Bug in Search Assistant?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kurt Baumgarten
  • Start date Start date
K

Kurt Baumgarten

I'm a new xp user, so maybe there's something I'm
missing. Create a directory named "search test", put a
file in it named "My Software.txt", put the
word "speedconnect" in the file, then do a search of the
folder you created for the word "speedconnect". Leave
all other search options to the defaults. The file "My
Software.txt" appears, as it should. Rename the file
to "My Software" (no extension). Perform the search
again, and result box is empty. Note, "all files and
folders" is specified, but it obviously did not search
them all. Thus, it's a bug, correct? If so, a pretty
nasty bug, because, for example, my netscape mail files
have no extension, thus they're apparently
unsearchable.

Am I missing something?
 
Kurt said:
I'm a new xp user, so maybe there's something I'm
missing. Create a directory named "search test", put a
file in it named "My Software.txt", put the
word "speedconnect" in the file, then do a search of the
folder you created for the word "speedconnect". Leave
all other search options to the defaults. The file "My
Software.txt" appears, as it should. Rename the file
to "My Software" (no extension). Perform the search
again, and result box is empty. Note, "all files and
folders" is specified, but it obviously did not search
them all. Thus, it's a bug, correct? If so, a pretty
nasty bug, because, for example, my netscape mail files
have no extension, thus they're apparently
unsearchable.

Am I missing something?

Well, I guess if you ask the guys that wrote the search in XP they would
call it a feature instead of a bug. I just call it broken. When
searching for text within files in XP, it only searches in files that it
has been told how to search. This is done through a registry key filter
for the file that tells XP how to search that particular file type. You
have several options. One is to add the appropriate filter to all file
extensions in the registry that you really want it to search in. This
could get a little tedious.

My preferred method is to use a different search tool. I use Agent
Ransack from www.agentransack.com. It is the free version of FileLocator
Pro, and it properly searches for text in files, regardless of the
extension on the file. It also supports regular expression if you need
some more sophisticated filtering methods.
--
Tom Porterfield
MS-MVP Windows XP & Smart Display
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/tp.porterfield/support

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup only.
 
-----Original Message-----
Well, I guess if you ask the guys that wrote the search in XP they would
call it a feature instead of a bug. I just call it broken. When
searching for text within files in XP, it only searches in files that it
has been told how to search. This is done through a registry key filter
for the file that tells XP how to search that particular file type. You
have several options. One is to add the appropriate filter to all file
extensions in the registry that you really want it to search in. This
could get a little tedious.

My preferred method is to use a different search tool. I use Agent
Ransack from www.agentransack.com. It is the free version of FileLocator
Pro, and it properly searches for text in files, regardless of the
extension on the file. It also supports regular expression if you need
some more sophisticated filtering methods.


Thanks for the suggestion. I'll certainly look into
agent ransack. However, I'll probably try to submit
this as a bug somehow--"all files and folders" means all
files and folders, plain and simple.

--Kurt
 
Kurt said:
in XP they would


broken. When


in files that it


registry key filter


file type. You


filter to all file


search in. This


I use Agent


version of FileLocator


regardless of the


expression if you need




Thanks for the suggestion. I'll certainly look into
agent ransack. However, I'll probably try to submit
this as a bug somehow--"all files and folders" means all
files and folders, plain and simple.

--Kurt

For anyone interested, found a tweak to fix this behavior at this site:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

on this page:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/searchallfiles.reg

*Many* useful tips and tweaks here.

(It's still a bug, though.)

--Kurt
 
Kurt said:
For anyone interested, found a tweak to fix this behavior at this site:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

on this page:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/searchallfiles.reg

*Many* useful tips and tweaks here.

(It's still a bug, though.)

--Kurt

And if you're *still* interested, I also used this tweak to get the
Windows 2000 search interface to appear instead of the Windows 98 one.

http://www.windows-help.net/WindowsXP/tune-20.html

Wow. Now I can do almost everything I could do in Windows 98.

--Kurt
 
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