There is no search in Windows 7. How to find a file on a Windows computer. How to find files created at a specific time
» How to search for files in Windows 7?
How to search for files in Windows 7?
Many users who decide to switch to Windows 7, on the one hand, will find many useful innovations, but on the other hand, some disappointment - there are quite a lot of changes here. At the first stage of development, they can make it difficult to work with OSes, especially if you don’t know what and how. Thus, the search for files in the seven has been improved.
For those who switched from Windows Vista, the search function will not have any special surprises, they will find it more convenient. However for Windows users XP users who first started using the search tool in Windows 7 will not be very familiar with using it. In Windows XP, the search is conveniently organized by modification date, file type, and so on. In Windows 7, such a feature is not observed, but in fact it is present. It's implemented a little differently.
Indeed, searching in Windows 7 is quite simple, you just need to know how, because the goal of any search is to find what you need.
How does search work in Windows 7?
When you start searching within the system, it is the index files that make it possible to quickly display the results. An index represents a set of files containing information about documents and files that are stored on the hard drive. The index contains various file properties, including size, name, path, and so on. For example, MP3 files can have all tags indexed – from stream speed to author. Office documents have data in the form of document contents, file properties, and so on. For those who want to learn more about the search functions, you can read the help. To do this, minimize all windows, then press F1. In the Search help window that appears, type Search.
Indexing is carried out continuously. For example, you want to change the names of files, delete or add a file to a folder, this will be instantly reflected in the index.
The figure shows locations that are indexed by default. If you, for example, store documents in F:Documents, then they will not be indexed and cannot be found with a quick search - to find them you need to add them to the index separately.
Indexing and Search Settings
The standard settings in Windows 7 are done well; they suit most users, especially if files are stored inside standard folders. For those who want to customize the search personally, you need to go to the start menu and enter the search parameters into the search. This is one of the file search options - quick access from the Start menu to Control Panel items.
Changing search options
Following is noteworthy:
- default folder search searches in any subfolders
- searches in non-indexed locations are performed directly by file names, however compressed files are ignored.
- you can apply a language search, that is, perform search query more freely, for example, the music last week. However, you may get unexpected results that get mixed up.
Windows Search and Indexing Options
There are many settings you can configure here. To add folders to the index, you must click Edit.
It is no coincidence that the Program Files and Windows folders are excluded from the search, since they greatly increase the size of the index, and there is practically no benefit from this. Programs can also be found by searching in the Start menu - the main menu is indexed by default.
By clicking on Advanced, you can access the following groups of settings:
- file type indexing options;
- technical parameters of indexing.
In the indexing settings, you can rebuild the index, add encrypted files, and set a new location for them.
Settings for File Types can be changed:
- exclude or include it in the index;
- determine what will be indexed: properties or content;
- add another extension.
How to search?
When performing a search, you need to know whether the search object is indexed. If yes, then necessary files will be easily found. However, if you want to find something in Windows folder or Program Files, the search will not find anything.
In Windows 7 you can search for:
1. in the main search window;
2. from the Start menu;
3. in libraries;
Search in the Start menu
Main search window
To open the search window, you need to press the combination WIN + F. However, it does not have advanced capabilities for searching files.
Libraries
In the library, search results correspond to the type of files, which is visually well perceived. For example, music files show album covers, size, large composition name, and you can also organize the results.
If the file could not be found in the current folder, the search can be repeated:
- in libraries;
- all over the computer. Non-indexed locations will also be included in the search.
- in other locations. If you know the approximate location, you can specify several folders. In addition, you can include network resources in the search.
- on the Internet – the search is performed by default using a browser.
The search mechanism in Windows 7 is organized a little differently than in Windows XP, but it is no less convenient and is performed at a much faster speed.
How to start a search
To start searching for files in Windows 7, you need to open Explorer and select the folder in which you want to search, or, if you do not know approximately what directory the file is located in, select “My Computer.” Then the search will be performed on all hard drives.
You need to search for files of any format using the search bar, which is located in the upper right corner of Explorer in any of its windows. Keyword or phrase must be entered in this line.
The search is performed very quickly, similar to the request processing mechanism in any search engine. As you enter a query word, the system immediately begins scanning files and producing results with titles containing the characters, words, or phrases you entered.
How to use search filters
At first glance, it may seem that the usual filters available in XP, such as date created or modified, file type, size and author, are not available when searching in Windows 7, but this is not at all the case.
When you enter a search query in the drop-down line below, a list of filters corresponding to the desired file type appears, the conditions of which can be set right there in the search line. To do this, click on the desired filter and set its value, for example, the change date “Last week”.
How to find files of a specific type
To find a file whose format is known, for example audio, video, photo or document, but its name, creation date or other parameters are unknown, you can use a search by file type, specifying its extension in the search conditions.
Documents. To search for documents in Word format, you need to enter the characters “*.doc” (for Word 2003 format) or “*.docx” (for Word 2007-2010 format) in the search bar. An asterisk denotes any sequence of any characters.
For Excel files you need to use the symbols “*.xls” (for Excel format 2003) or “*.xlsx” (for Excel 2007-2010 format).
For text format files created using the Notepad application, you need to enter “*.txt” in the search bar.
Video. To search for video files, enter the video file extension in the search bar. The most popular extensions: “*.avi”, “*.mp4”, “*.mpeg”, “*.wmv”, “*.3gp”, “*.mov”, “*.flv”, “*.swf” " You can find out the file extension by clicking on it right click mouse and selecting context menu“Properties”, where the “File type” line will indicate its extension.
Audio. The most popular audio file format used on computers is MP3, and to search for them you need to enter the characters “*.mp3” in the line.
Images and photographs. To search for pictures, you should enter the most used extensions of such files “*.jpg”, “*.jpeg”, “*.png”, “*.bmp”, “*.tiff”, “*.gif” in the search bar.
How to find a file in a large list of already found files
It often happens that the file attributes are unknown, or only one is known, and it is very uninformative. For example, we know that the document was created last year. However, over the past year, a huge number of documents have been created and stored in different places. It is often not possible to view and check a huge number of files found based on one criterion.
To find the desired file in the list of already found files, you can use several filters simultaneously, setting and changing each of them during the search process as necessary. Each time you add a new filter, the selection will be made again in the list of found files, reducing processing time and the number of results, which greatly simplifies the search for the very desired file.
How to find a file by content
Typically, files are searched in Windows 7 based on the content of the query in the file name, and not on the text that the file contains. To find a file with the desired word in its text, and not in its name, you need to make simple settings.
Let’s say the task is to find a document among 500 files with the word “Shovel” in its content. To do this, click “Arrange” on the control panel and select “Search folder options” from the drop-down menu.
It is worth noting that a search specifying this parameter will take more for a long time, and when the need to search by content is no longer necessary, this option should be disabled.
How to save search terms
It often happens that files need to be searched frequently, for this the same search conditions are used, and there are several of these conditions. In order not to waste time entering the same search parameters every time, the list of these conditions can be saved.
To do this, you need to set the search conditions, wait for the results to be displayed, and upon completion, click “Save search conditions” on the control panel, and in the window that opens, enter the file name for the recurring query, for example, “JULY 2013.”
In the future, when the saved set of search conditions is needed again, the desired shortcut can always be selected in Explorer in the “Favorites” folder under the saved name.
How to clear your search terms
Click on the cross at the end search string, you can clear the previously entered information and filter conditions that were used for the search, and the line will become empty.
Having tried search in Windows 7 several times, you can verify in practice that it is practical, easy and fast. Now you know how to search for files in Windows 7.
Search is an integral part of the operation of any computer; in fact, it is its most important function. If you, say, need to find answers to basic questions, then, of course, there is no point in bothering with search settings. However, if you set more complex tasks for yourself and the computer, and the end result is important to you, it’s better to worry about it. A standard search in Windows 7, of course, will bear fruit and will produce many results, but will they be suitable and necessary? The question is rhetorical, but if you are still concerned about properly setting up your computer, I offer variations on the topic of how to upgrade/improve the built-in search in Windows 7.
How to set up search in Windows 7
First of all, let's understand how the search happens. You can only find indexed files and folders, that is, those that have been assigned an index. It is assigned to all elements that are in standard folders. In order to set up indexing, you need to do the following: go to the start menu, look for “search options” and select “Change search options for folders and files” in the drop-down list. In the window that appears, select the “Search” tab and check the boxes wherever you see fit, but it’s better to do it as in the picture below . By the way, I advise you not to choose a search by file name, but to give preference to indexed applications, this way you will limit yourself from unnecessary garbage.
It also wouldn't hurt to set up indexing by extension. To do this, click on the “Advanced” – “File Types” tab. This allows you to index exactly the contents of the folder if you decide to search by this parameter. Then everything is as usual: click “OK”, and go ahead, search through files in Windows 7. And in order for the search to happen as quickly as possible, use from time to time.
Search sources
In order to consolidate the material, let's clearly formulate the places where an extensive search for information will be carried out, namely:
- Start menu;
- main search window;
- libraries;
- other explorer windows, such as folders, open, save as.
In general, if you calmly sit down and figure it out, setting up a search turns out to be a fairly simple process. To do this, you don’t need to have any highly specialized knowledge; just follow the simple tips in this article, and I’m sure you’ll succeed!
Searching for files may seem difficult for novice users and take a long time. In this article we will look at all the ways to search for files on your computer.
Important: Search results using the Start menu display not only files; search results will also display system files of the same name. Windows commands. For example, entering the search query “cmd” will result in a command (program) that launches the command line.
Main search window
Explorer window
The next way to search for files is to use any Explorer window. To search for files using Explorer, you must enter a request to the appropriate section of any open window (for example, “My_computer”).
This method is more convenient than others because, using Explorer, you can search for files directly inside the specified (open) sections hard drive(folders) without the need to enter appropriate restrictions using a search filter. What is significant is the process of searching for files.
Search filters
In addition to how you search for files, it's also important how you can narrow your search results to find exactly the file you need. This is done by using special search filters; you can use them by searching for files in the Explorer window. Because the submariner uses the most filters to filter out unnecessary search results.
Search settings
Sometimes the search is unable to find the file of interest, this happens if it is located inside an unindexed hard section disk. This can be fixed if you configure and expand the search parameters. To do this, follow the instructions described below.
Search operators
Operators are symbols/words that include additional search results filter parameters. In other words, these symbols are used to quickly filter out results, similar to how it is done in Internet search engines (Yandex, Google, Yahoo).
The most popular operators:
- Quotes “” – finds files containing the exact phrase of the search query in the name (for example, “rules of the game”);
- Asterisk * - finds files with the extension specified after the asterisk (for example, *.doc);
- Logical “AND” “AND or +” - finds files containing all the listed words, between which “AND or +” is written. (for example – “rules+game+football”, “rules AND football+game”);
- Comparison relative to the specified file parameters >, 1GB, color depth:
- Exact value = - searches for files equal to the specified parameters (for example, dimensions:>=”800 x 600″);
Reference
If after reading the article you have any questions regarding searching for files, you can find answers to them in a specially created help section operating system. The help menu will open after pressing the F1 key. To obtain information regarding searching for files, enter the search query - “search”.
This way you will find all Windows Help topics related to file search.
operating room Windows system provides several ways to search for files and folders. To search for files, folders, programs and messages email On a computer, you can use the search box in the Start menu. But when I try to search for something in the Start menu, the search field is missing.
There are several options to return everything to its place.
First option
The easiest way is to try to return the search field using Windows. Open Control Panel - Programs and Features. Select a tab "Turn Windows features on or off". Finding the component Windows Search. If the component is not selected, check the box.
Click OK. Now we check whether the service is enabled or not Windows Search. To do this, open Control Panel - Administration - Services. Checking the service mode Windows Search. Must stand Automatically.
Second option
Apply. To do this, in the Start menu - Run, enter the command gpedit.msc and OK. Now we are looking for User Configuration - Administrative Templates - Start Menu and Taskbar. In the right half of the window, look for the item Remove “Search” link from the “Start” menu. Let's check the value of this parameter. Must be Not specified.
Third option
This option will be useful for those users who have a version of Windows other than Pro, Enterprise and Ultimate. Only these versions support Local Group Policy Editor.
Open the registry editor: Press the Win key + R and enter the command regedit And OK. Finding the section
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
if there is a parameter in this section NoFind- it must be removed.