Search function with Vista

Is the search function in Vista a step backwards from XP?

I used to be able to search any file or folder with XP, whether it was in the HD, a DVD or a CD. Now, with Vista, I can't find anything on a CD or a DVD. Sometimes, I can't find something even in the HD although I know it's there!

Is there something I can do to improve the search function?

 

you can configure where it has to index. it normally only searches your user folders. for specific searches on other places, you can always pop up the advanced search features and there "search nonindexed".

can be annoying at times.

 

Press Win-F, click "Advanced Search", then in the "Location" drop-down, select "Everywhere" (or a specific drive if you want).

 

or, actually, go to your dvd drive in explorer, type something on the topright to search for, and windows searches trough it, informing you the search may be slow as it's a non-indexed region.

i forgot that it does that automatically.

 

Thanks, it worked.

 

it should search automatically. i tried right here right now.

if you search in explorer on the drive you want to, that is.

 

Didn't work for me. Maybe because it's not indexed?

 

it does search automatically trough non-indexed stuff when there's no index on a drive.

put a cdrom into your disk drive, browse to it with explorer, and enter something you search on the topright. a yellow infobar pops up informing the search may be slow, and the results dripple in slowly below while the disk is scratching.

done here, seen it. can't show printscreen, now i'm on the notebook that doesn't have a cd drive

 

Does it search all file types in that instance or does it resort to the standard list for indexed file types? I don't know, as I have never tried that sort of search but wonder if the OP is searching for some file type that is not normally in Vista Search's list of file types?

Gary

 

it should search all file types, then (on a cdrom, that is). let me test..

*testing*

jup, finds *.mdm and such files i've never seen before (and that fresh installed vista here just as well)

 

Thanks,

Good to know. Now I wonder why the OP is still having issues then.

Gary

 

A few days ago, I wanted to speed up my system and did a few tweaks, including de-indexing my searches. Realising that I didn't like how slow the searches became, I put it back to indexing, but I got an error message in the process (sorry, I forgot what the message was). So I guess the thing may have been screwed up!

 

The other option is to use a third party product like "Copernic desktop search" which works great and is free.