Start menu search

[kensiko]

Hello,

I would like to understand how the start menu search function works. That is because I find myself searching for a file that I know is indexed and it doesn't show it.

If I press "See more results", I find it.

In my example, I was searching for a picture. In the start menu, it would only show 3 word documents. When pressing "See more results", 4 jpeg files are shown.

Why isn't the jpeg files are shown in the start menu? Is it true for other file types?

 

[rddash]

try here.. it's a primer about vista search, most of it applies to win 7.

 

[kensiko]

Thank you. I read it but it doesn't help me that much.

In Windows 7 we don't have the same options, but even if we had, I don't think it would change my results.

Here is a copy-paste from Windows help:

"The Start menu includes a search box that you can use to find files, folders, programs, and e-mail messages stored on your computer. When you start typing a word or phrase in the search box, the search begins automatically, and the search results temporarily fill the Start menu space above the search box.
The search results are organized into groups, depending on what kind of item each result is and where it's located on your computer. For example, you might see your search results grouped by Programs, by Control Panel tasks, by library (such as Documents or Pictures), and by Files. The top search results—but not all matches—for each group are displayed under a group heading. You can click an individual result to open that program or file, or you can click a group heading to see the complete list of search results for that group in Windows Explorer."

Clicking the heading doesn't show the file I was looking for. The only way is to click "Show more results"

Maybe I should try to upgrade to RC1, I only got 7077.

 

[Uber Philf]

Maybe you should upgrade to 7100

Enzo.

 

[kensiko]

Ok I've upgraded to RC1, still have the same problem.

I suspected since the beginning something and now I've tested it. Here are the conclusions:
- I have all my documents on a FAT32 partition.
- The only thing I want to index is on that partition.
- For some reason, in FAT32, I don't get all the results in the start menu. Some files work all right, some others, I get no result, and this is for the same file types!
- Moving the files to a NTFS partition correct this problem.

I think I'll just have to convert my document partition to NTFS. I don't like that, I never had a good experience with NTFS on my home computer. But now I think I don't have the choice.

 

[Uber Philf]

Yeah, if its come down to that, ive personally never had a problem with, NTFS, if its solves it , then good
Enzo.

 

[kensiko]

Update:

Converting to NTFS didn't help.

I removed all the folders in my indexing options. I have just let the "My images" folder. I see 0 result when writing *.jpg.

Now, if I change the "My image" folder to another one, you know when you want to change where your personal folders are, the search works again!!

Now I need to find a solution.

 

[cartel]

Does this setting help?

 

[kensiko]

It's already like that.

 

[kensiko]

Ok now I have another thing blocking the results: Pictures library.

If the folder on my other hard drive is included in Pictures library, the results are not shown. Once I remove it, I get the results.

 

[kensiko]

Last update for today:

Discovered that the problem is coming from the Picture library. I think it's a bug. If the indexed folder is included in Picture library but is not the main place (place where to write the files copied), the results in the start menu don't show. This is probably true for all other folders too.

 

[kensiko]

Ok I recreated all my index and I tested the problem on another folder: My documents.

I got the same problem. But I also discovered that, if in "Documents" library, there is more than one folder, the search result in start menu is incomplete. Removing all other folders prevent this issue.

Does anybody here can do the same test as me to confirm it's not a problem related to my computer? It takes only 1 minute.

Thank you!

 

[kensiko]

Nobody to test?

 

[kensiko]

Since nobody wanted to test, I did the test myself

- I've installed Win7 on my laptop. I moved my documents, my pictures to D:\Some folder and created 2 jpeg tests files and placed them in my pictures.
- I added indexing of these folders.
- I changed the default write folder in Document and Images libraries from my user folders to the public folders.

I tried "*.jpg" in start menu. Everything was fine. So, I did one other test:
- I removed "Users" from the indexing options.

The jpeg test files were not shown anymore.

I have my answer. This is a bug that should be corrected.

How can I tell this to Microsoft now?

 

[kensiko]

Ok I'll just used the "Send feedback" thing.

 

[gpzbc]

Thanks for your work on this. I was experiencing something similar. Here was my problem.

I want to use the Win7 Start Menu Search feature to find my documents when I need them. But for some reason, when I type the document name into the search bar, it doesn't show the documents unless I click on "see more results."

For example, I am looking for a document called "Cheesman.doc". I type Cheesman into the search bar and it states "no items match your search." However, if I click on "see more results," It is the very first item. But I would really like to be able to access those documents from the start menu and without having to click to another screen to see more results.

I have played around with the Indexing Options. I am certain that My Documents is checked. I have rebuilt the index. I have stopped and started the Windows search Feature.

As kensiko suggested, the only way to get these items to show up in the initial start menu search is to remove the corresponding folder from the "Library" that it is contained in.

Thank you kensiko!

I searched this forum and there are quite a few people experiencing this same problem. So hopefully this will bump this solution to the top.

 

[kensiko]

No problem!

I didn't test this in the RTM version, the bug is still there?

 

[gpzbc]

Yeah, I experienced it in my fresh install of the RTM.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

Give up on Windows built in search tool. I have found it frustrating for a long time.

Try "Everything", available at no charge from voidtools.com

Works fine on Windows 7 and is free. Very simple interface and typically shows results within one or two seconds.

It re-indexes your drives every time it starts. You can set it to index all drives or just certain drives.

Its only shortcoming is that it does not search file contents--only file names.

I have never turned on indexing on any drive in Windows.

 

[gpzbc]

The biggest reason that I use Windows Search is because it has amazing search capabilities in MS OneNote 2007.

I will check out "Everything" though.