Yahoo to Release Free PC Search Software

Yahoo Inc. plans to release free software in early January that lets users search the contents of their computer hard drives along with the Web, the company said.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo is trying to keep pace with rivals Google Inc., which released a desktop search tool in October; Ask Jeeves Inc., which will launch such a tool next week; and Microsoft Corp., which plans to introduce similar software before the end of the year.

Yahoo’s service, which will incorporate software from X1 Technologies Inc. of Pasadena, will initially let users search for items stored on their PCs as well as on the Web. The company plans to expand the service to include private information scattered across many Yahoo services, including the company’s online address book and its Messenger chat program, said Jeff Weiner, a Yahoo senior vice president.