A Windows 7 search alternative ?

boohbah · Jul 4, 2011

free vesion james

digitig · Jul 24, 2012

Well, it's two years on from the original question and a year on from the last comment, and I'm still looking for a usable way of searching on Windows 7.

The inbuilt search is a complete crock. It has replaced a clear GUI with a command line, and I can never remember the commands. It's fine for finding something simple in an indexed location, but when I'm trying to find hidden files in unindexed and possibly hidden locations because a program installation has failed then the Win7 search is as useless as a chocolate teapot.

And the alternative everybody seems to suggest is Search Everything. On the very rare occasions this runs without hanging I can't work out how to do anything with it.

My best solution so far is to fire up a copy of XP in a virtual machine and search using that, surely there has to be a better way?

DavidE · Jul 24, 2012

did you try Agent Ransack (aka File Locator Lite)?
i use File Locator Lite and it works well for me.

i'm not sure how it will work for hidden files if you don't have those shown in your Folder options.
you can start it with "Run as administrator" to see if that helps in your searches.

FileLocator Lite - Free File Searching Utility

mjf · Jul 24, 2012

Agent Ransack /File Locator Lite has been referred to many times and is better for everyday use than Search Everything IMO. I have been using it for a long time now and wouldn't be without it. A "non computer person" can easily use it in say an office environment. In fact File Locator is simply a name change and some minor cosmetic changes to make the Corporate World feel more comfortable.

pacinitaly · Jul 31, 2012

digitig said:
Well, it's two years on from the original question and a year on from the last comment, and I'm still looking for a usable way of searching on Windows 7.

The inbuilt search is a complete crock. It has replaced a clear GUI with a command line, and I can never remember the commands. It's fine for finding something simple in an indexed location, but when I'm trying to find hidden files in unindexed and possibly hidden locations because a program installation has failed then the Win7 search is as useless as a chocolate teapot.

And the alternative everybody seems to suggest is Search Everything. On the very rare occasions this runs without hanging I can't work out how to do anything with it.

My best solution so far is to fire up a copy of XP in a virtual machine and search using that, surely there has to be a better way?

look at this, I use daily FSL - Super Finder

endeavor · Aug 1, 2012

digitig said:
Well, it's two years on from the original question and a year on from the last comment, and I'm still looking for a usable way of searching on Windows 7.

The inbuilt search is a complete crock. It has replaced a clear GUI with a command line, and I can never remember the commands. It's fine for finding something simple in an indexed location, but when I'm trying to find hidden files in unindexed and possibly hidden locations because a program installation has failed then the Win7 search is as useless as a chocolate teapot.

And the alternative everybody seems to suggest is Search Everything. On the very rare occasions this runs without hanging I can't work out how to do anything with it.

My best solution so far is to fire up a copy of XP in a virtual machine and search using that, surely there has to be a better way?

DavidW7ncus said:
did you try Agent Ransack (aka File Locator Lite)?
i use File Locator Lite and it works well for me.

i'm not sure how it will work for hidden files if you don't have those shown in your Folder options.
you can start it with "Run as administrator" to see if that helps in your searches.

FileLocator Lite - Free File Searching Utility

mjf said:
Agent Ransack /File Locator Lite has been referred to many times and is better for everyday use than Search Everything IMO. I have been using it for a long time now and wouldn't be without it. A "non computer person" can easily use it in say an office environment. In fact File Locator is simply a name change and some minor cosmetic changes to make the Corporate World feel more comfortable.

I too totally agree with using Agent Ransack aka File Locator Lite.
I see I'm still using Release Build 761 - 2010.03.26.48708

I use it on WXP and Windows 7
iirc, it most resembled the search on W9x.
In my experience it is easily 10x faster and more efficient than the stock search on Windows 7

I could not imagine using anything else, and have long ago shut off all the windows search stuff since in my experiece, this free app excels the stock search in every way I can think of and have tried, I will never go backwards; ymmv.

mjf · Aug 1, 2012

endeavor said:
I too totally agree with using Agent Ransack aka File Locator Lite.
I see I'm still using Release Build 761 - 2010.03.26.48708

I use it on WXP and Windows 7
iirc, it most resembled the search on W9x.
In my experience it is easily 10x faster and more efficient than the stock search on Windows 7

I could not imagine using anything else, and have long ago shut off all the windows search stuff since in my experiece, this free app excels the stock search in every way I can think of and have tried, I will never go backwards; ymmv.

As I said I use it and it is definitely fast enough, more user friendly but more importantly for me it is reliable - if it doesn't find something it isn't there.

BUT to save you from an onslaught - it isn't actually faster. Windows search is an indexed search mechanism which will be faster than a non indexed scheme. But if Windows indexing has a problem so does your search.

endeavor · Aug 1, 2012

mjf said:
[....]

BUT to save you from an onslaught - it isn't actually faster. Windows search is an indexed search mechanism which will be faster than a non indexed scheme. But if Windows indexing has a problem so does your search.

Hi mjf, I appreciate you wanting to save me from an onslaught, thanks.
I do understand what you are saying; I've read all the posts from the senior members on this topic of how they like and prefer the stock search and I respect that and how they use it.

To explain my experience though - it is that I have all indexing services turned off and have no indexing store at all - I can't stand it personally, and I can't stand the stock search setup and its gui - but that's just me and my preference.. ..and so because of having indexing turned off is why I said it's 10x's faster, and in that light it is a much faster bare scan engine without relying on indexing.

I don't want to cause a stir about indexing though, and won't debate its usage.

imho, without question, I like File Locater Lite better is all.

AaLF · Oct 21, 2012

About Windows Explorer search tool. Where is it & how to use it. I've been told to press F3 & that gives the 'search this page tool. Windows + F3 = zilch.

logicearth · Oct 21, 2012

Its just F3, no other key. Windows + F also brings up search. Now unless you removed Windows Search from Windows Features...Be aware F3 is the universal key for search, a lot of applications use it. You have to be at the desktop to use it. Other wise it just selects the search box in Explorer or various other applications.

Windows + F does not have the above limitations.

AaLF · Oct 21, 2012

logicearth said:
Its just F3, no other key. Windows + F also brings up search. Now unless you removed Windows Search from Windows Features...Be aware F3 is the universal key for search, a lot of applications use it. You have to be at the desktop to use it. Other wise it just selects the search box in Explorer or various other applications.

Windows + F does not have the above limitations.

Ahh. Thanks. Pity. With XP's dawg, you put the dog on top of other pages enabling one to copy / decide what parameters to search with. This is a backward step.

Thanks for the clue. - 'desktop'.

WillieD123 · Nov 20, 2012

Win 7 Search

Windows 7 is great - love the stability and all - but I hate windows search. It is very limiting. XP search was way better. But worse of all is that it fails. I often have to search through hundreds of SQL Server files looking for different column names and table names and often, many times, the search returns no results when i KNOW there are results. I have to then manually go through and find the files from my knowledge. VERY BAD. We are talking text files - nothing complicated here.

Layback Bear · Nov 20, 2012

I use the built in Explorer search most of the time. At times I need to use Search Everything.
Download Everything

pacinitaly · Nov 25, 2012

use this Super Finder - CNET Download.com

videobruce · Dec 19, 2013

I came across this thread after doing a search (one that actually works, unlike this joke they came up with in W7).
I read through a number of posts and I had to laugh that there are guys here that think there is nothing wrong with this abortion of a search setup. If that was the case, why has there been 34,000 'views' of this thread??

A. For the mostly part it doesn't work,
B. It's confusing the way it's setup,
C. There was almost nothing wrong with the existing search.

All you have to do is a on-line search for a substitute for Win7 search and see how many others feel the same way.

I can't think of one thing better with W7. Every feature they changed is a disaster. None of those were broke, why waste time changing something that wasn't?

But, what should of been, still isn't fixed for a decade.

A Windows 7 search alternative ?

New member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

New member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

____________

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

New member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

HappyGuru Lovin 2Help

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

New member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

New member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

New member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

New member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

New member

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

3 Brain Cells

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

HappyGuru Lovin 2Help

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Member

My Computers My Computers

At a glance

At a glance

Similar threads

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computer

My Computers