Question

I need to Search from Windows Explorer in Windows 7

Asked by: newbieweb

I have not found how to right click a folder and search for a given file or a file which contains a certain string. I installed Agent Ransack but it does not appear in the context menu the way it did with Windows XP.

So I haved nothihng right now which allows me to search a given folder.

Does anyone have a suggestion? This is a crisis.

Thanks,
newbieweb

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Asked On
2009-11-07 at 10:55:00ID24880742
Topics

Windows 7

,

Windows XP Operating System

,

Windows Vista

Participating Experts
7
Points
500
Comments
15

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Answers

 

by: -Maxime-Posted on 2009-11-07 at 11:14:08ID: 25767633

When you want to find a certain file or folder in Windows 7, there is a text zone in the top right zone of your explorer window in which you can specify your file name.

Good luck.

 

by: PlantwizPosted on 2009-11-07 at 11:15:53ID: 25767638

Have you used the search feature from the Start Menu?

I don't have W7 handy, but I know that feature is still present and works.

 

by: LeeTutorPosted on 2009-11-07 at 11:18:55ID: 25767651

It's just like Windows Vista; there is a search box at the top right of any Explorer window, and at the bottom of the Start Menu.  To search for files or file content in a given folder, you open up an Explorer window of that folder and start typing in the search dialog box at the top right of the window.  Here's Microsoft's page on that:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/help/files-folders-search

 

by: newbiewebPosted on 2009-11-07 at 11:23:05ID: 25767666

I did not se the box in the upper right. But at the moment I want to search the contents of the file.

I always used Agent Ransack to do that. But I can't get that program to properly load into Windows 7.

How do you do searches for the contents f files?

 

by: garycasePosted on 2009-11-07 at 11:25:07ID: 25767671

The built-in search in Windows 7 works much better than previous Windows utilities, so that may be all you need.

Agent Ransack also works well in Windows 7 -- but you have to manually run it, as the context-menu add-in doesn't work with Windows 7.     You can simply create a desktop icon, or pin it to the taskbar and run it on demand.    Other than that, it works exactly as it does in all previous versions of Windows.

... by the way, the updated, commercial version of Agent Ransack (File Locator Pro) DOES work in Windows 7.

 

by: newbiewebPosted on 2009-11-07 at 11:26:29ID: 25767674

How do I use the  built-in search in Windows 7 to scan the contents of the files?

 

by: thinkpads_userPosted on 2009-11-07 at 11:31:09ID: 25767693

Go to Control Panel -> Indexing Options -> Advanced -> File Types, and make sure the extension you want contents for is set to index contents. The default settings do that for most file types, so just by indexing the folders you wish to index  (Modify button on the main Indexing dialogue box), you will pick up contents for most file types. .. Thinkpads_User

 

by: jcimarronPosted on 2009-11-07 at 13:34:01ID: 25768158

newbieweb--According to http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/1120573.html
Agent Ransack indeed does not appear in the Context Menu of Win7.  See NevSA's post about 20% of the way down.

 

by: centervPosted on 2009-11-07 at 19:12:53ID: 25769286

You can read an explanation and restore the search function with reg file available at this site.

http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/search-context-menu-option-removed-in-windows-7-and-vista-service-pack-1/

 

by: newbiewebPosted on 2009-11-08 at 08:02:56ID: 31651433

I'll be using Agent Ransack still, but not from the context menu. I'll consider messing with the registry after my new system's backed up.
:)

 

by: thinkpads_userPosted on 2009-11-08 at 10:15:28ID: 25771252

Thank you,

I added back the search context menu item in Vista, but I admit to hardly ever using it. I have two great document stores: one for files and data, and one for documents. I index these two stores plus email, and basic search finds anything I want.

If you want to add back the search context menu item in Windows Explorer, I used this link:
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/134065-search-context-menu-item-restore-after-vista-sp1.html

It works for Vista and it may work for Windows 7. ... Thinkpads_User

 

by: newbiewebPosted on 2009-11-08 at 11:36:15ID: 25771549

What's a document store?

 

by: thinkpads_userPosted on 2009-11-08 at 11:43:09ID: 25771584

A document store is a storage location of documents. I keep tens of thousands of documents in about three root folders to make it simpler to index.  ... Thinkpads_User

 

by: newbiewebPosted on 2009-11-08 at 12:23:48ID: 25771727

Can you point me to the place I can learn about this technique?

 

by: thinkpads_userPosted on 2009-11-08 at 12:33:22ID: 25771748

I just learned about this myself. A folder of documents placed on the desktop will automatically be included in the default Windows Vista (or greater) search. So when I set the indexing options, I include my user profile (includes desktop), Outlook (email) and two other main folders. As I add and change documents now, indexing automatically adjusts for the changss. It is just a way of being really organized. ... Thinkpads_User

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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