Search doesn't work

[Guest]

Hello

What's wrong with Windows .XP search? It seems to be totally unreliable compared to previous versions of Windows

I just did a search for *.tlb files on my XP Pro development box here at work. It returned no results, nada, zip. I knew that couldn't be right so I went to my c:\windows\system32 directory and sure enough there were plenty of .tlb files there. I then did a search (I have Search set up in Classic search mode) and it returned all of those .tlb files plus some more in other directories. It's as though Windows XP said, "Oh, you mean those .tlb files."

Previously I did a search on my XP Home Edition computer at home for Turbotax .tax files on all local hard drives. It found none. I then purchased a $60 data recovery software to recover the files (which I assumed must have been deleted somehow). However, later I found that the .tax files were in the Turbotax directory structure under c:\Program Files, right where I would have expected them. However, the whole point of doing a search is in case the files aren't in the obvious place

All the fixes that I've seen for this appear to involve adding specific file extensions to the registry. I'm not a Microsoft-basher, but that's insane! Note that I'm not even trying to search for files containing text or any more sophisticated searches that have worked great for me over the years in Win2000 and Win9x. I'm going to go back to the only search that works work a d$#% in XP

Start Run > cm
c
cd dir /s *.whateve

-Eric

 

[Patti MacLeod]

Hi Eric,

When you open Search>For Files or Folders, in Search Companion sidebar click
on the More advanced options link and ensure that Search subfolders (as well
as Search system folders and Search hidden files and folders if need be) is
selected.



Regards,

--
Patti MacLeod
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/User

Hello,

What's wrong with Windows .XP search? It seems to be totally unreliable

compared to previous versions of Windows.

I just did a search for *.tlb files on my XP Pro development box here at

work. It returned no results, nada, zip. I knew that couldn't be right so
I went to my c:\windows\system32 directory and sure enough there were plenty
of .tlb files there. I then did a search (I have Search set up in Classic
search mode) and it returned all of those .tlb files plus some more in other
directories. It's as though Windows XP said, "Oh, you mean those .tlb
files."

Previously I did a search on my XP Home Edition computer at home for

Turbotax .tax files on all local hard drives. It found none. I then
purchased a $60 data recovery software to recover the files (which I assumed
must have been deleted somehow). However, later I found that the .tax files
were in the Turbotax directory structure under c:\Program Files, right where
I would have expected them. However, the whole point of doing a search is
in case the files aren't in the obvious place.

All the fixes that I've seen for this appear to involve adding specific

file extensions to the registry. I'm not a Microsoft-basher, but that's
insane! Note that I'm not even trying to search for files containing text
or any more sophisticated searches that have worked great for me over the
years in Win2000 and Win9x. I'm going to go back to the only search that
works work a d$#% in XP:

 

[John Ski]

Subject: Search doesn't work

From: =?Utf-8?B?RXJpYyBHb2ZvcnRo?= (e-mail address removed)
Date: 6/3/2004 10:56 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Message-id: <[email protected]>

Hello,

What's wrong with Windows .XP search? It seems to be totally unreliable
compared to previous versions of Windows.

I just did a search for *.tlb files on my XP Pro development box here at
work. It returned no results, nada, zip. I knew that couldn't be right so I
went to my c:\windows\system32 directory and sure enough there were plenty of
.tlb files there. I then did a search (I have Search set up in Classic
search mode) and it returned all of those .tlb files plus some more in other
directories. It's as though Windows XP said, "Oh, you mean those .tlb
files."

Previously I did a search on my XP Home Edition computer at home for Turbotax
.tax files on all local hard drives. It found none. I then purchased a $60
data recovery software to recover the files (which I assumed must have been
deleted somehow). However, later I found that the .tax files were in the
Turbotax directory structure under c:\Program Files, right where I would have
expected them. However, the whole point of doing a search is in case the
files aren't in the obvious place.

All the fixes that I've seen for this appear to involve adding specific file
extensions to the registry. I'm not a Microsoft-basher, but that's insane!
Note that I'm not even trying to search for files containing text or any more
sophisticated searches that have worked great for me over the years in
Win2000 and Win9x. I'm going to go back to the only search that works work a
d$#% in XP:

Start Run > cmd
c:
cd dir /s *.whatever

-Eric

Try www.agentransack.com for a search engine that DOES work and it's free.
There's also a shareware version called FileLocatorPro with even more features.

HTH,
John
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"
***Arthur C. Clarke***

 

[Tumbleweed]

And when you do get it working, you'll find (!!) that it finds things in the
recycle bin, looks inside zip folders, and if you alter any of the files its
found (such as deleting them), it starts the search again. Most of these
things cant be turned off either (just the zip).

\rant over.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove my socks for email address

Hello,

What's wrong with Windows .XP search? It seems to be totally unreliable

compared to previous versions of Windows.

I just did a search for *.tlb files on my XP Pro development box here at

work. It returned no results, nada, zip. I knew that couldn't be right so
I went to my c:\windows\system32 directory and sure enough there were plenty
of .tlb files there. I then did a search (I have Search set up in Classic
search mode) and it returned all of those .tlb files plus some more in other
directories. It's as though Windows XP said, "Oh, you mean those .tlb
files."

Previously I did a search on my XP Home Edition computer at home for

Turbotax .tax files on all local hard drives. It found none. I then
purchased a $60 data recovery software to recover the files (which I assumed
must have been deleted somehow). However, later I found that the .tax files
were in the Turbotax directory structure under c:\Program Files, right where
I would have expected them. However, the whole point of doing a search is
in case the files aren't in the obvious place.

All the fixes that I've seen for this appear to involve adding specific

file extensions to the registry. I'm not a Microsoft-basher, but that's
insane! Note that I'm not even trying to search for files containing text
or any more sophisticated searches that have worked great for me over the
years in Win2000 and Win9x. I'm going to go back to the only search that
works work a d$#% in XP:

 

[Guest]

Patti

I'm using classic search or whatever it's called. I'm not sure how to change back. I prefer classic searches because the new style search requires an extra step, since you have to pick a file type to search for. I typically know what the file extension that I'm looking for and I want to search everywhere on my HDD for it

At any rate, I check advanced options and have search system folder, search hidden files and folder, and search subfolders checked. I then do a search for *.386, it returns 3 files. If I do a dir *.386 /s I get back those three files plus one in the c:\windows\system32 directory and one in the c:\program files\symantec directory

-Eri

----- Patti MacLeod wrote: ----

Hi Eric

When you open Search>For Files or Folders, in Search Companion sidebar clic
on the More advanced options link and ensure that Search subfolders (as wel
as Search system folders and Search hidden files and folders if need be) i
selected



Regards

--
Patti MacLeo
Microsoft MVP - Windows Shell/Use

Hello

work. It returned no results, nada, zip. I knew that couldn't be right s
I went to my c:\windows\system32 directory and sure enough there were plent
of .tlb files there. I then did a search (I have Search set up in Classi
search mode) and it returned all of those .tlb files plus some more in othe
directories. It's as though Windows XP said, "Oh, you mean those .tl
files.Turbotax .tax files on all local hard drives. It found none. I the
purchased a $60 data recovery software to recover the files (which I assume
must have been deleted somehow). However, later I found that the .tax file
were in the Turbotax directory structure under c:\Program Files, right wher
I would have expected them. However, the whole point of doing a search i
in case the files aren't in the obvious placefile extensions to the registry. I'm not a Microsoft-basher, but that'
insane! Note that I'm not even trying to search for files containing tex
or any more sophisticated searches that have worked great for me over th
years in Win2000 and Win9x. I'm going to go back to the only search tha
works work a d$#% in XP