Windows 10: Indexing Options removed

I have been using Windows Index search for years. I have all my data in one directory on my D:\. I have set the indexing options to include this location and some others. Recently Windows has been dropping my selections and reverting to the default locations. I have reset my options, rebuilt the index and it works fine for a few days then I'll notice my search can't find things that I know exist. Upon checking the indexing options...there gone!

I have recently installed Bitdefender as my security software and I'm wondering if that has something to do with the problem. Maybe a Windows update?
I am using Windows 10 Pro with updates current.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

John

:)

 

Spurious "There is no email program associated to perform the requested action" pop-ups

Hi,

Removing Outlook from the Indexing Option is done by unchecking the box in the Index Options. Type Index Options in the Cortana search bar and press Enter. Click Modify and click Show all locations. Uncheck Outlook.

Let us know if you need further help.

 

Windows keeps indexing Pictures folder when removed

I don't want Windows to index my Pictures folder so I removed it from indexing options, photo app etc but when I restart the PC Windows automatically adds Pictures folder back.

I've rebuilt the index multiple times, can anyone help?

 

I see some older reports about BD turning off indexing, and also see the Premium version has a performance optimization option. If those older reports are still true and you're using the latter, perhaps this is what is responsible?
HTH,
--Ed--

 

Thanks Ed, i'll check it out

 

[Edit - This was Bitdefender 2016]

I also had this problem with Bitdefender; it was never solved. I experienced the same symptoms on both the computers I had installed Bitdefender on. The symptoms never recurred after I removed Bitdefender.

I checked that I was not misinterpreting or misattributing anything by having both windows onscreen next to each other and I sat there watching the whole of a full system scan. At the very moment that a Bitdefender System scan completed, all the entries in Windows Indexing options were deleted [except IE history & Outlook folders]. Quick scans did not have this effect. I had to resort to setting up a scan definition of my own that mimicked the full system scan as closely as I could [there were some properties of the pre-defined System scan that could not be mimicked manually].

Bitdefender support did not help at all. Matters never progressed beyond their interminable requests for further data.

 

Thanks Try3. I'm going to remove BD and go back to Windows Defender and Firewall. What do you think?

 

I finally gave up on Bitdefender as well. If you have a system image made before installing it then just restore that. Otherwise you will end up with debris all over the place even after running Bitdefender's own removal tool - http://www.bitdefender.com/site/view...umer_paid.html / http://www.bitdefender.com/site/view...mer_trial.html
I started to get some odd symptoms afterwards that might have been coincidence as it is impossible to tell. So I reinstalled both my computers from scratch.

I do not know what your aim is. Mine was to improve my malware defences beyond that which MS products could achieve. During a six month period I tried Norton, Bitdefender & Kaspersky. Each of them was probably more effective then MS products but each of them was a pain to use in one way or another. I finally decided to just take my chances with MS in the hope that small recent improvements in effectiveness are an indicator that they intend to raise Windows Defender [since we are talking about Windows 10] to a decent standard.

Over 90% of all malware attacks fail to get off the ground against a fully up-to-date OS. Antimalware applications, including Windows Defender, are intended to foil the remainder.

I based my view of product effectiveness on the results published by specialist testing labs -
AV-TEST – The Independent IT-Security Institute [they produce reports that get to the point clearly]
Independent Tests of Anti-Virus Software - AV-Comparatives [okay but it's hard work getting useful info from their method of presenting results]
Dennis Technology Labs [no longer operating but still making several very useful reports available]

Here is a decent summary view of test results from a few months ago - https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus...ws/windows-10/

I wanted to assess product ease of use & quality of support myself. Each of them had some shortcomings. All of them had terrible support [if you ever use the Microsoft Community forum and have seen the useless posts by "Microsoft" "Support" "Engineers" then you'll know the sort of level I mean].

By chance, I had to send a query to Malwarebytes [who are not rated at all by some of the testing labs & not highly by those that do test it] and their support was impressive. I was not a paying customer. My question was an awkward one concerning the precise purpose of a particular [beta] product & its likely level of effectiveness against Registry malware. I had a reply from a human being not a machine in which he demonstrated that he had actually read & understood my question and that he understood his products. He enabled me to reach a firm conclusion about the [beta] product in question. Full marks with gold star to Malwarebytes. If only the testing labs indicated that their effectiveness against malware was in the same league as the others.

Ultimately, my ambition is to identify then start using an antimalware product that will give me the confidence to continue using Office 2007 beyond its 10 Oct 2017 end-of-support date [because it is better than its vastly more expensive updated versions]. I have so far failed to achieve my ambition. I will probably have another go next year and will have to hope that Malwarebytes becomes more effective.

Incidentally, since the recent Windows 10 Anniversary update, Windows Defender can be left on a system despite installing another anti-malware product. It can be left in a non-real-time-protection mode to run scans on demand & scans set up in Task scheduler. This means that you could have a built-in second opinion [malware can make it past one line of defence but can find it very hard to remain undetected by two]. So this change in Windows Defender will help us achieve highly effective defences indeed. If Malwarebytes improves its effectiveness, I would therefore pay for its Premium version [and probably some of its add-ons such as its Anti-Exploit tool] and set up Windows Defender in Task scheduler to run Quick scans each day.

There are many people who say that we are wasting our money paying for anything and that Windows Defender on its own is good enough. Some of them go on to claim that the antimalware testing labs are corrupt cronies of the antimalware product makers & that we, as customers, are merely trying to sucker others into the trap so that we feel better about having wasted out money on these applications. I do not believe they are corrupt. I have never seen any evidence of corruption and their frank assessments of product shortcomings make no sense to me as the output of a corrupt organisation.

All the best,

Denis

 

I'm surprised by that comment. Malwarebytes (free) is not an AV. It is used to remove malware you already have - and is very highly regarded, at least by forum members here. I don't want to hijack this thread into a "which AV is better" discussion (there are many of those already) but I wouldn't put too much faith in these lab test rankings...

 

Malwarebytes Free & Malwarebytes Premium are essentially the same product but only the latter has the ability to be set in real-time protection mode.

I have also heard lots of people say nice things about Malwarebytes. Personally, because of their high quality of support, I feel unfairly biased in their favour - I want them to succeed.

These specialist labs do not rank antimalware products. Their test reports are detailed enough to be used to help you select products whatever your personal product requirements are.

Denis

 

FWIW: BitDefender was also causing a number problems with audio stutter - its port scanning protection feature. I've seen maybe 1 report in the last few months, so perhaps that was solved.

 

Thanks all for your insights. Try3, I'm waiting for Windows Anniversary to get the bug out then a clean install to remove BD remnants. It's a whole lot of work reinstalling everything, but worth it. I has Malwarebytes (paid version) before BD, but I really never understood the scan results and I didn't want to take the time to figure out the program. It didn't really seem like it was doing much although I'm sure it was. I was looking for something more interactive. Anyway I think I just disable the system scan and just do quick scans and see it that helps.

 

John,

Windows defender is now very good and I have ditched all my efforts to try out third party antimalware applications.

Denis