Windows 7 - Can I index a network drive for search?

You can add network locations to search indexing by running the search index on the server as well as the workstation, then use remote queries.  Your local machine will use the index on the remote server.  

You can also make the network location available offline and index it locally, although this copies the data from the share to your local machine.  

I've also heard of using symbolic links as described below, but there are problems using the files that are indexed using this method.

Add a non-indexed UNC as a library
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1. Create a folder on your hard drive for shares. i.e. c:\share
2. Create another folder in the above share. i.e. c:\share\music
2. Link the Library to this folder.
3. Delete the folder.
4. Use the mklink in an elevated command prompt to make a symbolic link. Name the link the same as the folder you created above.
i.e - mklink /d c:\share\music \\server\music
5. Done. Now you have non-indexed UNC path as a library.

Ok, I like the idea of running the search index on the server and using remote queries. Could you point me in the right direction? How would I go about connecting them up?

Is your remote location running vista or newer OS?

The remote computer is Windows Small Business Server 2008. The computer I want to search from is Windows 7. Thanks!

Haewood is correct, and last I checked, Google desktop does not officially support network drives. For network drive indexing Google recommends their Google Appliance, which looks pretty cool. It's like having your own in house Google Server.

http://www.google.com/enterprise/search/gsa.html

It's easier to deploy IMO. But you have to pay for it, which makes sense I guess.

+Jason Green
http://green.cx

Larcenlll,

No, I already know I can get google desktop to index my mapped network drives, most of my computers here have that. What I am trying to do is just use windows 7 built-in search to index my network drives on my client pc's. I don't want to have to use google. I want my users to be able to hit their start button and search for our customer documents with builtin win7 search.

MPEC SInc. Your instructions did not work for me. I went to add the "Search Service" it was already on, I added "Indexing Service" to no avail.
We have Win 7 x64, with mapped drives on a W2008R2 Server. Nobody can index those locations. Remoting to a server to search is a ridiculous solution in this day and age.

Does anyone know of a working solution, even third party software?

Make sure to add the remote shared folder to the user's Windows 7 Libraries in order for the search results via the remote server to be picked up.

Philip

Please provide a step by step on adding a non indexed network share to any library, as far as I have seen/read it isn't possible.

You are right. Not possible.

Philip

The Search Service _has_ to be installed on the remote server where the file share is hosted.

Philip

1) On Windows 2008 R2 server, do NOT install the indexing service!  It's a Server 2003 version that is not recognized by Windows 7 clients.  Instead, install the "Windows Search Service" - you can only pick one or the other so make sure you select Windows Search Service - it's one of the roles under File Services

[url]http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winserverfiles/thread/f62cca43-0c13-41fb-a23a-e1dfb107f19f[/url]

"Search Service" and "Index Service" are two different things indeed.

Philip