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

If your folder is truly C:\folder, then it's not unlikely that you wouldn't be able to find the file. Windows 7 frowns on user folders in the system drive root for security reasons. If you do manage to create a folder there, Windows will certainly move it surreptitiously somewhere else that it regards as safer, leaving only a link in the root. User folders should always be placed in the user profile; folders to which all users need to have access can be placed in the Public folder.

JMWard,

1. Worked!!!  I copied a file to a USB drive and searched...File Explorer found it.  A second File Explorer box was opened to the original C:\folder location and it could not see the same file.  Copying the USB file from the USB drive to C:\local folder fixed the issue.  Oddly copy/replace didn't do it.  I actually had to delete the original and then copy from the USB drive.

I will try 2) if I get time today.

If Microsoft reads these:

It appears one of the Microsoft updates changed the way my PC manages file "attributes".  Whether the change was unintentional by Microsoft or for the greater good (security), I have wasted a lot of time "putting my computer back the way I had it."  (and I couldn't have done it without help.)  In my opinion this is not just inconvenient but LESS SECURE because a hacker could put a file in plain sight and I couldn't search for it.

It's a bit off-topic, and I don't have a lot of experience with the oddities of NTFS permissions on attachments and files from other computers, but I think there is a couple of things you can try.

1)  For the files you already have, prepare a USB flash drive to move them to.  It must be formatted as FAT32, not NTFS.  Move some trial files from your PC onto the flash drive; this should strip the NTFS permissions since FAT32 does not support them.  Now move the files back onto your machine.  NTFS should now give them "normal" permissions, so that they are unblocked and accessible, although if they were initially hidden they may have remained so, so you may still have to remove the "hidden" attribute.  If you cannot see them to move them in Windows Explorer, you will have to use MOVE from the command line.  If this works, then presumably moving the rest of them out and back will be manageable.

2)  To prevent this happening to new files coming in as e-mail attachments or otherwise from non-local sources, you can use the Group Policy Editor to change a policy setting as follows (I think you need to be using Windows 7 Pro or above to have access to this).  Run gpedit.msc, and navigate to User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components | Attachment Manager.  Double-click (or Edit policy setting) on "Do not preserve zone information in file attachments", and then select "Enabled", then OK.  I don't think you need to reboot but it wouldn't do any harm.

I hope this will do the trick, but if not, it would be good if you could please answer my question about the attributes of the files as shown on the command line (not from the Explorer properties dialog box), as there may be a clue there.

Good luck.

First, thanks for your help.  I followed your instructions and restarted and I have the same problem.  However, I can find the file using the Start>Search function, Explorer just can't see it.  When I open the file it is "read only" so I'm wondering if that could be the problem.  I also went into the Trust center for Word and I'm wondering if disabling the trusted documents will do anything.

To answer your last question, I would need some instructions about using the cmd function to show properties.

Thanks again.

Check your indexing options for the file types involved. .doc files and .docx files use different iFilters:

1. Type indexing into the start search box and select Indexing Optionsfrom the results.
2. Click Advanced, then open the File Types tab.
3. Scroll down to .doc. 

Ensure that its box is ticked.

Click on the entry and ensure that Index Properties and File Contents is selected at the bottom of the dialogue.

What is the Filter Description for the file type? 4. Repeat with .docx.

Was anything not as it should be?

Do you have more than one version of Office installed? Which ones?

I have Office 2010.  Checked and everything is as it should be.  I had a .docx come in by e-mail and I saved it to my folder and it doesn't show up using Explorer.  It's the weirdest thing.  The document properties were "read only" and "blocked".  I Changed the file properties by unchecking "read only" and clicked "unblock", then saved the file under a new name and I Explorer still can't see the file.  I can get to it if I go to Complter>C>Users...

Is there any way to get Microsoft support?  This is really frustrating.