win7 search engine

I always use the search engine a lot, and in win7 I can't manage to find out how to search inside files and folders. Need to search for specific strings in textfiles.

Is this feature not implemented in win7 or is it just me that can't find it?

It's still there, just M$ hid it for a laugh I think.

Open a window for the drive you wish to search,
type whatever you wish to search for in the search box at top of window,
Once it has done a bit of searching, a new button will appear at the bottom of the results in the window pane saying 'File Contents'.

They certainly are joking with Windows 7 search. It does many things and is surely very clever but when I type

1). *.exe I see all manner or exceutable files and have to wade through a myriad of files to find the exe I want.

2). cash.xls it shows all files with even the word cash or xls in them and not just in the filename. To get this I have to type file:cash.xls

This means more typing and a less precise search than we had in XP. It is fast, to be sure, but, what a pita to use.

I hop that someone makes a replacement that still uses the indexing.

you can go to the control panel/ indexing options /advanced / files types tab / index properties and file contents



as for the alternatives, everything would probably be my first suggestion

for the start menu search, something like executor or farr makes a nice replacement/complement.

If you want a slower, but full featured search program, I'd recommend effective file search, it's like an improved version of the classic search found on windows xp.

Everything Search Engine

FARR (Find And Run Robot) - Mouser - Software - DonationCoder.com

there is an effective search and a windows search plugin for farr : FARR (Find and Run Robot) Plugins, add-ons, extensions

executor.dk

File search tool for Windows XP/Vista/2000/2003/9X

I don't believe Everything searches inside files and folders - just for file and folder names.

Agent Ransack free is popular with Vista users - you might see if it does what you want on 7.

Agent Ransack - home

Pete7 said:

They certainly are joking with Windows 7 search. It does many things and is surely very clever but when I type

1). *.exe I see all manner or exceutable files and have to wade through a myriad of files to find the exe I want.

Click to expand...

You sure your not Joking? :sarc:

A wildcard search like *.exe will obviously return all exe files, Its not Windows Search's fault your having to "wade through a myriad of files" when your preforming a wildcard search for all exe files in the first place...

2). cash.xls it shows all files with even the word cash or xls in them and not just in the filename. To get this I have to type file:cash.xls

Click to expand...

That depends where your searching, If your using the start-menu searchbox or using the searchbox when explorer is located at the root of a drive then yes you will need to be more specific and use File:cash.xls because it will search the entire index and return multiple entries. however, if your in the current folder where you know that the file is located then the only result will be that file.

This means more typing and a less precise search than we had in XP. It is fast, to be sure, but, what a pita to use.

Click to expand...

It all depends how and where you use the search and what your searching, It wouldnt be a pita if you used it right

SIW2 said:

I don't believe Everything searches inside files and folders - just for file and folder names.

Agent Ransack free is popular with Vista users - you might see if it does what you want on 7.

Agent Ransack - home

Click to expand...

I never said it did, just gave a few options

is it not a big enough pain to change OS, the search is not intuitive by any stretch of the imagination, and please do not post saying RTFM, I'm on windows for xx years, i've earned my lving with computers, I do not have time to read another manual, unless of course it is a brand new OS !!, I want it to work - i do not want to learn anything else, i want to be able to figure it out in 30 seconds, apart from that i'll go back to Xp - as big a pain in the ass as that might be, or else network this box and use Xp when I want to find something in the 1.5 tb of data that i have accumulated over 20 years...

I know I have a file with the word Boll, where is it, if i knew i would not have to search, I know it was in a doc, i know it was less than three years ago, in xp i could find it in 30 sec or less... I have a 1000 poems, I know i wrote one with the word apple in it...not in the title.. why make it difficult for me ? and BTW I went the click click click f**ckin click file content route and it is still searching in the time its taken me to write this...


I often think the people who develop something like this as an 'improvement' are not real life users, they have no clue how frustrating to try to find something using a downgraded search function... and please do not point me to external search tools...plug ins or any of that .... either win7 can do it or not... if not then we are all wasting our time on this topic folks...

dmex said:

You sure your not Joking? :sarc:

A wildcard search like *.exe will obviously return all exe files, Its not Windows Search's fault your having to "wade through a myriad of files" when your preforming a wildcard search for all exe files in the first place...

Click to expand...

No, I was not joking but maybe I was not clear. If I type *.ex I only expect to see .exe files displayed as results. This seems reasonable. What I get returned is all executable file types. This includes .ini, .com, msi, .exe (of course), .doc and .xls (macros). This is not what I wish. If I type *.exe then I would expect to see only .exe files returned in results

dmex said:

That depends where your searching, If your using the start-menu searchbox or using the searchbox when explorer is located at the root of a drive then yes you will need to be more specific and use File:cash.xls because it will search the entire index and return multiple entries. however, if your in the current folder where you know that the file is located then the only result will be that file.

Click to expand...

I was in one of my own folders rather than in the Start menu search box. Clearly the Start Menu box will deliver the widest possible search results.

dmex said:

It all depends how and where you use the search and what your searching, It wouldnt be a pita if you used it right

Click to expand...

I'm open to suggestions here. Maybe I am not using it right. I'm using ir right out of the box - no configuration.

If you have suggestons (it's a family show), with a PC having let me know. I'm no dummy with a PC having been a VAX/VMS system manager and having owned one since 1982. I also ran my own PC data recovery and PC repair shop for 10 years.

I installed Windows 7 x64 right OTB and this issue is ab
out the only one I am having with it. I think that Windows 7 is the best OS that I have ever used. It is truly wonderful.

Pete7 said:

I'm open to suggestions here. Maybe I am not using it right. I'm using ir right out of the box - no configuration.

If you have suggestons (it's a family show), with a PC having let me know. I'm no dummy with a PC having been a VAX/VMS system manager and having owned one since 1982. I also ran my own PC data recovery and PC repair shop for 10 years.

I installed Windows 7 x64 right OTB and this issue is ab
out the only one I am having with it. I think that Windows 7 is the best OS that I have ever used. It is truly wonderful.

Click to expand...

Give these operands a try

Windows Search Advanced Query Syntax

Windows Search: Tips and Tricks

Thanks for the links. I always knew that Search 4 could do a lot. However they seem to have made it more text oriented that radio butons and clicking. For me this is a good thing. I just need to leatn the new syntax.

Thanks again.