In order to find any object on your computer, just enter the name of the file or folder you need in the Start menu. The computer will search for all files containing this name in whole or in part. But this is not always enough to find everything necessary information on your computer. There are times when you need to find document(s) with certain words in the text, for example: “free computer courses”, but by default in Windows 7 this feature is disabled.
Setting up file search in Windows 7
To do this, open “Computer”, click on the “Arrange” button on the left and select “Folder and Search Options”.
After such a small setup, the search will work by file names, as well as by its contents.
Finding files in Windows 7 in practice [check]
Let's check if everything works correctly. To do this, open “Computer”, enter in the search field the word that you need to find in the files. For example, I chose the word “quality”. When you enter a word or phrase, the search will begin automatically (no need to click anything).
After the search completes the task on this word, files containing the word “quality” will appear below. You should also know that after searching necessary information, you need to change the default settings (which were). This is due to the fact that the search will take much longer, since it searches not only the file name, but also its contents.
To quickly search by content in Windows 7, it is best to go to the folder where your file may be located and search from there.
» How to search for files in Windows 7?
How to search for files in Windows 7?
Many users who decide to switch to Windows 7, on the one hand, will find many useful innovations, but on the other hand, some disappointment - there are quite a lot of changes here. At the first stage of development, they can make it difficult to work with OSes, especially if you don’t know what and how. Thus, the search for files in the seven has been improved.
For those who switched from Windows Vista, the search function will not have any special surprises, they will find it more convenient. However for Windows users XP users who first started using the search tool in Windows 7 will not be very familiar with using it. In Windows XP, the search is conveniently organized by modification date, file type, and so on. In Windows 7, such a feature is not observed, but in fact it is present. It's implemented a little differently.
Indeed, searching in Windows 7 is quite simple, you just need to know how, because the goal of any search is to find what you need.
How does search work in Windows 7?
When you start searching within the system, it is the index files that make it possible to quickly display the results. The index represents a set of files containing information about documents and files that are stored on the hard drive. The index contains various file properties, including size, name, path, and so on. For example, MP3 files can have all tags indexed – from stream speed to author. Office documents have data in the form of document contents, file properties, and so on. For those who want to learn more about the search functions, you can read the help. To do this, minimize all windows, then press F1. In the Search help window that appears, type Search.
Indexing is carried out continuously. For example, you want to change the names of files, delete or add a file to a folder, this will be instantly reflected in the index.
The figure shows locations that are indexed by default. If you, for example, store documents in F:Documents, then they will not be indexed and quick search they cannot be found - to find them you need to add them to the index separately.
Indexing and Search Settings
The standard settings in Windows 7 are done well; they suit most users, especially if files are stored inside standard folders. For those who want to customize the search personally, you need to go to the start menu and enter the search parameters into the search. This is one of the file search options - quick access from the Start menu to Control Panel items.
Changing search options
Following is noteworthy:
- default folder search searches in any subfolders
- searches in non-indexed locations are performed directly by file names, however compressed files are ignored.
- You can use language search, that is, perform a search query more freely, for example, music from last week. However, you may get unexpected results that get mixed up.
Windows Search and Indexing Options
There are many settings you can configure here. To add folders to the index, you must click Edit.
It is no coincidence that the Program Files and Windows folders are excluded from the search, since they greatly increase the size of the index, and there is practically no benefit from this. Programs can also be found by searching in the Start menu - the main menu is indexed by default.
By clicking on Advanced, you can access the following groups of settings:
- file type indexing options;
- technical parameters of indexing.
In the indexing settings, you can rebuild the index, add encrypted files, and set a new location for them.
Settings for File Types can be changed:
- exclude or include it in the index;
- determine what will be indexed: properties or content;
- add another extension.
How to search?
When performing a search, you need to know whether the search object is indexed. If yes, then necessary files will be easily found. However, if you want to find something in Windows folder or Program Files, the search will not find anything.
In Windows 7 you can search for:
1. in the main search window;
2. from the Start menu;
3. in libraries;
Search in the Start menu
Main search window
To open the search window, you need to press the combination WIN + F. However, it does not have advanced capabilities for searching files.
Libraries
In the library, search results correspond to the type of files, which is visually well perceived. For example, music files show album covers, size, large composition name, and you can also organize the results.
If the file could not be found in the current folder, the search can be repeated:
- in libraries;
- all over the computer. Non-indexed locations will also be included in the search.
- in other locations. If you know the approximate location, you can specify several folders. In addition, you can include network resources in the search.
- on the Internet - the search is performed by default using a browser.
Good afternoon friends! Today we will continue our lessons with operating system Windows 7 and learn another secret - how to properly configure and search for files in Windows 7.
It would seem, what’s wrong with that? A search engine is a search engine. I switched to seven about a year ago. And to be honest, in XP I tried not to use the built-in search engine. Absolutely inconvenient. And what you need is either not found, or found, but the process sometimes drags on for several hours.
I didn't expect much from 7. But just the other day, this OS pleasantly surprised me. I needed to search for one file in Windows 7, I didn’t remember its exact name, but I typed part of the name... and received my file in less than 2-3 seconds. Now I only use the built-in search engine.
Indexing service in windows 7
Microsoft developers did a good job. Search tool 7 compares favorably with previous operating systems of this family not only in quality, but also in search speed.
My favorite browser is Chrome, and its search engine is very similar to the mechanism in Windows 7. The search begins its work as soon as you enter the first characters. In addition, there is a hint system based on the history of previous requests. If too many results are returned for a search query, the system suggests using dynamic filtering based on various criteria - date, file size, type, etc.
The basis for such effective work of the OS search engine is a special indexing service. It launches along with the operating system, works in the background, and creates a special database of file information. Updating and restoring the index in the event of any failure also occurs automatically, without user intervention.
It should be noted that the OS allocates a certain system resource for the operation of this service. For the service to work effectively, but not to the detriment of other programs, it must be configured correctly. We will definitely talk about this today.
Instantly search for files in Windows 7
7 provides two ways to instantly search for files.
- 1. Search using the Start menu. Click on the “Start” button and enter the required search query in the search field below. For example, “Christmas tree”.
As you enter data, search results will be displayed directly in the Start window. It should be noted that the search is also carried out by the contents of the files.
If there are too many results and you want to get acquainted with them in more detail, click on the “View other results” button.
The “Search Results” window will open. The files here are already sorted by type and the search query is highlighted in yellow.
You can make your search more specific. To do this, scroll to the very bottom of the list of search results.
And in the “Repeat search in:” section, select the appropriate option.
If you assume that the file you are looking for is in the OS Library, then select this option.
If you know approximately which folder to search in, select the “Other...” option and specify a specific folder to search.
If you want to search on the Internet, click the “Internet” button.
If you want to repeat the search on the entire computer, click on the “Computer” button. By default, the indexer goes through all files except OS system files and program files. This allows you to increase search speed and reduce the size of the indexer database. but it’s true how often we search system files? It's not often. By selecting the “Computer” option, the system will repeat its search, but only more thoroughly and, accordingly, will take a longer period of time.
- 2. The second option for instant search is to search in the Windows Explorer window. The principle of operation is approximately the same.
Setting up the indexing service
- 1. Go to “Start” -> “Control Panel” -> then in the search area enter “indexing” -> select the “Indexing Options” section.
- 2. In the window that appears, you will see all the folders for which the indexing service works. If you want to exclude any folder from the search (for example, you know that one of the sections of your hard drive used for Reserve copy, then, in principle, it can be removed from this list), click the “Change” button.
And uncheck the box next to the folder that you want to remove from the search engine. Next, click the “OK” button.
- 3. Next, click on the “Advanced” button. In the window that opens, on the “Indexing Options” tab, uncheck all two boxes. In 99% of cases we do not need these functions, and therefore there is no need for additional load on the indexing service.
- 4. If you want to transfer the index database from the system partition of your hard drive to another partition in order to free up free space on the disk, then to do this you need to specify a new folder in the “Index location” section on the same tab.
To successfully change the index database location, be sure to restart the indexing service or simply restart your computer.
- 5. Next, go to the “File Types” tab and edit the list of file types, leaving only the most essential (with which you work). This will significantly reduce the load on the system. By default, the indexing service processes almost all file types in use.
- 6. Finally, decide how the indexing service will process files.
If you select “Index properties only,” the indexer will process only the file name and its metadata (size, type, creation date).
If you select the “Index properties and contents of files” option, the document will be completely processed, including its contents. This will take longer and require additional system resources, but will increase the likelihood of search accuracy.
The choice is yours, my dear Reader.
- Next, click “OK” and “Close”.
Today we looked at the possibilities search service Window 7 and how to configure it. In the next article I will share with you another interesting tool (though from a third-party developer), which allows you to search adapted to the Russian-speaking population, taking into account declensions and cases.
operating room Windows system provides several ways to search for files and folders. To search for files, folders, programs and messages Email On a computer, you can use the search box in the Start menu. But when I try to search for something in the Start menu, the search field is missing.
There are several options to return everything to its place.
First option
The easiest way is to try to return the search field using Windows. Open Control Panel - Programs and Features. Select a tab "Turn Windows features on or off". Finding the component Windows Search. If the component is not selected, check the box.
Click OK. Now we check whether the service is enabled or not Windows Search. To do this, open Control Panel - Administration - Services. Checking the service mode Windows Search. Must stand Automatically.
Second option
Apply. To do this, in the Start menu - Run, enter the command gpedit.msc and OK. Now we are looking for User Configuration - Administrative Templates - Start Menu and Taskbar. In the right half of the window, look for the item Remove “Search” link from the “Start” menu. Let's check the value of this parameter. Must be Not specified.
Third option
This option will be useful for those users who have a version of Windows other than Pro, Enterprise and Ultimate. Only these versions support Local Group Policy Editor.
Open the registry editor: Press the Win key + R and enter the command regedit And OK. Finding the section
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
if there is a parameter in this section NoFind- it must be removed.
When switching from Windows Vista, search only becomes more convenient and does not contain any special surprises. This cannot be said about many Windows XP users who are just discovering everyday work in the system with such a convenient tool as instant search. Searching in Windows 7 is really very simple. But, as in any search, the goal is to find what you need, and sometimes difficulties arise with this. With this article I begin a story about how search works in Windows 7, how to configure it, how to search, and most importantly, how to find.
How search works
You've most likely heard about an index - a set of files that contain various information about files and documents stored on disk. When you use search, it is the index files that allow you to quickly display results. The index includes various file properties, and this is not just the path, name or size. For example, all tags of MP3 files are indexed - from the author to the bit rate. For office documents, data is indexed, which can be seen in the file properties on the tab Details, document content, and so on. If this search is new to you, I recommend reading a couple of help articles to get some background information on searching. Minimize all windows, click F1 and in the field Search Help enter... Search.
Indexing happens constantly - if you add, delete or change a file in a folder, it will immediately be reflected in the index.
The screenshot shows the locations that are indexed by default. Therefore, if you store your documents somewhere in F:\Documents, they will not be included in the index and will not be found by a quick search - they must be added to the index separately. Setting up the search will be discussed below.
Search and indexing settings
To be honest, the standard search settings are quite good, and most users do not need to change anything in them, especially if documents and files are stored in standard folders. To configure settings, open the Start menu and type search options into the search box.
This is how we easily used one of the search features - quick access to control panel elements from the Start menu.
Change search options for files and folders
I will not duplicate the parameters that are clearly visible in the screenshot.
Please note the following points:
By default, search within a folder searches all subfolders
in non-indexed locations, only file names are searched and compressed files are ignored
you can use language search, i.e. compose search queries in a more fluent language - for example, last week's video (there will be a lot of unexpected results mixed in here, especially in localized versions)
Indexing options and Windows Search services
Here you can configure many more settings. To add folders to the index, click Change.
It is no coincidence that the Windows and Program Files folders are excluded from the search - they will greatly increase the size of the index, and will be of little practical use. Programs can already be found by searching in the Start menu - after all, the main menu is indexed by default.
Clicking Additionally, you get access to two groups of settings:
indexing technical parameters
indexing options for file types
In the first of them, you can add encrypted files to the index, rebuild the index (which may be necessary in case of problems) and set a new location for it.
For file type (extension) you can:
include or exclude it from the index
determine whether only properties or content will be indexed
add new extension
For example, if suddenly your exchange client instant messages saves history in text files with the LOG extension or you just need to parse logs, their contents will not be indexed by default. But you can easily customize the search - just type log on your keyboard to move through the list of extensions and enable content search.
How to search
When starting a search, it is advisable to immediately imagine whether the search object is included in the index. As I said above, the index covers the user's profile - libraries, files, etc. Here you can find the files you need relatively easily.
But if you open the main search window and expect to find something in the Program Files or Windows folder, you may generally get the impression that “the search finds nothing” because only the results from the index are displayed. We’ll talk about searching in non-indexed places later, but now we’ll look at general methods search in Windows 7. You can search:
from the Start menu
in the main search window
in libraries
in other Explorer windows - folders, "Open" and "Save As" dialogs
Search in the Start menu
When you search from the Start menu, the search results show not only files and documents, but also programs and Control Panel items. Now you can safely give up the Windows XP habit of carefully sorting applications in the menu Programs. It is enough to enter the first few letters of the program name to find it. This is much more convenient, especially if you have many programs installed.
Advice. If you use portable applications, just add their shortcuts to the %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder (you can create a subfolder for them). They will appear in a group in search results Programs.
In Windows 7, search results in the Start menu are very conveniently grouped, and the number of results in each group is immediately visible - this point has been improved compared to Windows Vista. As you can see in the screenshot, search by word word finds not only applications Microsoft Word and WordPad, but also offers results in other groups.
The Start menu displays multiple results for each group, and clicking on the group name opens a search box with all the search results for the group.
Searching in the Start menu is good when you have an idea of the file name or its contents - the first 5 - 10 results are visible immediately, and you don’t have to look far. In addition, the Start menu is indispensable for quick access to programs and control panel items using search.
Main search window
A blank search window can be opened by pressing the keyboard shortcut WIN+F. It, in my opinion, has somewhat lost its meaning, since it no longer contains advanced file search capabilities. Searching in Explorer windows practically forces it out of the system. It seems to me that links to help on using search or a link to this article could brighten up its dull appearance.
However, the main search window still carries a payload. It opens with search results if you enter a query in the Start menu and click on the name of the search result group, or on View more results right above the search field.
Libraries
Now I will explain why I separated the search in libraries and other Explorer windows. Notice how library search results are displayed. They correspond to the type of files in it and are very well perceived visually. For example, for music files, the album cover, large song name, size are displayed, and there are also “musical” options for organizing the results. This is a property of all libraries, which confirms the thesis - Windows features 7 are best used together. In this case, it is searching in libraries, which has other advantages.
This is what a simple library search will suggest: Music.
While in File Explorer, you can organize your search results by available file properties. The default display order is top scores, but, for example, you can organize music files by album or genre. This feature is available along with the traditional Explorer tools of sorting and grouping (although the latter may be new to Windows XP migrants).
In this case, the results will display several tracks from each album. You can view all the songs on an album, and then “fold” it if the one you need is not there.
If you haven't found required file in the current folder, you can repeat the search:
Other Explorer windows
In folders and libraries, the search field is the same as in the main window. But we must not forget that the same option is available in the “Open” and “Save As” windows, which are used even by those who prefer alternative file managers.
It is more convenient to search in folders when you know the approximate location of the file or document - in this case you will not get lost in the results. In addition, this method is useful when it is known for sure that the file is not included in the index. Finally, in the Open and Save As windows, you can quickly filter the contents of a folder using search.
I'm sure you've already tried simple search queries and you're probably completely satisfied with them. However, sooner or later you will need to find the file, and a simple query will not help. Next I'll tell you how to use advanced features Windows search 7 to find the files you need.
New advanced search features in Windows 7
To master search, of course, you need to practice using its capabilities. In articles about Windows 7 search, I will give a number of examples that you can easily reproduce in your own home.
If you're upgrading from Windows XP, absolutely everything in your Windows 7 search will be new. Compared to Windows Vista, Windows 7 looks:
have changed search filters
Search filters
When you roughly know the name of a file or the topic of a document, finding the desired file is usually not difficult - you simply enter a partial or full query into the Start menu search. But this information is not always stored in random access memory brain, and simply often need to ask special conditions search - size, modification date or author of the file. Windows XP had a search assistant, Windows Vista had filters.
At first glance, there is nothing that stands out visually in Windows 7. In fact, filters are still there - they just become visible when you place your cursor in the search field.
Advice. To see more filters, expand the search field - place the cursor on the separator between the field and address bar and pull left.
In the screenshot you see a standard set of filters in the main search window.
Hints
Your search queries are remembered if they were entered:
to the search window
in explorer folder or library
in the Start menu (assuming you navigated to results and didn't just open the file)
These prompts annoy some users, and they tend to turn them off immediately. And, in my opinion, they are doing it in vain. The tips remember not only search queries as such, but also filters searches that you specified - for example, the size or modification date of the file. Suggestions are very useful if you want to use the full power of Windows 7 search. It's easy to change the old condition to the current query, and it's faster than entering it again. And you can always delete an unnecessary hint - just select it (with the mouse or cursor) and press Delete on the keyboard.
As I said above, the new features of Windows 7 are best used together. The connection between search and libraries is not only in the display of results, but also in the formation of search conditions. In the next part of the article I will look at:
using filters to search libraries and mail
search in Internet Explorer 8
search in non-indexed places
search operators
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