Installing Google Desktop Search on Vista 64 bit
If you have been a long time user of Google Desktop Search and now seem to find it difficult to live without it, you might have been disappointed to see that you can no longer install it on the 64 bit version of Vista. However, there is a workaround for this. Here are the steps to install it on your 64 bit machine.
- Download Google Desktop Search.
- Start->Run->cmd (basically open a command prompt)
- In the command prompt change directory to the location where you have downloaded google desktop search.
- Type “GoogleDesktopSetup.exe /force” on the command line to start up the installation.
- Follow through the installation.
I’ve heard that some of the functionality is disabled, but I haven’t really experienced anything as such so I’m not sure whether or not that is the case. Well, I’m happy so long as I have Google Desktop Search up and running on my system again 
Thank you for the hint. It
worked as well with a Windows Seven 64 bit.
Thomas
CMD prompt came up in C:\Users\Admin\ I moved the google set up file to that location but could not force the installation. The error message was that “GoogleDestopSetup.exe /force was not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file”.
I’d appreciate any input you could give me to help me succeed in this installation.
@Richard
A few suggestions:
1. In case you copy/pasted your error message verbatim, you mistyped GoogleDesktopSetup.exe (its missing the k in Desktop)
2. Make sure that the executable is in the directory by doing a ‘dir’.
3. Make sure that you have the permissions to run the executable in that directory (double click on it to see if it runs)
Other than that, I can’t seem to imagine why this would not work.
I succeeded in installing GDS on my 64 bit Vista and found it was a) almost entirely dysfunctional and b) caused my system to slow down to almost dead stop. To make matters worse, it was almost impossible to uninstall; I had to do a system restore and reinstall some software. I’ll wait for Google to release the version that will work and play well with my system. Nothing I’ve said makes Vista’s search any better. Thanks anyway.
You say: In the command prompt change directory to the location where you have downloaded google desktop search.
My gds.exe is on my desktop. Can you tell me the appropriate string to get there in cmd.
@drjim
Depending on which version of windows you have it would vary, but usually it is somewhere around “c:\documents and settings\users\\desktop” or “c:\users\ \desktop”
I run a 64 bit, Vista Dell and am concerned about the experience of Richard above. What do you run and do you think his reaction was ideosyncratic?
BTW, I looked for Windows Desktop Search and MS doesn’t seem to have it for Vista. Do you know anything about that?
Thanks.
@drjim
I run it on a 64bit Vista OS on a hp machine. So far I haven’t found any issues. My system doesn’t slow down terribly, although I have not tried uninstalling it yet (so it might be an issue).
Between Windows Desktop Search and Google Desktop Search, I found GDS more appealing, so never really ventured behind checking out WDS in depth.
Just force installed GD and it is working fine so far.
Thanks again for the assist.
I too force installed Google Desktop on my new 64-bit HP Pavilion laptop. Its working fine so far. Thanks for the tip.
Latest version of GDS - version 5.9 - is compatible with 64-bit versions of XP and Vista.
@Rose
Thanks, that’s great news