Search doesn't work in Windows explorer

The search in Windows explorer has been working inconsistently in my mother's computer for as long as I remember. There are several folders where no results are displayed whatsoever, no matter what you search for.


Solutions I've tried so far:

• Using the Windows built in Troubleshooter for Searches and Indexing. It doesn’t find any problem.
• Used the online troubleshooter: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...trypointid=RNP. Turns out it’s just the same that comes installed with Windows, so same result.
• Control Panel > System & Maintenance > Indexing Options > Advanced Options > Rebuild index. It takes a few hours. No luck.
• Followed all the steps in How to Fix Windows 7 Search Indexing Issues - Guiding Tech
• Checked sevenforums.com. Another guy had a similar problem in Explorer Search Index Not Working/ Files are not coming up. They didn’t find a solution.

None of these have helped so far. Any ideas?


Thanks

Alonso said:

The search in Windows explorer has been working inconsistently in my mother's computer for as long as I remember. There are several folders where no results are displayed whatsoever, no matter what you search for.

When you mentioned "several folders.."

Your search need to start from the word "Computer" on the left side, where right side is the Search function.
In this way, it will search for the whole computer.

Using folder, it only search within the folder.

Hi, guys, thank you for your help.

I hadn't run sfc /scannow, so I started there, following the steps suggested in the page. However, rather than sticking to the instructions I decided to tinker a bit along the way and messed up badly, leaving things far worse than they were at the beginning. I'll try to detail what I did and the results:

• Running sfc /scannow.
  
  • Did it four times. Each time I got this message: “Protección de recursos de Windows encontró archivos dañados y no consiguió reparar algunos de ellos. Para obtener más detalles, consulte CBS.Log windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. Por ejemplo, C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log”. (Spanish for "Windows resources protection found damaged files and didn't manage to fix some of them. For more details, check CBS.Log windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log. For instance, C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log”. sfcdetails.txt attached.
  • Ran the System Update Readiness Tool. No luck.
  • Ran at boot. No luck.
  
  
• Thought about doing a Windows 7 Repair Install, but couldn’t find a Windows 7 installation disc (maybe I never had a physical disc), so I searched the web extensively for ways to get it. My computer is a Dell with OEM Windows, so Microsoft doesn’t provide the disk, only Dell does. Searched dell.com for the image file. In the process:
  
  • Installed Dell Update. Says the system is updated.
  • Installed Dell System Detect. Says there are driver updates available for the BIOS, audio and system utilities. Installed the drivers for the BIOS and the audio (the system utilities are supposed to be “optional”).
  • Installed Dell Digital Delivery hoping that it would provide a means to download the Windows 7 installation disc. It doesn’t.
  • Installed Dell SupportAssist and ran the basic hardware checkup. Passed.
  • Read somewhere that pressing F8 at startup provides additional tools when the computer boots. Tried it, but:
    
    • The computer just booted to Windows with a funny graphics configuration (800x600) . Restarted a few more times, but it still had the funny graphics.
    • Corrected the resolution and applied the monitor’s native one (1280x1024). That worked, but now there are has several graphics glitches. Windows no longer detects my monitor (an old Benq FP91G+), instead it detects a general PnP monitor.
    • Apart from that, there are several other glitches: The system time is one hour behind. Outlook crashes when I open it.
    
    
  
  
• (Finally!) Decided it was time to stop tinkering and ask for help again.

So, any ideas about how to fix this mess?

Eric3742 said:

When you mentioned "several folders.."

Your search need to start from the word "Computer" on the left side, where right side is the Search function.
In this way, it will search for the whole computer.

Using folder, it only search within the folder.

Yeah, I know. I search in the folder tree where the files are located, but it still doesn't find them.

Bump! By the way, I asked Dell to send me a Windows 7 DVD and they said that it's 64 bucks. I think that's a ripoff. I already paid for my licence, so they're charging 64 bucks for a plain DVD.

It is not ripped off, the price is about the same as mine.

Toshiba laptops with 2 different models.
Toshiba service center staff told me, they do it cost S$100 (Singapore dollars) == US$74
Do it myself, cost S$35 == US$26 exclude GST (VAT) 7%
They provide the original discs to copy myself, but still pay S$35 per model, with physical discs provided.
They required the laptops to check the actual Windows OS.
Total for 2 model S$75 == US$55
Include 7 DVD discs. Self service.

Do they include shipping cost.
The rate could be the standard.
Just a bit more than mine.

S$100 == US$74 cheaper as compare to yours US$64
S$100 per model. x 2 = S$200+

Thought about doing a Windows 7 Repair Install, but couldn’t find a Windows 7 installation disc (maybe I never had a physical disc), so I searched the web extensively for ways to get it. My computer is a Dell with OEM Windows, so Microsoft doesn’t provide the disk, only Dell does.

To get an original Windows ISO (no Dell programs, Windows only) at no cost,
You can use the Heidoc ISO downloader available here:
https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/techno...-download-tool

The ISO's are downloaded from MS servers.
You don't need to enter a key to download.

If you haven't seen it and you're interested, here is a Repair Install tutorial:
Repair Install

ICIT2LOL said:

To get an original Windows ISO (no Dell programs, Windows only) at no cost,
You can use the Heidoc ISO downloader available here:
https://www.heidoc.net/joomla/techno...-download-tool

Hello David I thought this site had been shut down so can one still download the ISO for the versions of 7 as it used to be way back??

Hi John,

The Heidoc site was down for a while a few days ago.
Then it was back up and available.