Somehow Windows Search is gone from my computer. How do I reinstall it?

You should answer the questions from Elizabeth23 as best you can to see why your Windows Search is missing.

If those reinstallation links don't do it for you,  here are some instructions to reinstall Windows Search that is useful if you do not have a genuine bootable XP installation CD that has the same Service Pack as your unspecified version.

It would take some extra effort for Windows Search to become missing.

Have you now or have you ever used any third party products on your system where the product description includes one or more of the following descriptive words:

cleaner, mechanic, detective, doctor, cure, optimize, inspector, clean up, tune up, speed up, fix up, compact, compress, faster, power, boost, booster, eraser, muncher. one click fix, new, intuitive, mistakes, stops crashes, stops errors, improves, saves you money, risk free, guaranteed or any third party program that has an icon resembling a gear, cog, tool belt, wrench, spanner, screwdriver or swooping arrows?

If yes, that could be the reason Windows Search is missing.

As you go through the reinstallation of Windows Search, the reinstallation will ask you for some files as you go along and ask for your XP installation CD.

If you do not have a genuine bootable XP installation CD, you can change the path of where the installer looks for files one at a time as they are needed.  More on that later.

Browse to c:\windows\inf and right click the following file:

srchasst.inf

Choose Install

If you have cannot see the srchasst.inf file, configure your system to show hidden files and to show file extensions.

Click Tools, Folder Options, View and enable "Show hidden files and folders" and uncheck "Hide file extensions for known file types" then you should be able to see the c:\windows\inf\ folder and the c:\windows\inf\srchasst.inf file.

Be careful not to try to use this file:  srchasst.pnf - you need to use the srchasst.inf file instead.

The installation may ask for files from the c:\windows\inf\386 folder.  That would be your genuine bootable XP installation CD if you have one and the Service Pack installed on your system needs to be the same as the CD you are going to use.

You do not absolutely need a CD to do the reinstall Windows Search since the files must already be on your system some place if Windows Search was ever working before.

If you are asked for a file and you can't find it where I suggest in my example below (it works on my system), you will have to search your hard disk and find where the files are on your system.

If you just can't find the files you need, identify the missing file(s) and then some nice person can put them on their SkyDrive and you can download them and save them on your system and point the installation there.

Here is how my system works when I reinstall Windows Search when I pretend I do not have a genuine bootable XP installation CD:

When asked for:

msgr3en.dll

Point the install to c:\windows\system32\dllcache

When asked for:

courtney.acs

Point the install to c:\windows\srchasst\chars

When asked for:

inetpref.xml

Point the install to c:\windows\srchasst\mui\0409

If asked for:

nls302en.lex

Point the install to c:\windows\system32\dllcache

When asked for:

rover.asc

Point the install to c:\windows\srchasst\chars

When asked for:

balloon.xsl

Point the install to c:\windows\srchasst\mui\0409

When the installation completes, reboot your system and see if your Windows Search is now functional.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-files/search-function-in-windows-explorer-not-working/e13da060-06f8-4590-a8bc-80e60053b8f6

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-files/windows-search-not-working-in-xp/257cef4a-6cd0-4897-bfec-57ff12a712f3

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_xp-files/the-search-feature-in-xp-is-not-working/cb09d0c0-70de-4f20-8b68-e27d765e9ed8

These are 3 answers, if they do not solve your issue, post back and provide more info please:

make and model of PC

current antivirus

Browser

OS and service pack

what occurred just prior to losing search.

http://www.ehow.com/how_7399012_reinstall-windows-search-function.html