Odd Index Search Results

[Guest]

Guess I don't understand Vista's Indexing Service. I started looking more
into this because ever after owning this new PC for 11 days the HD is still
way too busy. Since there's no other explantion I can find... I've shut down
the updater, background download service... I'm not downloading or
defragging. So what was left?

To date it indexed 89,500 files. Yikes! I went into the file extension list
and first took some 700 off the list. When it still came up with 8000 files I
removed all search locations to zero. That brought the indexed files to zero.

There are 4 file extensions that can't be deleted: msdvd, sfcache, slupkg-ms
and weallowblocklist. When I removed all search locations, the total indexed
files were zero.

So I added one file extension... wps from MS Works. I figured I had about
20 old Works files... and I set it to index My Documents. Well it's already
indexed some 6000 files. Though I have it set to index contents, it would not
find known keywords in the wps files it found. I did a search for "friends"
and its bringing up folders with pictures. I did NOT have the search
unindexed files option on.

So why isn't the Index Service sticking to what files I told it to index?
And why isn't it actually showing contents when I look for keywords?

 

[Guest]

Why didn't you just leave it alone to start with?

It is a perfectly good Indexing and Search function in vista the way it
comes.

You are just too, too impatient to wait for it to set itself up!

 

[Guest]

LOL... so your idea of a decent Indexing System is for it to still be
churning away 11 DAYS later... indexing some 700+ file extensions I have no
need to know about? Do you SERIOUSLY think I need to have 89,000+ files
indexed???? Perhaps it wasn’t even finished.

I used to use Filehand with XP... a free program that when I search for
keywords would show me them in context in whatever document it found them in.
Now perhaps Vista's system CAN do the same... but by default the "index
content" option was OFF. So I find it bizarre in the extreme that you would
object to ANY users experimenting on their own PC to get the search results
they want. If it can do what I want… fine… and it will run faster NOT having
to deal with 88,000 junk files. If Vista's indexing system can't deliver...
I'll shut the damn thing down.

 

[John Hanley]

May I suggest -- bring up your Indexing Options screen; click on Advanced;
say yes to Continue; at the Index Settings tab click on Restore Defaults;
then Rebuild. Stay off of your keyboard/mouse for about 20 minutes
(otherwise it will see that you are using your computer and run very slowly
in the background). I do this when I take a shower sometimes at night. The
index will rebuild itself in those 20 minutes and run occasionally to stay
up to date as things change. My index is currently at about 13,000 items
and the searches are nearly instantaneous and accurate. And when I need
something more intensive (like finding system or hidden files, etc.) there
is the Advanced Search option on the search menu. But 95% of the time I
find what I need via the indexed search; I like the Vista Search function
very well. Hope this helps!

 

[Guest]

Go and write your own OS; then you will have what you want, a heap of sh*t.

 

[Charlie Tame]

With the default settings after days of indexing it can't find the
contents of a file on the desktop...

XP took a couple of minutes to find a file on a very full disk, maybe
once a month I used it. Vista took several days of disk accesses in
order to speed up searching (Allegedly) and for sure it was quick, it
found nothing but did so approaching the speed of light. If those
default settings aren't a faux pas I don't know what is...

It's not the Search system being set up (as you put it), it's the darned
fool hoping to get results

 

[Bill Yanaire]

Go and write your own OS; then you will have what you want, a heap of
sh*t.

Have you checked into an anger management program in your area? Had any
road rage recently?

 

[Guest]

Why would I want to go back to the default setting? It's those default
settings that included some 700 file extensions I had no need for... and they
are what gave me those 89,000+ indexed files to begin with. My files are
organized quite well. All I really want is to search is content of about 20
different file types. But I can't get that to work just yet.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for proving you're posts are not worth reading. A few things are clear
from our little exchange.

1: You make ridiculous unsupported claims.
2: You’re intellectually incapable of understanding other’s experiences if
they challenge your dogma.
3: And when faced with logical objections to your ridiculous unsupported
claims, your instinct is to get even more ridiculous.

On the continuum of Vista Jihadists you’re at the bottom of the heap.

And BTW… if a MS OS can’t even run year-old Windows software… what makes you
think I already don’t consider Vista to be a “a heap of sh*t� Oh ya… but is
sure has pretty lipstick.

 

[Dave Wood [MS]]

Rather than changing the file extensions list, I would look at the locations
that are being indexed. By default only the Users directories, Outlook
stores, and client-side cached files are indexed. Also Windows Mail items
are indexed because they are stored in your Users directory. Would that
explain the 89,000 files you are seeing {or maybe you've changed the
locations that are indexed to include, say, the whole of the C drive}?

Unless you have millions of files in your Users directory I would be very
surprised if under normal operation the indexer would take days to index. I
would hit the Restore Defaults button in the Indexing Control Panel,
Advanced and Reboot {this won't reset the file extensions list}. Then see
what happens.

Dave Wood

 

[Guest]

What got me interested in the Indexing Service was the HD was constantly
thrashing about even though there was no apparent reason. As it turned out it
was the Indexing Service. The 89,000+ files were on whatever default setting
the Indexing Service was on. I removed the vast majority of file types and
limited the search to DOCUMENTS. At least now the HD isn't going nuts all the
time. I still have to toy with the settings to see if it can do what I want
it to do.

Tell me… if I do a keyword search for something inside a document… what’s
supposed to come up? Just the file name and we have to open it and search
within it? Or the keyword in context of the document… say a few lines of
text?

 

[Michael Palumbo]

What got me interested in the Indexing Service was the HD was constantly
thrashing about even though there was no apparent reason. As it turned out
it
was the Indexing Service. The 89,000+ files were on whatever default
setting
the Indexing Service was on. I removed the vast majority of file types and
limited the search to DOCUMENTS. At least now the HD isn't going nuts all
the
time. I still have to toy with the settings to see if it can do what I
want
it to do.

Tell me… if I do a keyword search for something inside a document… what’s
supposed to come up? Just the file name and we have to open it and search
within it? Or the keyword in context of the document… say a few lines of
text?

Just the file name will be returned in search.

Mic

 

[Guest]

Just the file name will be returned in search.

You're kidding. That's all it does? Even MSN Search... or whatever it's
called these days shows a keyword in its context. I don't see the point. So
it seems Vista indexing and search may be faster than XP search but it
doesn't sound as if it's more helpful. The way it must work is to build a
text index of all documents yet it doesn't sound as if it's putting it to
good use. Even FileHand... a free utility that sadly doesn't work with Vista,
showed keywords in context. Not THAT was helpful.