Does Windows 7 search work?

[joomalbro]

I am currently running (well running is a big word...) and am pretty dissatisfied with - especially - search. Search is slow does still not work despite being upgraded. So I installed Windows 7 on a spare machine and first thing I did was run a search from the start button. I searched for font names - and Windows 7 could not find my fonts. When navigating to the actual font folder and doing a search there the fonts are found. But why is this? Why can't Windows 7 find the fonts from the start button search window?

best regards
Bjjørn

 

[Zagadka]

I don't think that fonts are a good benchmark, for several reasons.

There is little in the filename or contents to flag... second, they are in a SYSROOT subfolder, which isn't indexed for searching and unless you changed the settings is probably hidden or excluded... third, they have a unique file structure, and Windows handles them differently (if you just browse to the /font/ subdirectory, you'll note that they are formatted specially; namely, each one is an archive with subfonts inside. Finally, there is font control through Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Fonts.

If Windows handled fonts the old or conventional way, it would suck. Win7 font handling is actually pretty good.

If you want to benchmark, search for *documents*, or the font extensions (*.otf) after enabling searching and indexing within \Windows\ and subfolders.

What you are trying to do is like searching for screen resolutions.

 

[Andysweb]

it does for me, but you have to let it index - which can take sometime, as your properly aware.

 

[Frostbite]

Check the status of indexing and what is indexing from the Control Panel, Indexing Options.

 

[copernicus]

The windows folder by default is excluded from indexing, that's the reason they don't show up on your start menu search.

 

[Dzomlija]

Of all the versions of Windows Search that I've used (XP, Vista and 7), I've found Windows 7 to be the most reliable and efficient of them all. It returns results lighting fast, and updates itself almost as quickly.

Although written originally for the Vista Forums, our sister site, the Advanced Searches tutorial will show you how to get the most out Windows Search in both Vista and Windows 7.

I've come to appreciate Windows Search so much already, that it has become my primary file management tool, especially when used in conjunction with the facilities of the Windows Explorer Details Pane.

So yes, to answer the O.P. - Windows 7 Search really does work.

Now, if only we can convince Microsoft to include download management in Internet Explorer. But that is a topic for another time and thread...