Technical Issues (Specific)

A: Add-on viewers are available with the product. These viewers will let you read, copy, and print information without having the application that created the file you found.

Q: How do I keep the index current?

A: AltaVista Search My Computer Private eXtension supports automatic and manual updating. Clicks inside a simple dialog box control everything. Indexing large amounts of complex PC application data is very fast and easy.

Q: How do I change the the order of results lists?

A: To change the order of the columns in the results list, do the following:

1. Click the Right Mouse Button anywhere in the results list Visit AltaVista Software today for product information, technical support, VARs in your area, and Partner information.PT IN THE TITLE COLUMN.
2. Click on the "Properties" item in the menu.
3. Click on the "Heading" tab.
4. Click on the title of the column you want to move.
5. Use the "Move Up" and "Move Down" buttons to change the position in which the selected column will be displayed.
6. Click on OK.

Q: How do I keep information from being indexed by AltaVista Search PX?

A: AltaVista Search PX only indexes the files, documents, e-mail, and local and networked disks you tell it to. You identify the information source. Examples include the D: drive on your PC, or your post offices on Microsoft Exchange or Eudora. You can also identify specific sub-directories and file types for indexing.

Q: Can I customize?

A: There is no way of adding customized menu items, or of creating a hierarchy of indexes. The product only works with one index. Using the Advanced Query you can limit to search to certain subdirectories. For example, you could search for, LOCATION: "c:\root\java" and "xxxxxx". This will search for the word "xxxxxx" in all documents in the directory c:\root\java (and any of its subdirectories).

Q: Can it index removable media?

A: The first version of the product will not have any explicit support for removable media. You can only index whatever removable media that is mounted at the time the index is run.

Q: Can it Search a CD-ROM?

A: At present we do not have a version of the AltaVista Search product that can be distributed "pre-indexed" on a CD. We have had several requests for this functionality, and it is likely that either the next version of the product will support inclusion on a CD, or a special version will be produced for distribution with CDs.

Q: Can it search across multiple indexes? (client, workgroup, intranet, Internet)?

A: We don't do a linked / pass-through search yet. That is, moving from Search My Computer PX, to the intranet PX, to the Web, etc. It has been added to the list of possible future enhancements, but it's too early to make any promises.

Q: What PC file types/formats and e-mail applications does AltaVista Search My Computer PX work with?

A: AltaVista Search My Computer PX is able to index word processing, presentation graphics, spreadsheets, e-mail and project planning applications. A complete list of supported file types will be available later. If the "pre-alpha" software does not handle a file type you need, please let us know by sending an e-mail to: avs-personal-bug@digital.com.

Q: Does it support Oracle or PDF?

A: No. This product does not support PDF or Oracle formats.

Q: Does it support Pegasus Mail, Eudora, or MS Exchange Mail?

A: The are no plans to support Pegasus mail in V1.0 . It will be considered for a subsequent release. V1.0 will support Eudora and MS Exchange mail.

Q: How do I index MS Exchange Files?

A: To enable Indexing/Searching of Exchange Mail:

1. Stop the Indexer window and all Search windows
2. In Explorer, go to the directory into which the product was installed. By default this is: c:\Program Files\Digital\AltaVista Search\Private eXtension
3. Rename the file pav_mapi.xxx to pav_mapi.dll
4. Start AltaVista Search; Exchange Mail will now appear as an option in the Search Window, and in the Index Setup Information Source "Add..." list.
5. Add Exchange mail as an information source in the Index Setup window.
6. Click on Start Index to build an index containing your Exchange Mail. When the index has completed you will be able to search for Exchange Mail.

Q: Does it support PowerPoint, Word, or WordPerfect?

A: Yes. This product does support the PowerPoint, Word and WordPerfect formats

Q: Does it work with Lotus Notes?

A: V1.0 of AVS My Computer will not support indexing of Lotus notes databases. If the person running Search PX has read-access to a file on disk, then it will be indexed. The product does not know about any security mechanisms other than standard file security.

Q: Can it Index Japanese and Chinese Like the Public Search can?

A: No. The AltaVista Public Search Service handles the multi-byte characters needed for Chinese, Japanese, etc. This capability will be a future feature in the My Computer Private eXtension.

Q: How do I install the PC version?

A: When you run AVSMCPA it will start a DOS Window to unpack the files that make up the product kit. It will put these files in the same directory as AVSMCPA. If you look in that directory (the Internet directory in your case) directory you should see a file called SETUP.EXE. If you run SETUP.EXE it will install AltaVista Search My Computer.

Q: What can I do if the indexer freezes?

A: Some files, usually corrupt files, cause the indexer to 'freeze' or 'hang' when indexing. The file name displayed by the indexer as the current file being indexed may not be the cause of the problem. It may be a file just before or just after the file in the directory. To get past this problem you can try the following:

1. move any suspect files into a directory that is not being indexed, then rerun the index
2. If you are indexing your whole disk, change the index setup to index only directories that contain files you want to index.
3. Change the index setup to exclude file types that you are not interested in indexing. To do this:
   • click on "Index Setup" button
   • select one of the directories in the Information Sources list.
   • Click on "Edit..."
   • Click on "Index Options"
   • Scroll through the list of file types and make sure that only files you are interested in have a check mark. Once you have done this return to the Indexer window and click on "Start Index".

Q: How many Web pages are on my intranet?

A: If you do not know the number of Web pages on your intranet, you can estimate. It's simply a place to start. You can adapt and change your data as your facts become more apparent.

In one of our beta test sites, it was estimated that 300,000 Web pages and text documents existed on their intranet. After running AltaVista Search Intranet PX, they found 900,000 pages, including references and duplicates. Our experience shows that it is more common to underestimate the size of your intranet than to overestimate it.

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