WinXP SEARCH fails...

[George]

Either SEARCH doesn't work right or I've got a setting wrong...it's missing
some text that exists in documents. Here's the deal...

I'm using WinXP with SP-2. Back around 1993 I used to use WordPerfect. I
wanted to scrub some of these old documents of certain info, like say a
birthday of let's say "contains a word or phrase of" 12-15-72. I made sure
the basics were set right...search hidden, search subfolders, uncheck case
sensitive, etc. But this happens...

On my WIN-XP PC, SEARCH flatly *fails* to find numerous WordPerfect (and
possibly other) documents that actually DO contain 12-15-72. (Does it have
a problem with the dash?)

On an old Win98 PC (on the same LAN), I can point the FIND function (the
predecessor name for "search") at the same folder, and Win98 DOES find all
(about a dozen) documents that contain 12-15-72.

Can anyone shed some light on this? Text is text, and it does't make sense
that WinXP search would be worse that Win98. In fact, it's not very useful
if it's this unrealiable...but I suspect I've got something set wrong.

(I know there are other search programs out there...but the focus here is on
WinXP and getting it to do the search job...not dismissing it and installing
something else, surely WinXP search can do the job).

Thanks,
George

 

[S.Sengupta]

'Why doesn't Search work?'
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/top10faqs.htm
regards,
ssg MS-MVP
pronetworks.org

 

[Alex Nichol]

I'm using WinXP with SP-2. Back around 1993 I used to use WordPerfect. I
wanted to scrub some of these old documents of certain info, like say a
birthday of let's say "contains a word or phrase of" 12-15-72. I made sure
the basics were set right...search hidden, search subfolders, uncheck case
sensitive, etc. But this happens...

On my WIN-XP PC, SEARCH flatly *fails* to find numerous WordPerfect (and
possibly other) documents that actually DO contain 12-15-72. (Does it have
a problem with the dash?)

The XP search for 'Text contained' is restrictive. 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). As WP is very much competing, third party software
Microsoft does not provide filters and embedded format controls would
probably cause big trouble if you did set up to use the 'pure text'
settings.

Try Agent Ransack at www.agentranscak.com instead