Subscribe to How-To Geek

Recommended: Click Here to Run a Free Scan for Common PC Errors   [Sponsored Link]

Index Your PDF Documents with Foxit IFilter for Vista

Geeks everywhere have embraced the lightweight and free Foxit PDF reader instead of using Adobe reader, but did you realize that you can index PDF files without Adobe installed on your computer?

You might be thinking… isn't it working already? What you don't realize is that Adobe Reader also installs an IFilter that helps Windows index your documents.

Installation

Since our goal is to banish Adobe reader from our system, we'll need to fix download the IFilter and install it. Before it will work we'll need to rebuild the index.

Type in Indexing into the start menu search box to launch Indexing Options.

image

Now you'll need to click on the Advanced button.

image

And hit the Rebuild button on this page. The rebuild is going to take quite a while, so you might want to do it before you go to bed.

image

Once finished, you should be running on Foxit software instead of Adobe.

Download Foxit PDF IFilter

The Geek is the founder of How-To Geek and a geek enthusiast. When he's not coming up with great how-to articles, he's probably writing at his personal blog. This article was written on 09/26/07 and tagged with: Windows Vista, Vista Tips & Tweaks

Leave a Comment




Leave your friendly comment here. If you have a computer help question, leave it on the forums instead.

Note: Your comment may not show up immediately on the site.

Copyright © 2006-2008 HowToGeek.com. All Rights Reserved.