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

As I posted above there is a fix for this. Here it is again in case you missed it.

Important: The instructions below contain steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

1. Click Windows + R (Opens run window)
2. Type regedit and press Enter.
3. In registry editor, windows locate: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search
4. In the right pane, right click on SetupCompletedSuccessfully and click on Modify.

            NOTE: If SetupCompletedSuccessfully is not there, then in the right pane, right click on a empty  area and click on ‘New’, select ‘DWORD (32 bit)’ Value and type SetupCompletedSuccessfully and press Enter.

1. Type 0 and click on OK.

     NOTE: This is the number zero.

1. Close Regedit
2. Restart the computer.

NOTE:

Resetting the registry to 0 will also remove the drives you may have set previously from the list of “Included Locations” in Indexing Options. So you will need to add those back in through the “Modify” button. > Show All Locations > Check the drives you want indexed.

Next in Indexing Options you can rebuild the index by clicking through > Modify > rebuild new index.

 I did one more stepjust to make sure before rebuilding the index. I went into Control Panel> Indexing Options > Advanced and selected a new location and new folder for the index. I then deleted the old index through explorer.  Then I hit the rebuild index button.

I had a suspicion that simply rebuilding the index wasnot creating a whole new data set; for one thing, the index was being rebuilt too fast, like in under a half hour on a machine with 700 Gigs of files. Second, it wasn’t changing anything for the better.

So out went the old index. I didn’t want Win 7 to keep “borrowing” the possibly corrupt data from the first file by using the data already compiled. But I have not tried this procedure without making a new index folder to see whether deleting the old one is necessary after resetting the SetupCompletedSuccessfully value.

You might want to try this with the regedit alone without a new index folder and see if that's sufficient in your case.

About 3 hours later, the index was rebuilt and indexed search for files and folder contents is working.

Indexed search DOES NOT WORK. When I added the directories I want to search to libraries, it appeared to work - at first. I rebuilt the index, and left the (control panel) Indexing Options window open. It said I had 12,000 items indexed, and it was done indexing. I went out for the afternoon. When I returned, the window - still open - said I had (only) 1200 items indexed (and it was done indexing). At this point it could no longer find the files I was testing with. I closed the window, installed another program, and rebooted. When I opened the Indexing Options window again, it said 94 items indexed, indexing complete. Even as I watched in astonishment, it changed to 84 items indexed (indexing complete). And, of course, it cannot find any of the files I search for, even those that appear in the Windows Explorer that I'm using to search!

This is crazy. Microsoft, FIX THIS.

This is INSANE!! 

I can't comprehensively search without indexing? 

Now I have to edit my registry before I can index correctly?

What happened to making it easier for people to just use their computers to be productive?  Now I have to go and learn Windows 7 in infinite detail just to perform basic tasks.  Next I must search online for one site out of the hundreds of thousands with people trying to find answers just like me for just the right speck of information to help me find one file on a drive. 

Bad news... this is only the first of what will be hundreds of searches for this type of material.

Most of my workers aren't computer savvy - just computer users, there has to be a better solution to roll out to a large number of systems

Sorry, frustrated and angry at MS.  Work for a company of >100,000 & gonna start a movement in IT to stay away from the Win7 upgrade path due to lost production. (small dent in their bottom line but I will feel better)

Like many of you , I was also frustrated with the search. Nothing would come up even after adding the entire C drive to the index location. I think I finally resolved my problem and searches are now coming up.

Do the following:

1. Go to Indexing Options/add your drives as index location/rebuild index.
2. When rebuild is complete, right click START /Properties/StartMenu tab/choose customize /Search other Files  Folders/select search with public folders.

My stress level went down.

This is INSANE!! 

I can't comprehensively search without indexing? 

Now I have to edit my registry before I can index correctly?

What happened to making it easier for people to just use their computers to be productive?  Now I have to go and learn Windows 7 in infinite detail just to perform basic tasks.  Next I must search online for one site out of the hundreds of thousands with people trying to find answers just like me for just the right speck of information to help me find one file on a drive. 

Bad news... this is only the first of what will be hundreds of searches for this type of material.

Most of my workers aren't computer savvy - just computer users, there has to be a better solution to roll out to a large number of systems

Sorry, frustrated and angry at MS.  Work for a company of >100,000 & gonna start a movement in IT to stay away from the Win7 upgrade path due to lost production. (small dent in their bottom line but I will feel better)