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

JMWard,

I finally got around to trying option 2) - Group Policy Editor.

First I changed back to "Windows Photo Viewer" as my default application to see if it was still acting up.  It was.  I saved a test file called "test PO 1234.tif" then searched for 1234.  Nothing found.

I changed group policy editor, rebooted and searched again - nothing found.

I saved a new test file called "test2 PO 1234.tif" and searched from File Explorer - nothing found.

I opened a command prompt and used the attrib command on 3 files:

1. the first test file
2. the 2nd test2 file
3. a random file that was saved by "Windows Photo Viewer" before May.

Hopefully the letter codes mean something to you:

files:

1. A   R I
2. A   R I
3. A

When I right-clicked the files in File Explorer 1) and 2) were read only and both had this message:

"This file came from another computer and might be blocked to help protect this computer."

File 3) was all unchecked with no message.

I went back into gpedit and made sure "Do not preserve zone information in file attchments" was still "enabled" - it was.  Perhaps our system admins are enforcing GP another way.

Since I'm using a convenient work-around this is more for curiosity and a challenge.

Brian

'Indexed locations' unfortunately is rather poor in its dialog. Don't ask me how it got there, but in my C drive there are some excluded folders. When you want them to be included again, it is not te be done, for you can't find this folder in the dialog box. In my case the excluded folder have names that are not unique; a.o 'data'. Well, try to find the excluded data folder, there are dozens.

On Youtube I found this guy who had a solution for the slow search process problem (slow 'green bar'), that I had wherever I had to import a file in a application. He mentioned Explorer having a bug, that concerened the file types button you mention. He advised to set in to the first option, mine was set at 'documents' Until now, he turned out to be right.

I never had these issues with XP, so it's not me.

Ironically Windows is promoting using Google with this sloppy behavior of Explorer, for searching on the Net is quicker than searching your own drive.

Companies should avoid Windows after all, for organizing your documents on your harddrive (should save time (=money)) is made rather useless, for Windows renders your work traceless. I spend about four to six hours every week organizing my drive to prevent Search from 'Hide and Seek'. Friends who have a little business I advise Apple these days (and I háte these fanboys, so you can imagine), for they can't afford to spend these unproducitive hours and the risk of losing customers.

Strange this issue isn't solved after more than three years.

Ultra Search was the golden tip here.

@DWalker

See the experiments in my post above on August 30:  I changed the extensions on some of the files to .IPA and repeated them, for non-indexed searches both from the root [C:] and from Documents.  I used the syntax that I mention in the last post for Brian100, i.e.

*0605*.IPA

and

*TT_6*.IPA.

The searches worked.  The search from C:\ was rather slow, but not unbearably so.

Try checking in Task Manager that the Windows Search service is running, and that the process SearchIndexer.exe is also running (the processes SearchFilterHost.exe and SearchProtocolHost.exe should also be running during a search).  You could also try adding the .IPA extension in Indexing Options | Advanced | File Types, as it is not there by default.

This all works for me on two computers, one under Windows 8 Pro, and one under Windows 7 Ultimate.  If it doesn't work for you, I'm afraid something in your OS is corrupted.

@Brian100

1. Just to be clear, changing the Attachment Manager setting in Group Policy Editor will change the way attachments are handled in the future, but not for any messages and attachments already received.
2. You can search for the TIFFs without using the syntax I suggested.  I tried searching for the files I mentioned previously using the search terms:

*0605*.tif

and

*TT_6*.tif

and both these found the appropriate files.

Might be worth checking that .tif is selected in Indexing Options/Advanced/File Types.

2. I have tried sending myself (on different e-mail accounts) messages with attached .tif files, saving the received .tifs to a folder, and searching for the filename from my Documents folder.  The files were found immediately.  Then I  double-clicked on the filenames so that they opened in Windows Photo Viewer, and then used E-mail in Photo Viewer to send them on to another e-mail address.  I used Outlook 2010.  I had no problems with any of this.  If it doesn't work for you with future e-mails, all I can suggest is the Attachment Manager change.  If that doesn't work, you may need to Repair Microsoft Outlook/Office, or even reinstall it and start over.  After that I run out of ideas, other than a clean reinstallation of the operating system.  But it sounds as though the problem is not a show-stopper now anyway, and you are back in a reasonable operating mode.

[By the way, Microsoft's restricted in-house recovery documentation says it has to be the left leg.]