Can't find files when "indexed", but finds them fine when "non-indexed

Can't find files when "indexed", but finds them fine when "non-indexed

I'm customizing a friend's new HP Pavillion Win7 Home Premium x86 laptop, and I wanted to place a shortcut to the HP user manual PDF on the desktop. I knew the file's name, and even the location, and certainly could have navigated there using Explorer.

But I decided I would take advantage of "lighting fast search" in Win7 (which uses the previously constructed index, and actually searches the index as you type the target name) as a demonstration of this enhanced search capability over WinXP's conventional search.

I had previously added the complete C "local drive" to the indexed components.

Ok.. entering the name 597857-001a.pdf into the search I got NOTHING. WTF??

I then tried *.PDF, and again got nothing.

I then tried 5, and then 59, and then 597, and then 5978, and then 59785, and then 597857, and then 597957-, and in each case saw something displayed, which were two folders inside of the HP documentation folder (in \Program Files (x86)) that had those characters in the folder name.

But when I then tried 597857- suddenly the two folders previously displayed disappeared!!!

I did a bunch of Google searching, some of which tied the failure to .PDF, but I verified the index file types and PDF was certainly checked.

In other words, there was no reason I could determine for this failure... i.e. the inability to find a file name known to exist, in a folder on a drive that is included in the index.


I then went to the Win7 index options and un-checked the C local drive.

Now I re-did the search for the full 597857-001a.pdf file name. Of course, I got the warning that "searching with no index may be slow and take a long time". And the green progress gauge progessed slowly as all of C was searched.

However at the end, the desired file WAS found... in exactly the folder location previously shown when I had entered only the first six characters of the file name (with indexing in effect) but which had disappeared when I added the "-" character.


So, is this a known bug in Win7 indexed search? Is this my fault in some way? Do I need to set something else that I didn't do?

Furthermore, why are only the containing folders (which house the target file and which also contain that string in the folder name) shown when I type "597857" into the search, and not the file name itself in that folder... which also contains that string in its file name?

And why would the containing folder suddenly disappear when I type "597857-"???


Anyway, I've now left the C local drive un-checked in the index options, as obviously this is a seriously defective and therefore worthless and useless feature.

I'd rather take a bit longer to do a search but know that I'll find what I'm looking for, instead of trying to use a "lightning fast" index-based search that flat-out fails.

Please, post the path of the file you are searching for.

dsperber said:

Anyway, I've now left the C local drive un-checked in the index options, as obviously this is a seriously defective and therefore worthless and useless feature.

I'd rather take a bit longer to do a search but know that I'll find what I'm looking for, instead of trying to use a "lightning fast" index-based search that flat-out fails.

Click to expand...

Try reading the tutorial Windows Search - Configure and Use.

It will help in using Windows Search more effectively, and to understand why your searches are failing.

WOW! That is quite possible the best written, most comprehensive tutorial I've ever read. Excellent!!!!!

I never realized the built in Win 7 search was that powerful.

Thank you for posting the link.