Search not seeing a file

[Vincenzo]

I've got a file sitting in a folder within my Documents that Windows search is unable to see. I've searched for the title of the doc, I've searched for a phrase within the doc, it cannot see it.

I've navigated to the specific folder that it is located in, so that the file is visible on the screen, done the search, it still cannot be found.

I also tried modifying the file today so it has new Modified date, search still cannot find it.

Indexing seems to be working since other files that I've created since this file do come up in a search. And I created a file today and searched for it and it is found. So search is mostly working, just not for this file, and perhaps an unknown number of other files.

Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[mitchell65]

Are you using the search box just above the Start button or at the top right of the Windows Explorer window?

 

[Vincenzo]

I was using the search box in Windows Explorer. I just tried it from Start - same result, it does not find it.

Thanks

 

[mitchell65]

You have probably done this but just in case. Go to Control Panel click Indexing Options and see if the folder that the file is in is excluded from the index!

 

[Vincenzo]

No, it is not excluded. And other files in that folder are being found by search.

Thanks

 

[mitchell65]

Frustrating - I will go further with this later.

 

[Vincenzo]

I decided to look through the properties of the file to see if anything looked unusual.

I noticed that on the Security tab, that my Users group did not have Full Control. (I run as a standard user on this computer). I edited it to give Full Control, and did another search (without making any changes to the file itself, so it still has the same "Last Modified" date) and search found it.

 

[Vincenzo]

I've just looked at the Security tab of other files, that are being found by search, and they actually are the same - the Users group does not have full control, only Administrators and SYSTEM do. This seems strange since these were created in a standard user account.

And why did changing the problem file to full control for Users fix the issue, when other files without full control are being found by search?