How to extend Windows Desktop Search a la Outlook

I would like to extend windows desktop search to include results from my custom data store (like how Outlook does it). Meaning, when someone does a search in the Start Menu on Vista or Windows 7, I would like my results to show up in "My Custom Category" where each result is an individual entry in my custom data store.

I've done a lot of reading through the MSDN docs and it feels like they're incomplete. I've also played with a number of the samples in both the Windows 7 SDK and the Windows Search 3x SDK. I was hoping that the RegSearch sample in the Windows Search SDK (which is a sample Protocol Handler implementation) would be useful, however, it doesn't seem to work. I can build it and get it registered, but the search service returns the following errors (from Event Viewer):

Log Name:      Application
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Search
Event ID:      3036
Task Category: Gatherer
Level:         Warning
Description:
The content source <reg://<USER SID REMOVED>/> cannot be accessed.

Context:  Application, SystemIndex Catalog

Details:
    The specified address was excluded from the index. The site path rules may have to be modified to include this address.  (HRESULT : 0x80040d07) (0x80040d07)

(Note: I removed the SID when posting, but the logs contained it)

Followed by:

Log Name:      Application
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Search
Event ID:      3023
Task Category: Gatherer
Level:         Warning
Description:
The update cannot be started because all of the content sources were excluded by site path rules, or removed from the index configuration.

Context:  Application, SystemIndex Catalog

Details:
    (HRESULT : 0x1) (0x00000001)

And then:

Log Name:      Application
Source:        Microsoft-Windows-Search
Event ID:      3083
Task Category: Gatherer
Level:         Error
Description:
The protocol handler File cannot be loaded. Error description: (HRESULT : 0x800700c1). 

And finally, the first error is repeated.

Has anyone gotten this sample working? Is the protocol handler approach the right approach for what I'm trying to accomplish?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Download Windows SDK http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/bb980924.aspx and you'll find some very good code samples - I especially found useful one for searching the registry.

Be aware that the Search integration will work well for Vista and later versions of Windows. In theory, XP is also supported, but it is obviously an afterthought.