Windows 7 start menu search not working

Anonymous
2010-02-15T02:37:21+00:00

Whenever I try to search in my Start Menu, I only get ghost search results which I cannot open:

![](http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r215/dimkasmir/img1.png)

In many places I have seen instructions to delete the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderTypes{ef87b4cb-f2ce-4785-8658-4ca6c63e38c6} key in order to fix this issue but it is not showing up in my registry:

![](http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r215/dimkasmir/img2.png)

Anyone have any suggestions? All help would be greatly appreciated!

***Post moved by the moderator to the appropriate forum category.***

Windows for home | Other | Search, touch, and mouse

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2011-01-28T03:20:49+00:00

This one can be solved,   or least it's solved on my computer.  .    Right click on Start and then on Properties.  On the screen that comes up, click on Customize.    Then scroll down near the bottom of that list to  "Search othe files and libraries.  Insert a radio button just on   "Search with Public Folders"  This did it for me.  Oldnerd

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Anonymous
2010-02-16T01:04:39+00:00

Hi dimkasmir,

Your index requires virtually no maintenance. However, if the index has problems finding files that you know should be located in an indexed location, you might need to rebuild the index. This can take a long time to complete, so avoid performing this step unless you have given the index enough time (several hours) to correct any problems first. To rebuild the index:

1.      Open Indexing and Search Options by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Indexing Options.

2.      Click Advanced, click the Index Settings tab, and then click Rebuild. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Improve-Windows-searches-using-the-index-frequently-asked-questions

You may also refer the below mentioned links.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Open-the-Search-and-Indexing-troubleshooter

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Change-advanced-indexing-options

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Improve-Windows-searches-using-the-index-frequently-asked-questions

 Hope this information helped!

 Thanks and regards,

 Fouzan – Microsoft support.

 Visit our Microsoft Answers Feedback Forum 

 http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-%20US/answersfeedback/threads and let 

 us know what you think.

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74 additional answers

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  1. Anonymous
    2012-10-15T18:37:59+00:00

    Here are a few:

    voidtools.com

    easexp.com/xsearch

    mythicsoft.com/agentransack

    jam-software.com/ultrasearch

    locate32.cogit.net

    tools.tortoisesvn.net/grepWin.html

    goffconcepts.com/products/filesearchex/index.html

    Another program that can be useful is FreeCommander, which can be used for a wide variety of tasks in addition to searching, and can be used as an alternative to Windows Explorer:  freecommander.com.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-10-15T09:51:24+00:00

    For  me, it all comes down to the following: CAN I TRUST WINDOWS TO FIND MY FILES?!

    Fouzan wrote: "if the index has problems finding files that you know should be located in an indexed location, you might need to rebuild the index. "

    Sometime it can be obvious the the index is corrupted - you search to find a file that is clearly right in the open directory in front of you, and Windows can't even see it.

    Most times however you don't know if a given file is there or not - does this mean every time you search for a file and nothing is found that you must rebuild the index???!

    After numerous search failures (for existing files), and 3 or 4 index rebuilds over that last 2 years, I have come to the conclusion I can never fully trust Windows to find my files anymore. Can anyone point me to a reliable (3rd party?) file search utility I might be able to use? In the days of XT, Win98, Win95, Win 3.x and even DOS, this was never an issue, but now... 

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-08-28T17:21:21+00:00

    THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH ... AFTOR SEARCHING SO MUCH FINALY HAD SOMEONE TO HELP ME ... THANKZ

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