Windows Search Software Errors

[Patrick Moloney]

Who at Microsoft decided that new Search features should be forced into
XP?
I processed an Automatic Download and things began working differently.
The Search feature in Windows Explorer that allows me to locate files,
is suddenly more graphical. It doesn't even work because it requires
Indexing, which I have turned off. So, it allows me to use the old
search, which works just fine. But, how did that improvement get
included as a Critical Update? I thought that's what Automatic Updates
is all about?

Separately, I started getting Pop-up windows in Outlook Express
offering to compact my folders to save disk space. (I don't even need
more disk space!) But if I compact, I soon (like the next day) get the
messages again - sometimes a minute apart.

So, here I am with a few days off over the holiday and I'm spending all
my time trying to figure out what's wrong with OE before I lose all my
mail folders. Well it turns out the two issues above are related. I
guess noone at MS knew that either, or they wouldn't have released that
Critical Update.

First I had to track down that the pop-up messages were due to some
counter in the registry, which is not documented in the Outlook Express
materials. Then I had to download an MS utility to keep an eye on the
tracker to see what was incrementing it too fast. Low and behold -
there were the new Windows Search features, incrementing away. (Who
tested this stuff anyway?)

WindowsSearch.exe and SearchProtocolHost.exe are both incrementing the
OE counter. This even though the new search doesn't even work on my
system! So what should I do? Can these be un-installed? Turned off?
Does anybody know?

 

[Bruce Hagen]

Who at Microsoft decided that new Search features should be forced into
XP?
I processed an Automatic Download and things began working differently.
The Search feature in Windows Explorer that allows me to locate files,
is suddenly more graphical. It doesn't even work because it requires
Indexing, which I have turned off. So, it allows me to use the old
search, which works just fine. But, how did that improvement get
included as a Critical Update? I thought that's what Automatic Updates
is all about?

Separately, I started getting Pop-up windows in Outlook Express
offering to compact my folders to save disk space. (I don't even need
more disk space!) But if I compact, I soon (like the next day) get the
messages again - sometimes a minute apart.

So, here I am with a few days off over the holiday and I'm spending all
my time trying to figure out what's wrong with OE before I lose all my
mail folders. Well it turns out the two issues above are related. I
guess noone at MS knew that either, or they wouldn't have released that
Critical Update.

First I had to track down that the pop-up messages were due to some
counter in the registry, which is not documented in the Outlook Express
materials. Then I had to download an MS utility to keep an eye on the
tracker to see what was incrementing it too fast. Low and behold -
there were the new Windows Search features, incrementing away. (Who
tested this stuff anyway?)

WindowsSearch.exe and SearchProtocolHost.exe are both incrementing the
OE counter. This even though the new search doesn't even work on my
system! So what should I do? Can these be un-installed? Turned off?
Does anybody know?

In regards to Windows Search and compacting, eliminating the indexing should
fix the problem. It is not the first time MS has created a program that was
not compatible with another. Here is my canned reply about the compacting
issue.

The problem is with the registry counter that gives you the prompt after 100
closings of OE. It is being increased quicker than it should be and even if
you are not using OE.

There is a growing number of programs and actions that may be causing this
after installing SP3. Do you have any of the following?

IBM Rapid Access keyboard (driver) RAKDLL.DLL
Windows {Desktop} Search
Window Live Mail (even if it was removed)
Mailwasher
Nero plug-in(s)

Opening EML files while OE is closed will also contribute to the registry
count.

Various anti-virus, anti-spyware and third party firewalls, especially if
they were running when you installed SP3.

Archived thread discussing this issue in June 2008:
http://groups.google.com/group/micr...ss.general/browse_frm/thread/fcd35fbfa457fd6f

In the case of Windows Desktop Search, (the #1 offender), you have to tell
it to stop indexing OE.

Windows {Desktop} Search. Set Desktop Search Options:
http://www.microsoft.com/australia/windows/desktopsearch/search/options.mspx

In Windows Desktop Search: Control Panel | Indexing Options. Click: Modify
and clear the check box for Outlook Express.

In the case of Nero Scout, see Item 2.3 on page 8 here.
ftp://ftp6.nero.com/user_guides/nero8/scout/NeroScout_Enu.pdf

In the option to exclude selected file types from indexing, be sure to add
these file types:

..eml, .dbx & .nws

 

[Patrick Moloney]

Bruce,
Thanks for replying, but while my inquiry provided an opportunity for
you to post your "canned" response, my inquiry was quite different.

For one, my indexing is already turned off and I am not interested in
making Windows Search work.

Second, I already spent my days off learning about the secret counter,
and identifying the culprits. I posted here because those culprits are
not part of OE, but rather part of XP and I am interested in advice on
turning them off or uninstalling them - which would fix my OE problem,
I believe.

 

[Bruce Hagen]

Control Panel | Add/Remove Programs. Uninstall the problem programs.