Help searching text within XLS files

[Guest]

I'm at wits' end... in XP you could just go to advanced search and search an
entire document for a word or phrase within a specific area (by browsing to
the correct folder and then selecting search within document).

Vista doesn't seem to have this feature! I've set it to include non-indexed
files, gone to search tools and selected search options and clicked "Always
search file names and contents" and done a search for a word I *KNOW* is in a
file in the selected area and it says "No items match your search."

I'm seriously upset about this, without being able to search within
documents the search function is useless to me. I really hope someone can
help me. Telling me to install a third-party program to do searches is
absolutely unbelievable. If an OS can't do a simple search... what good is it?

 

[Jabez Gan [MVP]]

Hey,

By default, typing the text into the Search field will also search for the
text inside the files.

You might want to only have the search to search the particular directory,
to test if it works. "Search In file Contents" option will appear too.

 

[Guest]

Thank you for your answer but it is simply not working. I am searching for
text (a particular name - I even tried first name and last name separately
and again together and with quotes around and not with quotes around) within
an XLS document in a particular location (only searching that location) and I
KNOW it is in there because when my initial search failed for the name I was
actually looking for, I opened a file and took another name instead and
searched for that and it still had no results, although I'd cut and pasted
directly from the document I'd randomly selected from the very folder I was
searching. ;_;

If there's some workaround for this, I'd dearly love to know.
Thank you

 

[Guest]

Oh!! You mean actually go to that directory and THEN click search instead of
going to the start menu and then browsing to get to the directory!!!


I tried going to the directory and then searching and sure enough it
worked!!!!!

Thank you so much!

 

[Jabez Gan [MVP]]

Haha , glad that it works.

 

[Guest]

I am having this same problem, however, when go to the directory and then do
the search it does not find my files containing [word]. And also sometimes I
don't know what directory a file is in that I need.

I need to be able to search everywhere and everything regardless how long it
takes, for [word] and have Vista produce list of files matching criteria. -
it does not work.

I have checked the boxes and options - they are set to always search file
and contents, include non-indexed, include partial matches, etc. - nothing
seems to work - Help !

 

[Jabez Gan [MVP]]

Hey Teri,

Can you try doing a rebuilding of the Index? The index might be corrupted...

Control Panel -> Classic View -> Indexing Options.

--
Jabez Gan
Microsoft MVP: Windows Server - File Storage

I am having this same problem, however, when go to the directory and then
do
the search it does not find my files containing [word]. And also
sometimes I
don't know what directory a file is in that I need.

I need to be able to search everywhere and everything regardless how long
it
takes, for [word] and have Vista produce list of files matching
riteria. -
it does not work.

I have checked the boxes and options - they are set to always search file
and contents, include non-indexed, include partial matches, etc. - nothing
seems to work - Help !

Haha , glad that it works.