search for text in xp

[rosss]

When searching for text in xp, not all the desired files
are found. They were always found in win98 and 2000.
They are text files that are not being searched correctly.
Is there a fix?

 

[Richard Harris]

Is the drive you're searching on Indexed? (Right click on it in My Computer
and choose Properties - then look at the very bottom of that window to see
if there's a tick in the 'Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast
file searching'

Rich

 

[Torgeir Bakken (MVP)]

When searching for text in xp, not all the desired files
are found. They were always found in win98 and 2000.
They are text files that are not being searched correctly.
Is there a fix?

Hi

WinXP's search function filters out files to search in based on file
extensions (see further below).

Install the free Agent Ransack, it searches for text strings in *all*
types of files, and not just in a selection of "approved" file extensions
as the built-in search does. It's a *much* better search tool as well...

http://www.agentransack.com/default.aspx

Agent Ransack can save the search result to a file (or clipboard), as text,
comma separated text or tab separated text. E.g. Excel reads comma separated
text (csv) very well.

When searching for text inside files, Agent Ransack is also able to do a
preview of the lines the text was found in (just do a single click on the
found file).
Also, you can use regular expression on both the file name part and the find
text in files part.


If you still want to use the not so good search tool that comes with WinXP to
search for text in files, take a look at this:

Using the "A Word or Phrase in the File" Search Criterion May Not Work
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;309173

Or this:

Add Files to Containing text Searches
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_fix_search.htm

 

[Alex Nichol]

When searching for text in xp, not all the desired files
are found. They were always found in win98 and 2000.

It only searches for text in a very limited number of types - they must
either have registry entries saying they are pure Text (.TXT and not
much else) or have known 'filters' to handle embedded format controls,
so that Search can avoid being confused by thinking those are characters
in 16 bit Unicode (eg .doc, .htm).

So if you are looking in purely text files that have some different
extension - eg .c for C Language source - it will not do anything

You can add an additional type as pure text provided you know that it
*is* that, and that it does not already have a 'PersistentHandler' in
the registry. Make the following, after - - start and before - - end
into a file by cut/paste to NotePad. Make sure there is a blank line at
the end. Save as "Patch.reg" then d-click on this file to enter it into
the registry.
This is for .cg - modify that for other extensions, with care.

- - start
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.c\PersistentHandler]
@="{5e941d80-bf96-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb}"


- - end