After Microsoft's glitchy update to Service Pack 2 (which as of this writing I still have yet to download), I prefer things to be out there and bug fr'ee by the time I put them on my hard drive.

However, the latest and greatest appears to be Google's attempt to "help you" find stuff online and inside your own hard drive. They are preparing to release a "desktop helper" program (maybe the beta is out at the time of this writing?).

This program promises to search everything you've done and everywhere you've gone online, along with everything you've stored on your computer.

Their reasoning?

To make it "easier" for you to recall and retrieve obscure and not so obscure information (are the alarm bells ringing for you yet?).

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Windows (any variation) already have a full search capability? Redundant question because, of course, the answer is a resounding... Yes!

And your Windows search even hunts out all those stray places where you may have parked anything and everything yet forgotten where.

I am not an authority on this new "helper" tool of Googles, far from it, but when I read a recent article this morning in the New York Times, bells began going off - fairly alarming ones at that.

I run no less than a solid firewall, an outstanding antivirus program (Norton) and three (count 'em three) sp'yware programs.

Based on this I will tell you that whenever I break down and reinstall the Google search bar for even short amounts of time, my sp'yware detection programs go absolutely nuts!

On the opposite end of the scale, Yahoo's toolbar rings no bells or whistles when scanned. Yahoo says it doesn't peek and snoop, and not being a programmer myself I do place a lot of stock in the returns and tri'ggers of all my "protect me and my computer" programs. I conclude for myself that Yahoo is indeed telling the truth. I use Yahoo's toolbar all the time. I like my privacy.

I'm betting dollars to donuts that letting Google have access to everything on and off your computer is going to be "interesting" if not downright alarming, and most computer users won't have a clue or fully understand what they are allowing.

Heck, most computer users don't even run a proper vi'rus detection system and/or keep it updated on a weekly (or more often) basis.

While this latest "helper" may indeed turn out to be the "next best thing since sliced bread," I'd advise caution. Don't be one of the first to rush out and get this, play it smart.

Giving access to any program (other than firewalls and antivirus programs) to everything and every area on your computer is flirting with danger in my book.

[Remember... You've got to invite the vampire in willingly or he/she cannot come into your house - or computer in this case.]

You'll have to decide for yourself. Me... I'm most certainly waiting and IF I ever test it out you can bet it's running through all three of my sp'yware programs, along with a good Norton virus scan first.

SEARCH is available under your START menu, and your bookmarks and/or favorites folder plus your history in the IE browser itself should be more than sufficient (it's what we've all been doing for a long, long time just fine) for the time being.

My advice? Let others be the guinea pigs of the world for you... if they must...