Windows 7: Search does not find files that it should, directory is indexed, and *.php included on the extension list

Everyone, just use Google Desktop Search.  Finds everything, including PDF's, Word documents and PHP files.

I have EXACTLY the same problem with you.

Solved the Indexing / Search problem by Uninstalling my current Bitdefender Antirivus 2011;

The indexing was restarted successfully. Searching began working well.

Currently using McAfee Antivirus 2010 with no problems.

SUGGESTION: Try Uninstalling All your Antivirus and (external) Firewall programmes to try first. You would be surprised and pleased when the Indexing started to work when you click on "REBUILD INDEX" after uninstalling those potentially problematic Antivirus products.

Hope it works. Let us know if it helps at all....

Best wishes.

This response matches with my experience. The key to this problem on many machines is that you must be working from an undamaged index file.

With a correctly built file, Win7 search will see inside documents such as .pdf and .txt and so the data in there is searchable.

For example, we use the search to find matches of addresses or phone numbers in .txt files captured from search results' screen Snags (using Snagit) and Win7 -when running properly) will find those contents.

I outlined above how to reset your registry to cause it to actually start a fresh index file by using a simple 3-line script. Once run a new index will be created (instead of merely having theappearance  of being created). It is important that you set up your index peramiters correctly so thet the broadest and most granular index is created. Those settings are in several different places, also outlined above.

Good hunting.

Lorna,

Windows 7 uses 2 types of search procedures. The search you are doing searches ALL of your computer using a sort of brute force but slow method. For many people it is far far too slow. Also, I don't think you can search file contents.

For me the dramatic contrast in performance that a relatively small program like "Agent Ransack" gives deserves praise. It's free but worthy of a donation.

The only bad think about the program in my opinion is the ridiculous name (big deal).

You are correct that this will run a traditional non-indexed search on the C: drive for many users, because not all files on the drive are indexed.  However, I am 100% certain that searching from individual, fully indexed drives/folders does produce results from file contents. We have used this feature extensively because, as Lorna found, this is the only way to search from some W7 computers (…but not others for an unknown reason.)

If you have all of your data in one folder that is listed as indexed, try opening the root folder that contains all of the data and search within the box at the top-right.  This should run an indexed search on all of the data. As noted above, this is essentially the method that we use for our W7 computers that flunk the start menu search test, except replace “folder” with “mapped network drive on a Windows 2008 SBS server that is indexed on the server side.”