MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF. — Google Inc. became the first tech heavyweight to tackle the daunting task of uncluttering computers, introducing a program on Thursday that quickly scours hard drives for documents, e-mails, instant messages and past Web searches.

With the free desktop program, Google hopes to build upon the popularity of its Internet-leading search engine and become even more indispensable to the millions of people who entrust the Mountain View-based company to find virtually anything online. Google’s desktop search program is so powerful that analysts cautioned computer users to carefully consider what kind of material they want indexed, particularly if they’re sharing a computer.

© The Vancouver Sun 2004