When Windows Vista File Search fails to find files
Have you ever used Vista’s file search feature to find a file you know exists, but it doesn’t find the file? Here are some causes of this problem and how to fix them.
There are two different ways to do a file search. You can search by location, or you can search the index. According to Microsoft, If you are searching by location and not finding your file, there are five possible causes for the search to fail.
1. The file is not in the location that you are currently are searching.
2. The file is located in a system folder.
3. The file is a hidden file.
4. The file does not appear in the first five thousand items that are listed in the search results.
5. The file contains the search term in one of its properties and not in the file name.
If you are searching the index, there are six possible causes for the search to fail.
1. The file is not in an indexed location.
2. The file type of the file is not indexed.
3. The file has properties that prevent it from being indexed.
4. The indexer has not yet inserted the file into the index.
5. The indexer is overlooking the file.
6. The items in the search results do not match the file you are searching for.
The easiest way to deal with file location problems in Windows Vista is to broaden your search to search everywhere on the computer. When you run your search, click “Everywhere” in the location box, and then select the boxes for “Include non-indexed, hidden, and system files.” This may slow down the search a bit, but it will save you time trying to manually find the correct file location. If you know the highest level folder, you can narrow your search to that folder.
If you are using the Windows Vista index file search, click “Start”, “Control Panel”, then “System Maintenance.” Click “Indexing Options”. Click “Modify” and then click “Show All Locations.”
Many of these problems can be avoided by practicing good file and folder management, using descriptive file names and keywords, and by occasionally rebuilding the index using the administrator’s account.
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February 19th, 2009
Todd,
There is apparently another factor at work here that prevents Vista from finding files. I am not sure what it is, but when I try all your suggestions on my Sony Vaio system, it completely fails to find any of the hundreds of files on my C drive that match the search criteria. But the very same search (I am searching the entire computer) finds all the matching files on another drive. Yes, I am searching Everywhere, including system and hidden and non-indexed locations. But that shouldn’t matter anyway because the files are not hidden or in system folders.
FWIW, I am not alone in having this problem. I see it mentioned often in Vista forums and no one has ever offered a satisfactory solution to the best of my knowledge. It is VERY frustrating and has caused me to reluctantly abandon Vista because I need search to work reliably on ALL my drives ALL the time. Maybe it is a Sony-specific problem?
February 25th, 2009
I have been using biterscripting (htp://www.biterscripting.com for free download) for finding and searching files in Windows Vista.
The following command will find files of name “*abc*.xml” in directory “C:/Something” and subdirectories. It will find files irrespective of whether the files are indexed or not.
lf -rn “*abc*.xml” “C:/Something”
The following command will search these files for a specific string.
script SS_FindStr.txt files(”*abc*.xml”) dir(”C:/Something”) str(”some string”)
The script is posted at http://www.biterscripting.com/SS_FindStr.html .
If you want to search using REGULAR EXPRESSIONS, use the script SS_FindRE instead. That script is posted on that site as well.
Patrick
May 15th, 2009
The old searches (before vista) were fine. Is there anyway of restoring those to vista?
I want to be able to enter a file name, click on a location (eg D Drive) and click search and actually get accurate results!!
August 21st, 2009
Ya, there seems to be something else at play. I can’t do an advanced search on date (or modified or created) even though I can see that there are indeed files which match the criteria.
The search function seems totally broken.
August 26th, 2009
I cannot get Windows Vista to find simple text strings in xml files.
I can be super-explicit too, where i am only searching the folder the xml file is in, with include non-indexed, hidden, and system files checked. If open the xml file in notepad or IE, and perform a ‘find’ for the exact same string, it can match.
September 4th, 2009
I am having this problem too, however it is a recent occurance.
This was never a problem and have only noticed it in the last few days/week.
I think must be conflicting with something I have installed recently.
December 1st, 2009
Havinmg same problem. Whenever I create mail and go to attach file, it no longer searches at all using the file box search at bottom. I’m really sick of MS by now on every level. APPLE – HERE I COME!
January 24th, 2010
I cannot get vista to find file with the content I know is in there. and I am searching within the folder the file is in.
This is crap.
XP used to do earches like that just fine.