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

Anonymous
2009-11-27T05:51:54+00:00

Windows 7: Search does not find files that it should. I have the directory indexed, and *.php included on the extension list but search does not find files for searches for words that that I know there are files with those words in them.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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Anonymous
2009-11-27T14:10:58+00:00

If you're frustrated with Search (a.k.a. Desktop Search), you are not alone. Click the Start button and type in Search and click on the command "Change how Windows searches". Now click on the Advanced button and select File types tab. Scroll down and locate your file type (in your case **.php)**and make sure that the radio button "Index Properties and File Contents" is selected for the file type.

Come out of the form by clicking the OK button but do not yet close the form where you clicked the Advanced button.

Next, you may need to modify the indexing locations. If the folder wherein your files are located is not known to the search indexing, then search doesn't even bother to look there (a source of frustration for many users). Perhaps your files are on a different disk or partition unbeknown to the indexing engine. Using the expand icon and select/deselect options, make sure that at least the folders of interest are included to the Indexed Locations. Hope this helps.

samc1

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-01-30T14:10:57+00:00

    There are (at least) two kinds of PDF-files. Some are, like you mentioned, only image-files (even within the file you can't search for words, i.e. you won't find anything) , but others also contain searchable text, hence 'searchable'. As far as I know, most freeware PDF-creators only make these image-files, some, like DoPDF, can also make searchable files.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-01-30T10:43:33+00:00

    Well only partially solved. Still does not search contents of PDF files. It's pretty astounding that MS has not fixed this well documented and long standing problem with one of it's touted Search feature. Am I missing something?

    Jim

    Um... aren't most PDF's in hexadecimal? MS Word DOC's are also encoded, but at least you can still sort-of make out the contents in a text editor. You can't do that with PDF's... think of them as image files for a printer.

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-01-22T16:40:43+00:00

    Checked it, and the checked PDF-option mentions  'Can't find IFilter'

    Found some useful information over here.

    http://windowssecrets.com/forums/showthread.php/127811-Can't-find-text-in-PDF-files-with-Win-Search

    Downloaded IFilter for 64-bits from the Adobe-site. Seems to help. I get  lot more results, I think. Will take sometime to find out conclusively.

    Thank you anyway for showing me the right direction.

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  4. Anonymous
    2012-01-22T06:28:24+00:00

    This thread has been very helpful to me one way and another, so I would just like to make the small and late contribution of observing from bitter personal experience that:

    Windows Search will not index a partition labelled as A: no matter how you specify it, probably for the historical reason that A: used to be reserved for a floppy drive.   I bet it won’t index B: either, for the same reason.  When I changed my data partition to be drive G:, indexing went ahead OK and after that (& taking Doc Blase’s advice, above p.2) Search worked like a charm.

     JMW.

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