Win XP Search not finding anything!

  • Thread starter Thread starter M Skabialka
  • Start date Start date
M

M Skabialka

I was trying to find a form in an Access database that had code I wanted to
reuse. So using Windows XP I did a search on all of my databases on the
computer:

filename: *.mdb
A word or phrase in the file: scroll
Look in: My Computer

Search didn't find it, so I tried another word, then tried "sub" which
appears multiple times in every database.

In no case did the search find any files.
My search options include:
Search system folders
Search hidden fiels and folders
Search subfolders

No date or size restrictions....

I could do this in Windows98, in fact I just went to my old PC with some of
the same databases and did a search, and found databases based on seach
words.
Why can't I find these access .mdb files based on words in them using
Windows XP search?

Thanks,
Mich
 
Because people normally search for Data. So XP searches for user data. Code is not user data. Searching google for <html> won't find every web page in google's database cause google, like XP, searches content not binary structure.

It's smart searching.
 
This is not smart searching, it's really, really stupid! Don't tell me what
I want to do, ask me what I want to do!

So how can I do a REAL search and find what I need?

Thanks,
Mich

Because people normally search for Data. So XP searches for user data. Code
is not user data. Searching google for <html> won't find every web page in
google's database cause google, like XP, searches content not binary
structure.

It's smart searching.
 
The part that says: "Don't tell me what I want to do, ask me what I want to
do!" was not directed to you but to Windows XP itself and the Microsoft
designers who think they know more about what I want to do than what I
really want to do.

I don't find it even the slight bit unreasonable to be able to search for
text within any file.
In fact, I have this morning found a function in the command window which
does precisely that, but I hate working in basically a DOS environment when
I have Windows XP.

c:\>findstr /s /i /m scroll *.mdb > findscroll.txt

My apologies for curdling your sensibilities.

Mich

Ask stupid people like yourself.
 
Also note that stupid searching in previous versions of windows does not find ALL text in a file.

Type regedit in Start Run, navigate to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.txt\PersistentHandler

Copy what's there and put it in your program's extension. Again that won't find all text but will find the same text that previous versions would find. Findstr won't either.

I use a script that searches for unicode or ansi text. 98 won't find unicode text in non unicode files. In XP most text is unicode.
 
I found this: {5e941d80-bf96-11cd-b579-08002b30bfeb} in the registry key.

I don't understand what you mean by "put it in your program's extension"?

OK, now I fell stupid!

Also note that stupid searching in previous versions of windows does not
find ALL text in a file.

Type regedit in Start Run, navigate to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.txt\PersistentHandler

Copy what's there and put it in your program's extension. Again that won't
find all text but will find the same text that previous versions would find.
Findstr won't either.

I use a script that searches for unicode or ansi text. 98 won't find unicode
text in non unicode files. In XP most text is unicode.
 
If it's mdb we are talking about graft from .txt to .mdb, under .mdb will be the number relating to the office filter, replace it with the text filter. It searches files as ANSI unless there is a two byte unicode header then it will search as unicode. There is no way for a program to be sure if a file is unicode or not - it has a look then a guess. It won't find ansi if searching as unicode or vice versa.

Search is only set to get smarter in the future as people are already having problems finding their data. XP's search can search for MP3 over 5 mins playing time, a jpeg photo taken on christmas day, or a dll made by Microsoft.
 
I also had trouble with Windows XP search for files and folders
utility. I use the program Find Files from Mijenix Corporation. It is
a stand alone executable (no installation required). It runs on
Windows XP Pro, no issues. You can get the file from
http://www.shellfront.org/utils/

Scroll down the list and find find.zip. Hope this helps you.

Good ludk to you!
 

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