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

JMWard, we are different people apparently experiencing the same problem. 

I started to delete the original file and then copy the revised file from the USB drive as you suggested, but curiousity got the best of me and I wanted to see if copy/replace "really replaced the file" or if Win7 left the file on the HD untouched.  Now we know.  I wonder what "Move" would do?  Then again perhaps the Tiff trust center attributes are saved separately from the file itself and would be deleted when the file is deleted but not deleted/newly rebuilt with copy/replace. 

The files are not invisible in the details list (or any list) they are invisible to the "search box", I can see them sitting there in file view if I sort by PO# and then scroll way down but if I type the same number into the search box it yields no results.

I'm still trying to find time to change the Trust Center to confirm newly saved files received in emails will be searchable going forward.

It's the Attachment Manager setting in Group Policy Editor | User Configuration you need to change - see post above.

Right, Brian100, here are the results of some experiments.

I acquired 14 .tif files, nearly all with numbers somewhere in their names.  I put them in TestFolder, within my Documents folder.  It turns out they were indexed almost immediately.

a) I searched from the Explorer search box, with Explorer pointing to Documents, with the search term:

ext:.tif

This immediately found all the TIFs.

b) Two of the filenames contained the number 6, FAX_DE_EDGAR_060605.tif  and  CCITT_6.TIF. I used the search term:

ext:.tif  6

Nothing was found, but this is to be expected, because of the way the search syntax works.

Then I searched using:

ext:.tif name:~=6

which means look for a tiff containing 6 anywhere in the name.  The two files were found instantly.

The syntax used must be exactly as shown or it won't work.  (But you can also put quotes around the search string - name:~="6", or name:~="GAR_060" for the first file, will still work.)

Searching for ext:.tif name:~=5 found FAX_DE_EDGAR_060605.tif again, and CCITT_5.TIF.

I did the experiment again using different files and numbers, with the same result.

c) I made all the files read-only and did it all again.  Same results.

d) Then I made them all hidden as well as read-only, and did it all again.  Same results, except the hidden files only showed when I had "View hidden files" turned on, as you might expect.

e)  Then I put a copy of TestFolder inside a folder at the root of the C: drive called SwSetup, so the structure was C:\SwSetup\TestFolder.  Then I repeated the searches with Explorer pointing at the root, C:.

This time, as I suggested in my previous post, the search took a lot longer, because the location was not indexed, so Search had to do a "grep" search through all the non-indexed folders.  But it still found the files eventually, with the same conditions and caveats as above.

f)  These experiments were all carried out on Windows 8 Pro, but the functionality should be exactly the same on Windows 7.  (Incidentally, on Windows 7 you can press Windows Key + F (WinKey and F together) to bring up a Search version of Explorer to do an indexed search - just in case you didn't know).

If some combination of all these suggestions doesn't do the trick, try  reinstalling the operating system  by the light of the next full moon while standing on one leg and reciting the Lord's Prayer backwards.

[Works for me ;-}]

I thought that searches would be SLOW in non-indexed locations, rather than searches being completely BROKEN in non-indexed locations.

I don't search often, and I don't search inside file contents.  I have very little of my disk drives set to be indexed, because I don't want Windows to spend all of that time building indexes.

In the rare cases where I search for files, it's OK if it's slow, since the locations are almost always non-indexed, but sheesh, I want the searches to be CORRECT!  The Dos "Dir" command can find .IPA files; why can't Windows Search?

And I don't think any of the previous instructions on modifying the registry to say that indexing is complete really matters -- again, I am OK with slow searches in non-indexed locations.  But I thought that searches (by file names, or partial file name matches) in non-indexed locations would actually work. 

Please let me know if this is wrong.

Thanks.

JMWard,  your last sentece is great...I hear ya.  Its a work PC and I'm tempted to have them re-image it...that's risky depending on who made the image.

My process is that I receive POs as PDFs and TIFFs via email.  I open the files then "save-as" to a folder within Documents.  The name of the PDF or Tiff will be a company name followed by the PO#.  That same day and many times later I will need to attached a copy of that PO to a new email.

Prior to "the patch that Changed everything" I would receive an email for a PO.  I click reply, double-click that PO number, click attach and past the number in File Explorer's search box.  Immediately the PDF or Tiff would display and I'd attach it.

After the change PDFs would display but not Tiffs. 

I'm sure many of those advanced search methods would work but I have to do this too frequently to type all that each time.  However I am interested and would like to know more about the syntax - another time.

"Windows Photo Viewer" had been the default viewer when I double-clicked a PO from an email.  After the search issue began I switched to "Office Document Imaging" (making that the default viewer) and the search issue went away.  All files saved with "Office Document Imaging" showed up in a search, including Tiffs.  The earlier files that had been saved with Windows Photo Viewer are still not searchable today - except the ones I moved to a USB stick and back again.

I find 2 things really strange

1. I can save a Tiff with one document viewer and Search works fine but a different one makes the file unsearchable.
2. Clicking "Start | Search" finds the Tiffs just fine, but using "File Explorer" (used when attaching docs to emails) does not find the same Tiffs.

I still didn't have time today to try the group policy editor but I look forward to it.  Perhaps this weekend.

Thanks again.  Now everyone knows how boring my job is!