No application for search and How add Agent Ransack to disk context?

[dkperez]

Running Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

When you right-click while on a folder in Windows Explorer, "search" isn't working. It complains that "This file does not have a program associated with it..." I presume I somehow clobbered something, somewhere. How do I get this working again? I presume I need to create an association, but with what?

I installed Agent Ransack for doing searches, and it works fine from the context menu (right click while in Windows Explorer) for ANY folder EXCEPT the top level disk... So, I can search "Program Files" just fine, but I can't search "c:" because the command doesn't show up in the context menu at the disk level. How do I add it?

 

[dsperber]

Just in passing, the "Everything" alternative to Windows Search DOES insert itself into the right-click context menu and can be used for EVERYTHING you right-click on, including a top-level drive letter.

It shows up as "Search Everything..." with whatever top-level drive letter or current folder location you're at in Explorer already pre-populated in the search argument field of the Everything dialog that appears. You then type whatever full/partial/wildcard file name you're looking for and the search is limited to the top-level drive or current high-level folder.

And of course there's always the Everything object permanently present in the System Tray for you to right-click and select "New Search Window" to initiate a blank new search.

I've not used Agent Ransack, because I've been a long-time convert to Everything and see no need to have anything else for my "full/partial/wildcard file name search" alternative to Windows Search.

 

[Layback Bear]

I also use Search Everything. Been using it for a long time. It works so well I haven't looked for another program.

 

[dkperez]

I just downloaded everything. It looks awfully basic...

Can someone tell me HOW to get the MS search reconnected to the top level context menu? If I can find that out, I may be able to figure out how to get Agent Ransack connected to the top level context menu.

I'll try everything again, but I didn't find anything for doing searches by date or size or across multiple disks, etc.

 

[dsperber]

I just downloaded everything. It looks awfully basic...

It is in fact "basic". It is 100% strictly for file name search, either full or partial or wildcard.

I, myself, do this type of "search" 99.999% of the time when I'm searching for something. And for this purpose Everything is 100% PERFECT, and instantaneously fast. As quickly as I can type, the program is keeping up with my keystrokes and the "hit list" revealed in the area below simply populates or is reduced in size as the fewer and fewer "hits" satisfy the search.

That's what this product is... a file name search only.

I'll try everything again, but I didn't find anything for doing searches by date or size or across multiple disks, etc.

The index maintained by Everything is automatically inclusive of WHATEVER VOLUMES (i.e. disks) you specify in the Options configuration:

Right-click on Everything in the System Tray and select "options". Then select the VOLUMES tab and "activate" your other disk drives for indexing or not. Just check the "check media" box and all the other boxes will also auto-check themselves. This is what you want, and now that drive's folders/files are part of the master Everything index process. You can also use the EXCLUDE tab to intentionally omit selected folders from the indexing process, if that's what you want.

If you want to do a more "exotic" search, by date or size or other characteristics (including imbedded text inside files, etc.) then you need to use a more "exotic" product. Everything is NOT this kind of product... it is 100% strictly for instant file name search.

If you DO want a more "exotic" search as you've described, you might install another beauty of a Windows Search alternative: Search My Files. This product will do EXACTLY what you're asking for... but it's "on the fly", rather than index-based as Everything is for file names. So while Everything is literally "instantaneous" in its response which occurs AS YOU TYPE, Search My Files only begins its active search only after you complete configuring the search criteria and finally push the "start search" button. It may take some time, depending on how large the drive/folder search scope is as you've defined it.

 

[Layback Bear]

Are you able to use the Search off of the start button?
Do you have indexing turned on?

 

[pincushion]

Running Windows 7 Professional 64-bit.

When you right-click while on a folder in Windows Explorer, "search" isn't working. It complains that "This file does not have a program associated with it..." I presume I somehow clobbered something, somewhere. How do I get this working again? I presume I need to create an association, but with what?

I installed Agent Ransack for doing searches, and it works fine from the context menu (right click while in Windows Explorer) for ANY folder EXCEPT the top level disk... So, I can search "Program Files" just fine, but I can't search "c:" because the command doesn't show up in the context menu at the disk level. How do I add it?

My Agent Ransack searches C: from the context menu - do you have anything ticked in the options menu, I don't. Perhaps it is because I run as admin but unlikely.

:shock: :huh:

 

[dkperez]

>Are you able to use the Search off of the start button?

No, I can't even run it from the start button. I get the same error. I've apparently clobbered some association and need to put it back, but I can't find anything that tells me where and how this particular association is done.

 

[dkperez]

>My Agent Ransack searches C: from the context menu - do you have anything >ticked in the options menu, I don't. Perhaps it is because I run as admin but >unlikely.

I BELIEVE mine USED TO run from the top level context menu... Similar to whatever I did to the MS search, I think I clobbered this one. Re-installing hasn't helped.

Since I'm the administrator on this system, I always run as an administrator.

I just checked, and I don't have any oddities set in the configuration or any options checked. Whatever I did, I ONLY clobbered the top level folder for a disk...

I've been through the registry, and can find context menu settings and can find Agent Ransack in the context menu. BUT, at least on my system, the context menu for the disk is different than the context menu for any of the folders on that disk. There are quite a few differences, and I can't find the context menu for the disk...

I KNOW they should both work 'cause BOTH work fine on my laptop. It's only on the desktop (where I go around playing with things and sometimes clobber stuff) that I've managed to goof things up...

 

[pincushion]

It can be really annoying when things like this happen - I don't suppose you have a system image to go back to?

:huh:

 

[Layback Bear]

Make sure you indexing is on. You will not be able to search if indexing is off.
Please fill out your complete specs to help others help you.

 

[dkperez]

Plain, ordinary, PC box. As I said originally - running Windows 7 Professional, 64-bit.

So, does ANYBODY KNOW how to put a command into the context menu for a drive?
There's gotta be a SIMPLE way to add the $#%^^%$# search command back in and add other stuff manually.

 

[dkperez]

OK, I finally used the brute force and massive ignorance method... Uninstalled Ransack 64. Rebooted. Manually deleted all the folders and files in both program locations. Installed the 32-bit version. Verified that it showed up in all the context menus - along with the shortcuts for the 64-bit versions, which no longer work anywhere.....

Went into regedit and searched for Agent Ransack and deleted every occurrence where it was located in "Program Files" instead of "Program Fiels (x86)"......

Works fine now, so although it would still be nice to know how to get the MS search working, I don't really need it.........

So, this one can go to sleep unless someone can tell me specifically how to get the MS search working again.

 

[Layback Bear]

I will ask again. Do you have indexing turned on.
Plain ordinary box tells us nothing.
Have a nice day.

 

[snowdude]

In answer to your question (there's an awful lot of non-answers here)...

The context menu for the C:\ drive is located under the HKCR\Drive registry key. For Agent Ransack it should be under HKCR\Drive\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\AgentRansack

The Folder context menu options are similarily under HKCR\Directory.

There's one important point in that although the 32-bit version of Agent Ransack will work on Win x64 the shell extensions will not (out of the box) work in Explorer x64. The reason is that a 64-bit process (ie Explorer x64) can't load a 32-bit extension 'in-process'.

Next time you go through this you should try installing Agent Ransack x64 if you're using Explorer x64. I'd also recommend contacting Agent Ransack support if you have problems, they're normally pretty helpful and responsive.

 

[dkperez]

Yup, indexing is on. It's not the "search" fault, it used to work. "I" did something when messing around with context menus and clobbered the search. I"ll try snowdude's information and see if I can get it working again.......

I'm aware of the limitations on Agent Ransack 32, but I wanted to do something that would COMPLETELY remove and change what I had. Now that I have it working in 32-bit, I'll go through the same process again and go back to the 64-bit version when I've got a spare minute.

This should be a lesson to me NOT to do really dumb things without writing down what I'm doing or getting a registry backup or whatever! Unfortunately, with me, the ratio of dumb things to smart things is really in favor of the dumb things!