Agent Ransack is a very powerful and easy to use tool for finding files and information on your hard drive fast and efficiently. You can search for file names or text in files with support for Regular expressions. When searching the contents of files Agent Ransack displays and highlights the actual text segments found in a separate window so you can quickly browse the results without having to open each file! The program features several wizards that can help you if you are not familiar with the use of Regular Expressions. Agent Ransack integrates into the Windows Find menu, so it is readily available to be used instead of the common Windows search dialog. The program also includes a very detailed help file.

The looks of the application do not inspire too much trust as they are plain and simple. Investing some effort in creating a nifty interface was clearly on the agenda of the developer. But this aspect is one that matters the least. All we are interested in is the functionality, ease of use and accuracy of the search results.

Agent Ransack provides two modules, Expert and Basic, for searching for the desired file. The difference between them does no stand in complexity of use but in richer options. Basic mode simply allows you to type in the file name and some text it contains (yes, it can search inside files also) and provide a perimeter to search in.

Expert mode adds a few more search criteria like defining an estimated
size of the file (more than and less than) and providing an estimated date it was modified (before or after a certain date). Both modules can be used with the same ease as there is nothing complicated.

The program also comes with additional help for finding what you are looking for and that is the use of regular expressions. I know they are a pain in most of the applications as you have to use a bunch of strange characters in order to tell the program that what you are looking for is a file whose name starts with “S”, ends with “A” and is actually a text file.

Agent Ransack is aware of the difficulty most users encounter when it comes down to learning regular expressions and provides a wizard that will help you construct your own regular expression, based on what you need. As stated in the application itself, the expression wizard does not supply all the functionality of regular expressions, but it is a very easy way to employ them.