Microsoft today will release a final version of its desktop search offering as it tries to enter a market that biggest rivals Yahoo and Google have already staked out, writes CNET. After five months of beta testing and 1 million downloads, the release of MSN Search Toolbar and Windows Desktop Search includes several improvements, such as a preview of desktop search results in a windowpane.

With its upcoming Longhorn launch, Microsoft is developing enhanced search software that combines navigation for web and desktop files straight from the operating system - and the toolbar is a step toward that goal, reports the AP

The beta allowed users to search not only by file name but also by the contents of documents, emails, calendar entries, pictures and PowerPoint presentations; the AP writes that the new version expands the type of files supported and lets users customize how the program sorts different files - by date, size, author or sender, among others. Search Engine Watch lays out a user's view of how well MSN's desktop search works.