Is there a way to perform a category search like in XP?

DarkPhoenix said:

pezzonovante said:

No, you can add folders from any location on your computer to the libraries. This, in fact, is the real point of libraries. Just open the specific library, e.g, the Documents library, and click on "Include Location" . From there, you can add/remove folders from libraries.

Here's an advice to manage files very efficiently: Add all your documents, music, pictures and video to the libraries. They will then be automatically indexed. After that whenever you need to find something on your computer, just type anything you remember about that file in the Start Search box. Within a fraction of a second, you will find your results. This is so efficient that I have almost stopped using Windows Explorer.

Wow.. I have to actually add these files to the library.. Even though I really don't want them there.. just to be able to search them easier.. seems like a lot of work to me.. I would much rather have the old search tool back.. much easier, and less demanding...

Why don't Windows recognize the files types for those things and put shortcuts to them in the library (for indexing purposes) instead without making me have to move the files?

I am glad you like the system, and it works great for you.. it would drive me nuts having to do that.. Plus there are times i don't want avi's or music files in the library.. they are in other folders for a reason.. How dare Microsoft presume to tell me where to put my files then tell me it wont search for them like I want Search to unless I comply with Microsofts silly rules.

For now, I have been going to C drive in Explorer and searching my whole drive from there.

You still don't get it

When you "Add" a location to the Library, you are not copying the actual files/folders. What you are doing is sort of passing the address of the folders to the library. Libraries are not real folders- they are virtual folders. They are at most a few kilobytes in size.

One last thing, if you do not want to take advantage of the improved features of Windows 7, then you should never have upgraded in the first place.

pezzonovante said:

You still don't get it

When you "Add" a location to the Library, you are not copying the actual files/folders. What you are doing is sort of passing the address of the folders to the library. Libraries are not real folders- they are virtual folders. They are at most a few kilobytes in size.

Thank you for the better explanation.. that makes much more since now.

One last thing, if you do not want to take advantage of the improved features of Windows 7, then you should never have upgraded in the first place.

"Improvement" with this feature is in the mind of the beholder. Everytime you upgrade to a new OS there are going to be things you don't like about it.. That's natural. That does not mean I should not have upgraded just because there are a few features I don't like.

DarkPhoenix said:

"Improvement" with this feature is in the mind of the beholder. Everytime you upgrade to a new OS there are going to be things you don't like about it.. That's natural. That does not mean I should not have upgraded just because there are a few features I don't like.

I agree that not everyone will like every new feature. However, before taking a decision you should make an effort to learn about the feature. Now that you know how Libraries and Search work, if you still don't like them, then fair enough-- don't use them. But most of the time people dislike new features because they don't know how it really works.

"Improvement" with this feature is in the mind of the beholder. Everytime you upgrade to a new OS there are going to be things you don't like about it.. That's natural. That does not mean I should not have upgraded just because there are a few features I don't like.

True. I am one of the people who miss the Xp search since it felt more intuitive then the search in 7. There have been times I searched for something and I got results that had nothing to do with what I was looking for like it was just pulling random files out just to take up space.

Thank you forum and all of you for your responses.
Dark Phoenix; I tried the following as suggested in the various responses and was pleasantly surprized. "Search" then typed "kind: music", and received all the different types of music files, mp3s etc. stored on the computer. Very fast also.