Search Function Fails to Find "Word or Phrase in the file"

  • Thread starter Thread starter Scott W.
  • Start date Start date
S

Scott W.

I feel really silly having to ask for help on this but nothing I have tried
has resolved the problem.

I recently moved from Windows ME to XP Pro (with the change to a new
computer). I used the "Search for a File and Folders/Containing Test"
feature in ME extensively, frequently looking for what file contained a
particular piece of information in a directory that I knew contained the
file I needed. Always worked without a hitch.

Using the same process in XP I'm getting nothing, i.e. "Search is complete.
There are no results to display", even though I *know* (and have repeatedly
confirmed during test runs) that the "word or phrase in the file" exists
within at least one of the files in the specified directory.

I've tinkered around with all the available options under the Search
Companion, all to no avail. Searches based on filenames work prefectly, but
try to find word or phrase inside one of those files and it bombs out
everytime.

Obviously this is a case of User Error but this user cannot figure out where
he has gone astray.

Please help! :)
 
You said that you tried all possible options, yet are you sure that you
enabled searching in hidden and system files and that your search doesn't
fail because of the case sensitivity?

/Mikhail
 
This is a common complaint. XP only searches inside files with extensions
for which it has a "filter" installed. Before SP1 there were only a few
filters, SP1 added many more. There is a KB artical about this, and it
includes a way to add a filter for the * extension [ie, any file].

DO a google, you'll find it.
 
Scott W. said:
I feel really silly having to ask for help on this but nothing I have tried
has resolved the problem.

I recently moved from Windows ME to XP Pro (with the change to a new
computer). I used the "Search for a File and Folders/Containing Test"
feature in ME extensively, frequently looking for what file contained a
particular piece of information in a directory that I knew contained the
file I needed. Always worked without a hitch.

Using the same process in XP I'm getting nothing, i.e. "Search is complete.
There are no results to display", even though I *know* (and have repeatedly
confirmed during test runs) that the "word or phrase in the file" exists
within at least one of the files in the specified directory.

I've tinkered around with all the available options under the Search
Companion, all to no avail. Searches based on filenames work prefectly, but
try to find word or phrase inside one of those files and it bombs out
everytime.

Obviously this is a case of User Error but this user cannot figure out where
he has gone astray.
Click to expand...

XP search is not ready for prime time. This utility, IMO, is. Try it...
http://WWW.AGENTRANSACK.COM/index.asp
 
The XP "Containing Text" option only searches the registered filetypes
(design decision by Microsoft).
Could this be your problem?

Regards, Len
 
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