Search is useless

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I have had problems with “Search” function since I installed Win XP. If it’s not a microsoft file, search ignores it, or can’t find it.
Lately, the kind of screen I see when I click on it is 3 boxes in one column, and a green box at the top of the other.
No instructions that resemble past screens. I don’t know if this happened in one of the last updates or not. I don’t
use it much at any time.

Back in the day of “FIND”, it seemed to scan the entire computer for what you needed. Now, within a second, it
tells you it cannot find the file. I have even picked a file that I knew the location of, and it came back with the
same answer. Is there a way to uninstall it and re-install it, in case I ever need to find something later??

Thanks for past help..

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Windows Search 4.0 is the version you should be using. If it is not finding files you need to change the indexing options to make sure the locations are inlcuded. If that does not work you may need to find an ifilter for a particular file type.

Joe

--Joe

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The trouble with search is it does not search hidden locations unless specifically told and even then it misses files. If I need to find a file I use the good old DOS command DIR. This ignores folder attributes like hidden, but you do need to tell it to show hidden files.

cheers, Paul

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Personally, i would disable Windows XP indexing (too much overhead) and use Everything search engine from Void Tools at
Everything Search

Its freeware and is much faster and easier to use.

Jerry

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I like SuperFinder, much faster than the Windows one, and more thorough.

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I downloaded Search Everything, and it’s amazing!!! I barely got the file name typed, and there it was.
If I were Windows, I would pay this guy a million bucks and hire him in a second!
Thanks a lot for the great little program.

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Yes, Search Everything is AMAZING! Its only drawback is that it doesn’t search content, just file and folder names. However, it does such a terrific job with those that I find that’s often all I need. When I do need to search content, I’ve got three programs currently on my computer that I use: Yahoo Desktop Search, Archivarius, and FileLocator Pro. The first two depend on indexing, the third does not. But I use Search Everything more than all of these three put together.

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