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Vista Search is not working - Cannot find partial File names - Can only find some files sometimes - VISTA SEARCH is UNRELIABLE and BROKEN

Hi

I am trying to find files by searching partial file names and Vista cannot find them .. after locating the containing folder manually after many minutes of playing with the sort by options  - doing a search in the same folder using a partial file name results in Zero hits.. Search can only find the file if you input the entire name of the file in the search box, meaning that the garbage indexer must have it included otherwise search would not find a thing to begin with.

Is there a way to bypass this unreliable indexing tool and install a simple unfiltered search tool that will find items in search the way it has in every Windows Version prior to this abortion of a Search tool? 

I work with 10s of thousands of graphics files in many Organized folders and need to be able to search using partial file names without restriction and without the worry of having to miss some files because Search is unreliable.  The majority of files I search for are tga, psd, jpg - all the typical image files and even though the folders are included in the indexing filters.. a simple search like the Letter A or the number 1 only finds a few of the files here and there but not others with a 1 or A in the file name.


Thanks in advance for any input, and specially for a real fix.

I have followed every single instruction and tech note and forum post I found on this subject and none fix this problem.  I have rebuilt the index file so many times I want to never see it again.

Is there a way that Windows Vista Search can be made to work reliably and unrestricted ?  As I said.. this is the first time in many years of using Windows that a search tool inside windows cannot find a simple partial file name


System Info:  Vista Home Premium SP1 .. more ram and more processors than you can ever use for searching a simple file containing 2815 in its name.

Hello BoomTschaK,

 Thank you for using Microsoft Windows Vista Forums.

 Do you have another user account on your computer that duplicates the problem described with using Search?

 

·         You might check to see if the problem happens in Safe Mode. To start you computer in Safe Mode do the following:

1.       Remove all floppy disks, CDs, and DVDs from your computer, and then restart your computer.

2.       Click the Start button, click the arrow next to the Lock button, and then click Restart.

3.       Do one of the following:

·         If your computer has a single operating system installed, press and hold the F8 key as your computer restarts. You need to press F8 before the Windows logo appears. If the Windows logo appears, you will need to try again by waiting until the Windows logon prompt appears, and then shutting down and restarting your computer.

·         If your computer has more than one operating system, use the arrow keys to highlight the operating system you want to start in safe mode, and then press F8.

4.       On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode

5.       Log on to your computer with a user account that has administrator rights (hopefully this account is administrator).

If you are still experiencing this issue in Safe Mode it is possible that you user account has become corrupted. Please see the link listed below to resolve this:

Windows Help and How-to: Fix a corrupted user profile

 

We look forward to hearing back from you on your results.

James Microsoft Answers Support Engineer Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.

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Oh, it's more cryptic than that!

I don't have a solution, but perhaps a description of my experience will help others identify what the problem is:

I have a file folder on an external WD 320GB hard drive. The folder contains 1749 files. I am looking for one called

ps_an090_MilDragon2-1.exe

If I search for "an090" it finds it fine.
If I search for   "n090" it doesn't.

If I search for "mil" it finds it fine.
If I search for "drag", it doesn't.

Vista Home Premium. Brand new out of the box 5 days ago. Behavior didn't change before and after adding the folder to the indexing service.

I am completely flummoxed. Please!!! Help!!!

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after continued attempts to find files I determined the following MAJOR ISSUE:


If you are searching for a partial file name- you will only find the file if there is a seperator between the number or name  and the remaining file name. The search somehow hinges around the separators ( that's why it found your "mil" )

It also seems that the partial name search only works with folder names but not the actual files! if you had a folder named xxxdragxxxx a search for drag would find it.

For years I have been coding file names with a date .. example "fixthisgarbagesearchhorror081609"

if I search for 0816 .. Vista search will find nothing
if I search for garbage .. Vista finds NOTHING
if you search for anything but the exact file name .. you will find NOTHING

this means that search is broken and needs to be fixed. There is no way anybody can work like this if seach is vital to working on your computer.


and thanks for the tip about a corrupted profile.. this is a brand new machine and since I now know how to find the files, this is not the problem. Search only works if you know the exact name of the file or if you start putting spacers in file names like there is no tomorrow.



haha to test this. make some files named :

BlueApple
BlueApple1
AppleBlue
Apple_Blue
Blue_Apple
Blue_Apple 1

have fun trying to find Apple

edit:

but here is the newly discovered solution which I will share

put a wildcard * in front of the partial name and it will give you the result.  so searching for *pple wil give you all results.



the big Question is


WILL THIS BE FIXED in WINDOWS 7 ?


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when you're in windows explorer and write a name to search, if you don't have a result, try click on "advance search" in the right pane (-or- search tools\search pane, advance toolbar will appear, click the arrow at the right end), check the box "include non-indexed, hidden, and system files (might be slow)", click button search in case you changed searching  choice(s)...

and the action depends on what is indexed (control panel\indexing options)

p.s: when you search a "partial file name" use the *? wildcard (ex. for microsoft.ppt  =  microsof?.*  -or-  *soft.pp?  -or-  *cros*. ppt)

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I have a similar problem with my Vista machine using the search in Windows Explorer.

As one of the other question, I have thousands of files in a folder.

I am doing a search in a folder as I look at some of the names (Song artist) I type in the artist name and the search results show none. I know there is at least 1 when I started the search. I tried the Advanced and the same reults. I try changing the (Tools - Folder Options - Search) setup for this folder and the results are all the same. On my XP machine I click on the Search icon at the top and than use the "Search Companion".

My results are ALWAYS positive if I type correctly. Even partial names comes up. I've tried different combination and still the same, nothing.

What am I missing?

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indexe your "folder and thousands files" (Control Panel\indexing options  -or- in the search window options displayed)

in tools\folder options\view

Hidden files and folders is --> show hidden files and folders

uncheck Hide extentions for known files types

uncheck Hide protected operating systemfiles (recommended)

unfortunatly, this will make appear hidden files on your desktop.

or in prompt (cmd.exe), run as administrator: dir command with /a switch 

you'll see more maybe? or there is ways to do a recovery (or is it already cleaned?)

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Search is broken in Windows Vista; trying to use it is like looking up a hog's butt for a ham sandwich.  I was frustrated enough that I thought I would have to write my own search program to get anything done at work, but I was too busy, so I broke down and BOUGHT some third-party software, paid for out of my own pocket, JUST so that I could actually find files on my work computer:

http://www.sowsoft.com/search.htm

Seriously, why does Vista's search feature have to be so convoluted that it's utterly useless?

 

By they way, wildcards (*) ought to be used for best results when searching for partial filenames (e.g. "*part*.*").

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Windows 7 is worse.   It is effin impossible to find stuff.  Only what Micro$oft thinks you should find.   Example, looking for *.pst in users folder returns correct resuts, but *.ost returns noting.  I KNOW it is there because I browse to it and I'm looking at it.  M$, this is so foolish, the most basic thing, find a effin file,  Geezzzz

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Rickkee,

Just to make sure I understand you correctly, are you initiating the search in Windows or in Outlook?

 

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Last updated August 13, 2021 Views 2,843 Applies to: