at the top:
Strike 1
This post will follow the usual format of presenting information as screenshots backed up by further written details.
(click on any picture to enlarge where necessary)
Next I tried to reset the Preview Pane to off:
Again I was told this feature was only available in non-freeware versions:
Strike 2
So What Features Are Free?
So at this point I clicked on the Compare link in the popup window. This took me to the Copernic site and a handy table showing what was available in the freeware and paid versions:
Well as you can see there are a lot of free features in the free version and many of those missing are probably of less interest to many users not in a corporate environment. However for my use the following are essential:
- Index Network Drives
- Save Searches
- Search Outlook Appointments
The ability to turn off the preview pane to speed up searches while not absolutely essential fell into the “highly desirable” category.
What Next?
Looking at the search results all my previous network share results were still there so I had a look at the files options dialog to find the previously defined network shares were still there>
Well that looked like a bit of a bonus so I tried adding a new network share:
Strike 3 and Out
Sorry Copernic, this was essential for me and I am not paying $49.95 when there are other free products that will do the job, so unfortunately Copernic Desktop Search 3 you are out 
ProReviewer Conclusions
I am always disappointed, frustrated and sometimes a little angry when free products are crippled or become a paid offering. That said commercial organizations have to make decisions on the financial viability and alternative income streams that they get through free products. The difficulty that I see in all of this is that there are often good alternatives and sometimes you find the free alternatives are better than the paid for product. When that happens not only have you lost a customer but you have shown your competitors are better and for free.
As I said in the opening I will be looking at Windows Search 4 and will revisit some of the other free search software programs in the next few days. The worse case scenario is reinstalling Copernic 2 for the time being.
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October 1st, 2008 at 1:58 pm - Edit
stop being so cheap and support the software developers that make good products. 50 bucks is very fair for something you have been using for free for many years. why not support the company so they can continue to make it better? It is only 50 bucks and they even give you a discount if upgrading from the free version. I upgraded and love the new features such as indexing and searching calendars, tasks, and notes. Plus, you get technical support. It is worth it to upgrade to Copernic 3.0
October 1st, 2008 at 7:58 pm - Edit
Hi Vincent,
Thanks for the feedback. Sorry you think I am being cheap, I like to think that I am giving balanced advice on good freeware products and letting people decide for themselves on what is good value. I completely respect the right of any organization to make their own commercial decisions, sometimes I just question whether these are the best decisions based on competition and the free market.
For my own purposes and the main thrust of ProReviewer I am advocating the use of good freeware products where they are available. There is certainly a lot of rubbish both in the freeware and paid arena.
I am sure that Copernic 3 is still a very good product for people who don’t need to search across network shares or to have personalized searches.
By amazing and complete coincidence A bright, shiny, new copy of Acronis True Image Home 11 arrived from Amazon (UK) today (I expected it yesterday), so I do (very) occasionally buy software if it meets my needs and there is not a good, fully functional freeware alternative. (Probably my last purchase was at least 4 months ago).
I also resent situations where a developer starts to restrict the functionality of a product in order to make a sale to people who have grown used to the original “free” product. In this case Copernic have restricted the functions available and at the same time there seems to be good freeware alternatives, so I can’t fully understand their marketing strategy.
Personally I feel that in a world where good freeware is available then anything you pay for has to stand “head and shoulders” above the competition.
Regards,
Barry Cleave
October 1st, 2008 at 11:12 pm - Edit
i too am angry. they slipped this downgrade in sneakily. the update window is not informative and it just seems like you are getting a normal patch. no user thinks a patch will cripple their program. so i clicked ok, and was left with a crippled program that couldn’t do network drives or turn off the preview pane. worst it inconvenienced me as now i had to uninstall the damned thing and downgrade myself back to functionality. if they wanted to gain customers i’m sorry, this is a good way to guarantee bad will.
October 3rd, 2008 at 2:29 am - Edit
I to didn’t like the downgrade without letting me know what was going to happen. I should have checked their website first. Who would have expected that something I’ve trusted for several years would pull some garbage like this. It’s not that I don’t believe in paying for the product, though $50.00 is much too high a price. The point is that they disabled features I used and then wanted me to pay for the return of those features. Hum, sounds sort of like a ransom to me. If you want to create software and eventually charge for it, that’s fine. Use some ethics though. You add features to a release that are disabled in the free version, you do not remove features and then demand payment. I found version 2 on CNet and downloaded it. I will be installing the older version (hopefully) on my other computer tomorrow. If not, then bye bye Copernic.
October 3rd, 2008 at 4:33 am - Edit
todd and fred, i agree the way they took out features was pretty lame, however, they did offer a 20% discount and others charge as well… I am not letting google index my PC. Microsoft’s tool sucks.
They way, i look at, is that I am doing the right thing by paying for programmers to continue to develop the tool which saves me tons of time and money every day. Here is there link to lower the price to 30 bucks or so. I too thought 50 bucks was a little high.
copernic.com/en/products/...sktop-search/convert.html
use Coupon Code: CDS00298HEUC
October 3rd, 2008 at 6:47 am - Edit
$50 is far too much for this tool when you can get many freeware alternatives. The LOUD and BLINKING message to upgrade was enough for me to banish it from my PC… poor marketing and guaranteed to piss off their loyal followers
October 6th, 2008 at 5:39 am - Edit
Thanks for the informative posting! I did a quick search prior to “upgrading” and am glad I did.
October 6th, 2008 at 9:50 am - Edit
That’s the problem: they didn’t warn users that the “upgrade” actually removes a number of key features that were in fact the only reason some users were using the software in the first place!
October 9th, 2008 at 12:59 pm - Edit
I have found Copernic 2 quite useful on a locked down corporate PC when I couldnt load other search programs. However on my Vista lappie I have found MS Windows search 4 quite good & it integrates into the Vista start menu/explorer search. Other than that you could consider the multi-task search type programs like Launchy http://www.launchy.net or
Find and Run Robot donationcoder.com/Software/Mouser/findrun/
Launchy is better known but I like FARR
Please remember to post and let us know what solution you decide on
Noblejokers last blog post..Saving images from emails
October 9th, 2008 at 7:31 pm - Edit
Hi Everyone,
Thanks again for all the comments.
I agree $50 is too much and if I had to shell out for a desktop search program I would probably look at X1 first although I have a couple of reservations from past experience.
Removing existing functions to try to persuade people to buy a paid for version I think creates resentment and is a poor long term strategy.
I have given Windows Search 4 another try on XP and was disappointed. I haven’t tried it out on my new Vista box yet
and finally…
I also really like FARR, I use it all the time on several machines. I started writing a post on it when I was on Holiday at the beginning of June. I must get it finished.
Regards,
Barry
October 12th, 2008 at 5:10 pm - Edit
Version 3 is more annoying than anything else and that multiimage gif that sits in the preview tray just eats system resources needlessly. I think Copernic desktop of a great program and I’ve used it for years (and I like how it doesn’t call home like Google). But they just really annoyed me with this. I wouldn’t mind paying a few bucks for it, but $50 isn’t a few. Here is where you can get 2.3 (buld 18):
http://www.download.com/3640-2379_4-10818193.html
November 5th, 2008 at 8:37 am - Edit
anyone notice that even if you downgrade theres a “upgrade avaliable” popup that appears when the program first starts? i firewall blocked the program, so i guess it infested my registry with something that set this off even after downgrade/uninstalls:(
quite annoying.
November 12th, 2008 at 10:35 pm - Edit
I am also ticked that my perfectly functioning version has been replaced by a downgraded version. If it had been advertised with the full list of changes, one could decide whether the improvements are worth it. For most folks (i.e. those who don’t need to index mapped drives), this upgrade is probably no biggie, but for me, it is a less than happy thing. To top it off, I thought “heck, I really need to index those network drives, I’ll buy it, although it is expensive”, then I found that they are adding 19% VAT on top of the price. Maybe that’s only because I’m in Europe at the moment, but it doesn’t leave a good impression and has made put off (or completely decide against) the purchase.
BTW, Mark, thanks for the link. I’ve downloaded and will try installing with the hope that it hasn’t yet been replaced by v3 Home.
February 5th, 2009 at 5:05 pm - Edit
I had some dispute with a colleague because of this, because she obviously had not put her word-files in to the required directory. But she said she had. After looking into the directory here files were there. Why did copernic stop finding them since October or so???
Then I thought it was the upgrade and found this page: no network drives any more.
Lesson learned: always keep a copy of the old version!
February 9th, 2009 at 5:09 am - Edit
Here is a link to get copernic’s PRO version for 20% off. I am finding that their new Build (49) for version 3.1 is very stable and like the integration with their new mobile technology.
copernic.com/en/products/...sktop-search/convert.html
March 8th, 2009 at 5:00 pm - Edit
I did use copernic in the past and I must say that it was a good product. Not sure if it’s worth paying for. I’ll have to check it out again since some time has passed since the last time I used it
March 8th, 2009 at 9:29 pm - Edit
i used to be a great fan of desktop search engines ever since they started evolving in a big way with google’s entry in this area…copernicus ws good,but it ws mainly due to no competition in free prodicts indexing network drives etc… otherwise,yahoo desktop search (based on x1) ws much much better in nt only look and presentation,but also speed and features… i still use yahoo desktop search only…even though its not being devloped anymore… however, offlate, i ‘ve moved to file-name-search kind of software where ‘everything’ beats everybody else (incl locate32) hands down!!it workls like a charm…one must see its power nefore continuing to use other things!!
rajesh pal
09mar09
rajesh pals last blog post..Text of Mr Ramalinga Raju’s statement
March 11th, 2009 at 6:34 pm - Edit
“Vincent UNITED STATES Windows XP Internet Explorer 7.0 says:
October 1st, 2008 at 1:58 pm
stop being so cheap and support the software developers that make good products. 50 bucks is very fair for something you have been using for free for many years. ”
Hey Vincent they used us to improve the product. Our feedback helped in the development of the product for free. Now I’m not always a something for nothing person. But $50.00 for a product that has many free alternatives is a bit much, that on top of my using it for years and providing feedback should be worth something also. Prior users should have been offered a hefty, say 50% discount instead of a bait and switch tactic. That would have made the transition much easier to accept.
Still I like the company and I like the product but I’m not paying $50.00 for it. There are more fish in the sea (internet) to choose from.
March 15th, 2009 at 3:48 pm - Edit
This is good software (I support it) and I’m actually making something like this of my own… wont be 100% the same but will be differnt in a few ways.
March 28th, 2009 at 4:02 am - Edit
[...] by obot2009-03-21 – How to uninstall windows desktop search? saved by RichardLiriano2009-03-21 – beware – copernic desktop search 3.0 is a freeware downgrade saved by MizunoAqua2009-03-18 – Visual Internet and Desktop Search saved by Hilaryth2009-03-17 – [...]
April 15th, 2009 at 4:48 pm - Edit
Barry,
At the end of the article you mentioned that you were going to review some other Desktop Search apps? Can you post a link to these other reviews – I did a quick search but couldn’t find the reviews?
Thanks,
Darryl
June 11th, 2009 at 12:31 pm - Edit
I have installed paid for version 2.0 and twice it stopped indexing after a few days. Emails to Copernic are ignored.
I need to search across a network and into Outlook email that live in my exchange server and not on the client.
Any recommendation for Network search that will include files/emails living elsewhere?
June 21st, 2009 at 9:34 pm - Edit
I’ve never used (or even heard of) the Copernic Desktop Search before. Does it work better than the standard windows search? Would you recommend it to your readers?
June 22nd, 2009 at 7:49 pm - Edit
i still use yahoo desktop search only…even though its not being developed anymore… however, off late, i ‘ve moved to file-name-search kind of software where ‘everything’ beats everybody else (incl locate32) hands down
June 23rd, 2009 at 5:57 am - Edit
I ended up buying the professional version for $50, and it is still fairly buggy compared to v2. What bugged me was that there is a 2GB indexing limit that they failed to mention. Now that my index is about 2.5GB, their support simply said to unindex some folders until I get below 2GB. Since I use this in my job to find data, this is unacceptable. Their tech support appears hampered by ongoing bugs, and no commitment to bug fix dates. The program itself is a great search tool, but still many bugs in v3.
July 24th, 2009 at 4:29 am - Edit
Basically, i don’t understand about desktop until reading this post
July 24th, 2009 at 4:31 am - Edit
Yeah..$50 for this it’s very much
July 26th, 2009 at 6:58 pm - Edit
How this compare to Google desktop search which is completely free
July 27th, 2009 at 5:41 am - Edit
I kept 2.3 and put the following in my hosts file:
127.0.0.1 updates.copernic.com
127.0.0.1 download3.copernic.com
127.0.0.1 http://www.copernic.com
I can still get to help.copernic.com but the updates leave me alone.
July 28th, 2009 at 11:03 am - Edit
As Copernic tries to connect via URL (cdsweb.copernic.com) AND (!) IP address (209.71.208.119) for the current release it’s enough to create a “Local Security Policy” / IP security policy to block 209.71.208.119.
As soon as Copernic get’s an “destination host unreachable” for 209.71.208.119, ads and banners are stopped.
August 28th, 2009 at 12:53 pm - Edit
Hi…
It happened with me before when I was using USB security tool.I was asked to update virus database.When i did it,it stoped deleting viruses from my USB drive.So most of the time they are doing for their business purpose.I would suggest to use the free versions of the software as they are mostly bug free.
October 28th, 2009 at 3:35 am - Edit
Thanks for the info. There are many other freeware alternatives!
October 29th, 2009 at 2:04 pm - Edit
Personally I think google is still the best for desktop search, but I know what you mean about the interface, it is not the best.
October 29th, 2009 at 2:32 pm - Edit
With version 3.2.1, Copernic’s Free Desktop Version is much better than google. Plus, Copernic offers a unique mobile search plug-in. Let’s you search your pc with your cellphone and then transfer and view all sorts of documents on your PDA, Iphone, or Cellphone. It works great. Kudos to Copernic.
October 30th, 2009 at 11:59 am - Edit
Though my comment isn’t about the Copernic Desktop Search but their Agent Pro (thus a paid for product), I thought I post it to find out if others that may use this Copernic product have been as frustrated as I am with one of its major functions, tracking of pages. The company doesn’t clearly let you know that it doesn’t work with Vista (and I wonder Windows 7). Something to do with the Windows Task Scheduler. Some of there technicians gave me a method to fix this, which works only once procedures are applied and you’re on the computer and don’t hold after you shut down and boot up later, and others directly let me know it doesn’t work with Vista.
Also, I get the impression that the company is focusing more on the Desktop product and the new myCopernic as opposed to the true unique and better products they have like Agent, Summarizer and Tracker. Perhaps, I’m wrong, but for the price, these are the products that researchers, analysts, etc., need and where Copernic “stands out” from the crowd, yet they don’t seem to be updating them with the advancing changes in OS systems.
January 12th, 2010 at 4:49 pm - Edit
Sorry folks, the links to Download.com gets the latest version.
I’ll keep looking for version 2.3
Found here: http://depositfiles.com/en/files/6936586
Version 2.3 build 30
February 19th, 2010 at 9:24 pm - Edit
I found this small company’s search product quite useful. It’s located at irissearch.net.
Note Added by ProReviewer – This is not a freeware product