Windows Search in Windows 7

Melissa, Windows Search always searches both filenames and file content in indexed locations. In non-indexed locations Windows Search by default only searches for filenames but not the content.

You can change this setting, to search content too in non-indexed locations simply from Control Panel > Folder Options > Search tab:



If you want to search only the content of files, type content:search_string to Explorer search field which finds all words / strings where you search string appears. For example searching for text (in searching we call it string) Seven, you need to type content:seven.

If you want to search exact word / string match, you need to put it within quotation marks. Search content:"Seven Forums" would find files where the string Seven Forums appears but not the files where only the word Seven or word Forums appears.

One of your screenshots shows the word Search written in search field. If you do so, you are telling Windows to search for files where the word Search appears in the filename. If you do not search for files called Search, please do not type Search in search field! (Must be my personal record, eight times "search" in a single paragraph .)

Kari

Code:

 type content:partial_search_string

Thanks Britton.

Interesting dilemma, if I wanted to type that I need to put it within noparse tags but as I wanted to use bold font for that search argument, I had to leave out the word partial for I can not use bold when noparse is on, and without noparse it looks funny when the system thinks :p is .

IT is quirky. Try the disable smilies.

Melissa said:

Could it be the sharing option - I need assistance

No, it is not a sharing option or issue.

OK, Melissa, let's try again.

First: A string is IT lingo meaning a group of characters following each other. ABCDEFG is a string, 123456 is a string, ABC123 is a string (first one sometimes called a text string, second one a numeric string and last one an alphanumeric string).

A partial string is a part of a longer string. ABC, BCD, CDEF and EF are partial strings of ABCDEF and so on.

A search string is what you are searching for. For instance when searching a picture called LastSummerInLakeTahoe.png, we can search it with its full name (string) or a partial name, for instance SummerInLake. As you can see it is a part of the longer filename (the part typed with blue) we are searching, therefore we say it is a partial name or partial string.

I can see from your screenshot that your search is set to search file contents, too. That is good. Now, a few posts and days ago I asked you to do a simple test (here), giving detailed instructions for that.

I am still waiting for you to do the test and post results so we could go further.

Kari