Windows 10: Windows search doesn't always work

Can you see it in your start menu? The shortcut is what's important here, not the installation folder.

 

Nope, but after I added slimdrivers to the start menu as a shortcut, windows finds the program. Very strange. It didn't find the program before even though it was installed on my C drive.

 

Great- that's because it's the content of the folders containing the shortcuts that are indexed. That said, you'd hope programs would create shortcuts appropriately.

Indexing the installation folders wouldn't be terribly helpful, as you'd end up finding dlls and exe files and the like.

Note: many of us find Classic Shell (free) a far more rational, complete, effective and problem free start menu that is configurable, has configurable search (using its own database for the start menu, uses Windows search and can support a web search too), fully supports drag and drop, and rt click options allow you to conveniently open the folders containing the start menu structure.

Oh, Win 10's start menu also doesn't present deeply nested hierarchical menus correctly- it presents the shortcuts from folders > 3deep as a list.. Win 10's start menu gives me
Help
Help
Help
Help
etc

- all from different programs.

It isn't capable of correctly and reliably representing menus inherited from earlier Windows versions.

 

I'm already using classic shell. But I still have a problem with windows not finding programs, it's annoying to have to look for them manually. I want the programs and files to show up when I search for them.

 

Cortana search only finds what's been indexed. It will NOT find any sort of executable file incl dlls.
It needs help with prioritisation using the filters available e.g. documents, apps, music, videos...


Windows file explorer search
- does NOT prioritise what's been indexed on a drive in providing results when searching a partially indexed drive
- only finds what's below the point in the file hierarchy where it's open
- will search (eventually) on anything below that point
- also uses regular expressions and Advanced Query Syntax (just search for that)

For content searching you need the relevant ifilters installed (e.g. for pdf, docx etc).

How do you do search fast and conveniently?
Use a free 3rd party tool.
I prefer Locate32; others like Everything by Void tools (use the beta version to get extra options) or Ultrasearch.
These create an index fast across all disks/partitions and keep that updated. They do not index content.

The above or similar has been posted numerous times- hope it helps.

 

What I want really is to find all my files and programs using the search bar on classic shell, I am not interested in installing third party search tools to find my programs.

 

Then use Windows search to index everything. And make sure you have all the right ifilters.

Classic Shell is a 3rd party tool.

By not using those you are choosing to miss out. Your choice. Good luck.

 

I also use Classic Shell.

Don't know if you have already done this or not. If so, I apologize for not reading the thread, yet if you haven't then try this:
1) Search for, and open, Indexing Options
2) Press the Advanced button
3) Press the Rebuild button
4) Press the OK button

Wait for the Indexer to rebuild itself, give it a few hours or so, then check up on it. (Open Indexing Options again, and look at the top where it will say: "# items indexed" (where # is the number of files on your computer). As long as it says "items indexed", that means it's complete. Try searching for any file on your computer. Does it show your results?

 

Will try it and come back with the results.

 

How is your Indexing Options configured?
(E.g. Settings, search Indexing Options)

Have you got every drive/partition indexed- if your aim is to be able to find anything everywhere using Windows search (which file explorer, Cortana, Classic Shell all use)?

Searching the Windows start menu does seem to be sensitive to changing the default Indexing Options (Users) from something I noticed a long time back, so be careful.

And when you say it doesn't always work does that include content search, files, or just start menu items?

 

I have to say that I really think that Microsoft really messed up Search when they made the change to add indexing. It used to be so simple. Now, as you say, it seems to be a right mess.

 

I didn't say it is a mess... but it is not straightforward, and requires a level of awareness even at a basic level.
It is however very useful in searching Settings, for example.
It is more capable than you might give it credit for, but because some features are not easily accessible via a simple GUI, they are unlikely to be used by many.

More advanced features, such as searching for music of a particular range of duration, are possible using file explorer-- but I've only just discovered that.

1. You have to choose what you want indexed.
2. File explorer search differs from Cortana search as regards what can be found and what syntax is supported.
3. File explorer only searches below where its currently open in the file hierarchy
4. Content search requires you have the appropriate ifilters. (E.g. for docx, pdf...)
5. Advanced Query Syntax applies, esp. to file explorer, but the document is a bit old. However, file explorer's ribbon allows a lot of its features to be used from the GUI.
6. File search is slow, if the path searched includes non-indexed items or folders
7. It is sometimes subject to problems related to file corruption.

There is mythology around Windows search from XP days when people turned it off. That mythology is obsolete.

Free 3rd party tools are hugely more convenient, more intuitive and usually faster, but don't support indexed content search as far as I know

- indexing has been in Windows since at least XP...

 

UltraSearch now supports content search since Version 2.1.0 : (20 Jun 2016)
It is quite easy to organize the folders and filters for the search and I suggest you do this first because it will start searching the moment you start typing the word or phrase and that can be distracting.
Unfortunately I haven't found any way to Pause or Stop the search except to exit UltraSearch, I might have just missed the obvious though (it's happened before *Wink )

 

Is that indexed content search- or a search of the content of the found file?




(aar is the character string to be found)

That drive is fully indexed by Windows search, including content indexing... so it seems Ultrasearch doesn't use that, hence the warning it's slow. An important difference. (I've added 'indexed' to my previous post- thanks).

Repeating the same search once the text has been found takes just as long - green progress bar.

A direct comparison between Ultrasearch and my preferred tool, Locate32, finding text content in a couple of files in a small folder shows that Locate32 is very much faster.

 

I was using Locate32 in my XP days but it doesn't seem to have been updated since 2012? so when I updated to Windows 8 I went looking for an alternative and that's when I found Everything Search and then UltraSearch
Since you are happily using Locate32 then it obviously works well with Windows 10

I am not an expert on UltraSearch and in truth I can't remember the last time I searched files for content, I usually have a good idea in which file the content is and where the file is located so a manual search by me is usually quickest.

No Indexing, might be why the repeat search takes just as long

Since Locate32 does work ok with Windows 10 and the Portable Version is only 2.71 MB (without index) I am going to have it on standby
Everything Search will search C drive only
UltraSearch will search E drive only (external drive)
Locate32 will search for content only

Too much is never enough *chuckle