XP search facility

[xp search]

I need to search documents on an XP machine, and I need to be able to
enter multiple different words at the same time (not a phrase, but
separate words). If I was going to search like this in a browser, I
know I could separate each search term with a comma and they would each
be regarded as a separate search term. How do I accomplish this with
Windows XP search?

Thanks.

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Thursday, May 21, 2009 10:35:07 AM, and on a whim,
xp search pounded out on the keyboard:

I need to search documents on an XP machine, and I need to be able to
enter multiple different words at the same time (not a phrase, but
separate words). If I was going to search like this in a browser, I
know I could separate each search term with a comma and they would each
be regarded as a separate search term. How do I accomplish this with
Windows XP search?

Thanks.

Using a semicolon and a space between words just worked for me. This is
NOT using the Windows Search utility (that I would never recommend),
but just the search built into Windows.


Terry R.

 

[xp search]

The date and time was Thursday, May 21, 2009 10:35:07 AM, and on a whim,
xp search pounded out on the keyboard:


Using a semicolon and a space between words just worked for me. This is
NOT using the Windows Search utility (that I would never recommend),
but just the search built into Windows.


Terry R.

Hi Terry and thanks for the fast response. I set up a test directory in
My Documents with 3 word documents in it. One document has the word
"one" in it. Another document has the word "two" in it. The third
document has the string "one two" in it. This test directory is being
indexed. When I search for word or phrase in file:

one; two

It does not pull up any of these documents. I guess I'm wondering how
it works for you but not me?

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Thursday, May 21, 2009 11:38:40 AM, and on a whim,
xp search pounded out on the keyboard:

Hi Terry and thanks for the fast response. I set up a test directory in
My Documents with 3 word documents in it. One document has the word
"one" in it. Another document has the word "two" in it. The third
document has the string "one two" in it. This test directory is being
indexed. When I search for word or phrase in file:

one; two

It does not pull up any of these documents. I guess I'm wondering how
it works for you but not me?

Are you sure you aren't using anything but the XP default search?
That's all I have here. That's why I mentioned Windows Search (an
add-on). But I used a two word search and it found dozens of files
throughout the data drive.


Terry R.

 

[xp search]

The date and time was Thursday, May 21, 2009 11:38:40 AM, and on a whim,
xp search pounded out on the keyboard:


Are you sure you aren't using anything but the XP default search? That's
all I have here. That's why I mentioned Windows Search (an add-on).
But I used a two word search and it found dozens of files throughout the
data drive.


Terry R.

Hi Terry.

Yes, I'm absolutely sure I'm not using anything else. I'm using search
from the start menu.

 

[Tim Meddick]

I have found that you're both right! If you type in the 'search box' the
words:

one, two

separated by a COMMA then ALL the search terms are processed and you get
any file with the word 'one OR 'two in the titles .


==



Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.

 

[bobster]

Terry,
I much prefer Agent Ransack to either the XP built-in Search function or the
MS Windows Search utility. It's free, and has an uninstaller if you don't
like it. You can try it here:

http://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/

==========================================================
The date and time was Thursday, May 21, 2009 10:35:07 AM, and on a whim,
xp search pounded out on the keyboard:

I need to search documents on an XP machine, and I need to be able to
enter multiple different words at the same time (not a phrase, but
separate words). If I was going to search like this in a browser, I
know I could separate each search term with a comma and they would each
be regarded as a separate search term. How do I accomplish this with
Windows XP search?

Thanks.

Using a semicolon and a space between words just worked for me. This is
NOT using the Windows Search utility (that I would never recommend),
but just the search built into Windows.


Terry R.

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Thursday, May 21, 2009 12:25:52 PM, and on a whim,
Tim Meddick pounded out on the keyboard:

I have found that you're both right! If you type in the 'search box' the
words:

one, two

separated by a COMMA then ALL the search terms are processed and you get
any file with the word 'one OR 'two in the titles .


==



Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.

Hi Terry and thanks for the fast response. I set up a test directory in
My Documents with 3 word documents in it. One document has the word "one"
in it. Another document has the word "two" in it. The third document has
the string "one two" in it. This test directory is being indexed. When I
search for word or phrase in file:

one; two

It does not pull up any of these documents. I guess I'm wondering how it
works for you but not me?

The same worked for me with a semicolon.


Terry R.

 

[Terry R.]

The date and time was Thursday, May 21, 2009 12:30:08 PM, and on a whim,
bobster pounded out on the keyboard:

Terry,
I much prefer Agent Ransack to either the XP built-in Search function or the
MS Windows Search utility. It's free, and has an uninstaller if you don't
like it. You can try it here:

http://www.mythicsoft.com/agentransack/

==========================================================
The date and time was Thursday, May 21, 2009 10:35:07 AM, and on a whim,
xp search pounded out on the keyboard:


Using a semicolon and a space between words just worked for me. This is
NOT using the Windows Search utility (that I would never recommend),
but just the search built into Windows.


Terry R.

Hi Bob,

Actually, I never use any search. From the beginning of PC's, I created
directories/folders to organize my files and never have to "wonder"
where anything is. I don't see any use in having a program running in
the background indexing everything on my system. But that's just me. I
know not everyone works that way.

But AR is the program I would use if I ever needed it. Thanks for the
heads up on it.


Terry R.

 

[Twayne]

Hi Terry and thanks for the fast response. I set up a test directory
in My Documents with 3 word documents in it. One document has the
word "one" in it. Another document has the word "two" in it. The
third document has the string "one two" in it. This test directory
is being indexed. When I search for word or phrase in file:

one; two

It does not pull up any of these documents. I guess I'm wondering how
it works for you but not me?

Ah, searching in Word documents can be problematic. For testing
purposes, I would use straight text (.txt) files until you get the
process figured out for sure.
If you open a word .doc file in a hex editor or even a text editor
and search for the words, they may not exist in the form you're
searching for. Word embeds and modifies other characters within its
files for its own purposes. Plus if it's unicode it might make a
difference too; not sure.
I just created a three word .doc document and the words I used ARE
there, so ... at least with that file they show up fine. But it's hard
to say what would happen in a more complex document. Normally all the
code stuff is at the end of a paragraph in Word, but not everything.
That's why I recommended using straight text files for testing out the
various search methods.

There is also a "funny" in Explorer's Search when you're looking for
specific words and it depends on whether the types of files are indexed
or not. Perhaps someone who remembers the details can chime in on that
one? And how it relates to searching for phrases within a file?

HTH,

Twayne`

 

[Tim Meddick]

Twayne,
I think when the OP used the terms "the word 'one' in it" he was
referring to IN the title rather than IN the document itself. Not very
clear, I admit.


==



Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.

 

[Richard]

:
Hi Terry.
Yes, I'm absolutely sure I'm not using anything else. I'm using search
from the start menu.

Hi "xp search",
I think I see what you are trying to do, and basically, "You can't get there
from here." You're talking about trying to use "phrase search", which looks
at text inside files, to look for "multiple different words". Terry is
talking about filename search. With filename search you can enter alternate
search terms separated by commas or semicolons, which act as "OR" operators.
Phrase search only allows searching for one phrase at a time. If you have
the word "one" in test1.txt, and "two" in test2.txt, and "one two" in
test12.txt; phrase searching for "one" will get you test1.txt and
test12.txt, but searching for "one two" will only get you test12.txt, and
searching for "one,two" will get you nothing, because the comma or semicolon
is treated as any other character in the phrase, and "one two" has a space,
not a comma between the words. (Have you tried a phrase search in the
Windows folder for "Bill Gates"?

By the way, Word ".doc" format files, as well as ".htm", ".xml", and ".rtf",
are inwardly human readable plain text in the main. Right-click and "open
with" Notepad. The new Word 2007 ".docx" and ".docm" files however, are zip
compressed format and mostly unreadable if opened in Notepad.

Other MULTI search possibilities in Search Companion: In the "Look in" box,
where you select the Drive or folder to search in, you can manually type:
C:\; F:\
to search 2 (or more) drives, or:
C:\Windows\Media; E:\MyMusic
to search different drive/path/folders.
Note: In the Filename box you can use either comma or semicolon, but in the
"Look In" box only semicolon works.

(Triple-Click here to: Reverse Black and White!
--Richard