Don't let the title put you off. [The name, "Ransack" did annoy some potential users, even though this program has been around for twenty years.]

As a result, the authors used the same code for the same product, re-branded as FileLocator (Lite and Pro), with optional paid features.

[This particular free version of Agent Ransack/FileLocator has been updated, but the free version carries only some of the options offered by the Pro version. So, older, full-featured, free versions, may no longer be available.]

However, a full-featured trial version lasts for 30 days, during which all Pro features are enabled. Sixty-nine dollars buys the full license, with free upgrades for one year.

Figure 1: Google photo - St. John's Innovation Centre entrance, in Cambridge.

[Interesting Fact: The core team writing and maintaining this code is now located in Cambridge, United Kingdom, in the St. John's Innovation Centre (similar to Toronto's MaRS Discovery District), an institution primarily concerned with promoting business ventures.]

Since the authors have provided some excellent screen shots, illustrating all features, see them at this link.

Include Boolean search terms, in your searches, as well as date filters. Shell integration is another option.

As a test task, I tried a text only search (on an old desktop) for a word I did not think existed on one of the large storage drives. In about 2 minutes, FileLocator had searched through 300 GB of data, yet found this unlikely word included in the contents of a zip filename. With a double click I was able to see the contents of the zipped files within it. [Note, File Locator displays salient text in highlights.]

As a second test, looking for a filename, I entered ".bmp" for a search on a 1 TB SATA drive, almost half full with stored images. In about 1.75 minutes, FileLocator had found 4 thousand .bmp files, taking up over 16 GB of hard drive space. To my surprise, a lot of these BMPs were not mine; they had been placed on the drive by past installers, or they were in the recycle bin (from an old backup). Still useful information. Those BMPs, stored in zip files, were immediately loadable in an image viewer.

System requirements:

Platform: Windows 7 and later

Version: 05 July, 2023

Language: English, French, German, and Chinese

Download Size: 67 MB (32 / 64-bit) installer (44 MB and 47 MB 32 / 64-bit portable versions)

Installed Size: 150 MB

License: FREE

Rating:

Download Site here.