search won't find files by word or phrase

[Gail]

I'm trying to find out why the Windows Explorer search
won't find what I'm looking for. So I've gone so far as to
search for files or folders and have selected the specific
folder that contains the file that has the text. I choose
find a word or phrase in a file and type the word - have
even used * for a wildcard before and after the word and
it doesn't find it. Nothing I've done so far has helped
I'm using Windows XP.

 

[Rock]

I'm trying to find out why the Windows Explorer search
won't find what I'm looking for. So I've gone so far as to
search for files or folders and have selected the specific
folder that contains the file that has the text. I choose
find a word or phrase in a file and type the word - have
even used * for a wildcard before and after the word and
it doesn't find it. Nothing I've done so far has helped
I'm using Windows XP.

Search in XP looks for text only files with certain file extensions.
You can modify the registry to add other file extensions to the search
capability. There's a tool on Doug Knox's site that helps do this:

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_fix_search.htm

also

Using the "A word or phrase in the file" search criterion may not work
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=309173

Some people use a free 3rd party search tool which is quite good, Agent
Ransack, http://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/default.aspx.

 

[Alex Nichol]

I'm trying to find out why the Windows Explorer search
won't find what I'm looking for. So I've gone so far as to
search for files or folders and have selected the specific
folder that contains the file that has the text.

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). 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 .log - modify that for other extensions, with care.

- - start
REGEDIT4

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


- - end