Windows Search

[Milo]

Does Windows Vista new search engine search within files contents. I have
many Word files .doc on an external hard drive that is indexed for search.
I would like to find files containing certain words. Don't understand
"contents" search option.

 

[Mr. Arnold]

Does Windows Vista new search engine search within files contents. I have
many Word files .doc on an external hard drive that is indexed for search.
I would like to find files containing certain words. Don't understand
"contents" search option.

You use the Windows-key/F-key combination to get to the search screen and
then use the ALT-Key.

http://vistarewired.com/2007/03/17/how-to-search-files-by-content-data

You do know that Google is your friend.

 

[Milo]

Finds Outlook entries and emails but no document files even though I
specified documents. Apparently will not index my exterior drive?

 

[Ringmaster]

Finds Outlook entries and emails but no document files even though I
specified documents. Apparently will not index my exterior drive?

Whoever designed the new search options should be taken out in the
parking lot and beat senseless with a wet noodle. They made the
default action the exact opposite of what most would expect.

Two things you need to do.

1. Bring up Explorer. Click on Organize. Folder and Search options.
Under Search, make sure always search file names and contents is
checked.

2. In the Advance Search Window make sure you select either Everywhere
or (better) the computer icon. This is the only way to guarantee
in fact EVERYTHING on your system gets looked at. Now also be sure
to check non indexed locations.

Go get a cup of coffee or take a walk or nap. If you have a sizeable
system the search can take a half an hour, even longer. Do NOT even if
you think it is finished interrupt the process. It likely isn't done,
and the status bar at the top will travel left to right many, many
times. A new window should get shown once it finally finishes.

Optionally you can specific what disk to search if you know where to
look which should speed things up a lot.

If you have the room a trick I use is move EVERYTHING you frequently
search or need to locate quickly to some non system drive, make a new
folder call it data or something simple, then build any sub folder
structure you need under this new folder.

Now tell Vista to search THIS folder by doing this:

Open Advanced Search. Click the little down pointing arrow where it
says location near the top. At the bottom it should say choose search
location. A new Explorer like window opens. Locate the folder you just
made. Make sure it gets a check mark and also appears in the bottom
half of the window. Now that location should automatically get
searched. If you also remembered to set preferences to search within
documents, you should get the results you desire.

 

[Duane Hebert]

Whoever designed the new search options should be taken out in the

parking lot and beat senseless with a wet noodle. They made the
default action the exact opposite of what most would expect.
Yep.

Two things you need to do.

1. Bring up Explorer. Click on Organize. Folder and Search options.
Under Search, make sure always search file names and contents is
checked.

2. In the Advance Search Window make sure you select either Everywhere
or (better) the computer icon. This is the only way to guarantee
in fact EVERYTHING on your system gets looked at. Now also be sure
to check non indexed locations.

Even after I do this, if I do the advanced search, click on "My Computer"
and
enter autoexec.bat into the search field, it finds some references to it in
some
microsoft mail groups. It may or may not find the one in c:/ if I wait long
enough.
I haven't yet waited until it finished.

Generally, when I click the "find files or folders" item, I'm looking for
a file or folder. Why it searches newgroups, online whatever is beyond me.

What I find works for me is to open the search thing. Click the advanced
search.
Type a character into the input in order to get the navigation pane visible
(don't
know how to default it to that - and this seems to turn off the advanced
search)
then open the Computer selection and select autoexec.bat.

Then, at least, it finds it on drive c:/, even though the first entry is
still some reference in
some newsgroup. Maybe if they just added "files or folders" in the "Show
Only" part.

 

[Mr. Arnold]

Finds Outlook entries and emails but no document files even though I
specified documents. Apparently will not index my exterior drive?

Vista only indexes certain folders, unless you tell it otherwise, which
unless you go to Control Panel Indexing Options to change what folders are
indexed, then defaults are going to be indexed.

You use the Advanced Search Option, which is still off of Windows-key/F-key,
you check mark on *Include System and non indexed files, you select
*Location* -- box at the top of the screen, and you select the drive you
want to search.

 

[Mr. Arnold]

Let me killfile you Albright, as I don't want to see any form of you.