Don't be surprised to get two quotes for data recovery from some companies either. One for logical data retrieval that is much easier to handle and will be a much lower figure, and one for physical damage which is far more challenging and therefore rightly costs more. You will also find that cost quotes will often vary considerably. It is usually best to choose somewhere in middle of pack toward higher end. The reason for this is that some companies engage in a bait and switch tactic that indicates that they will cost less initially, but when they actually receive drive they wil claim that upon review cost will be much higher. It's best to avoid messing with these companies at all.

So if you have lost data and have no backups to fall back on, data recovery can still be done. Just use guidelines presented in this article for choosing data recovery method that will work best for you.

Sherlock also features an RSS feeder, localized searching and web cams, and ability to create and manage your own channel for just about anything within possibilities of world wide web. All of this, every last point, can be done without opening a web browser, but if you are within Apple built-in Safari web browser, in upper right hand corner of every window, there is a Google search field (fig. 7). So you say your Desktop search can search Google from your desktop? That might have impressed me in 1996, but I've been using those functions for years now. 'bout time you kids caught up.

So, between Finder and Sherlock, I'd say Mac users have Desktop search more than covered. Next up? The Toolbar. The most popular toolbars offer some really useful features, such as a web search, pop-up blocking, check PageRank, autofill, and ability to search within a web page. Every one of these features, with exception of a PageRank checker, is built-in to Safari. We already covered Google search in top right hand corner (fig. 7), so let's jump ahead to others.

Since it's first release in 2003, Safari has offered a pop-up blocking option (fig. 8). I'm on all Apple newsletters and visit site at least once a day. Needless to say, I had Safari almost very second it was available to public. In all my time using this browser, I have never once seen a pop-up. It's a virtual brick wall that I am eternally thankful for - I don't think I could do my job if I had to look at myriad of products and services advertised within wretched pop-up.

Autofill is also a feature that is available with Safari. Using your personal or business contact information from Apple's Address Book, Safari will finish names, e-mail addresses, countries, states, provinces, phone and fax numbers, web site addresses, street addresses, etc as you begin to type them. Also included in this feature is Safari autofill button in address bar (fig. 9). One click of this button and form on open page is filled in. You can even have it automatically fill in your user name and password for any account on any site, but I would only suggest doing this if you are sole user of this account and it is unlikely no one else will be using your computer.

Finding keywords within a web page is something that is available in every application within Macintosh Operating System, much like Windows (fig. 10). The Apple key and F key at same time will bring up a search field and any instances of these keywords will be highlighted within web page, text document or e-mail you are searching. You can also search within an entire site, by typing into Google search field in Safari window site:www.abalone.ca tsunami - this will search within domain name abalone.ca for term 'tsunami'.

Now we're only left with one thing. A PageRank checker. This has been my biggest issue with Toolbars not being released for Mac platform. I have written many, many, many letters to developers at Google. It was of no use. They kept telling me to interpret green lines under every link in google Directory. Sure, Google, that's not time consuming or anything. I searched and searched and searched and I found several web sites that checked PageRank after you entered a specific URL, but that wasn't good enough. As an SEO company owner, I needed something that checked PR of every site I visited without me having to do a thing.

After months of frustration, my brother finally came across solution at konfabulator.com - widgets. Konfabulator is a small piece of software that allows you to run tiny programs called widgets. You can paste these widgets to your desktop, allow them to float above all other open windows or only bring them to front when you need them. One such widget is a long-awaited PageRank checker for Mac (fig. 11). Once installed, it will check and show you PageRank of any site you visit with any browser, automatically.

If you visit widgetgallery.com you can find more than 850 other widgets that do various things such as giving you weather forecast, desktop search for almost every single search engine, bring you your favorite RSS feed, news, stock info, even plant a character of some kind on your desktop with whom you can interact. Konfabulator is available for Windows as well. These widgets are so useful that Apple has included them in next release of OS X (Tiger) under name Dashboard.

So, you can see, as a Mac user, I am outfitted perfectly with everything Toolbar and Desktop search has to offer and more. Perhaps one day your toolbars and desktop search software will include some of more advanced features we have, such as downloading and viewing movie trailers, checking flights and earthquake risks, etc. Until then, anything your PC can do, my Mac can do. Perhaps even better.