Windows Server 2008 R2 (RC) – where’s desktop search for Outlook 2007?

I’m still in the process of building my trusty Latitude D620 with Windows Server 2008 R2 (Release Candidate) as a replacement for my install of Server 2008 which has served me well for the past 18months or so. I’m looking forward to running Hyper-V without sacrificing my power management features. However I’ve come across a few niggles in configuring it for “Workstation” use, the first I’m going to discuss is the process for enabling the instant search within Outlook 2007, see the error below:

If you visit the Windows Desktop Search page you will quickly discover that there is no Windows Server 2008 R2 download, if you try a standard Server 2008 download it won’t install. In fact Windows Search is built-in to R2 but is hidden under the “File Services” role of course.

Once the Windows Search Service is installed restart Outlook and it should be fully functional.