Search Within Windows Explorer Win 7 Pro

I've been having a problem searching for files for about a year now. I'v tried every suggestion I could find online. I've even tried rebuilding the database for each drive but nothing works. I've indexed the drives as well. I really need to be able to search the drives for files on a regular basis.

System OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit SP1
Install Date: Original Install Date: 12/21/2018
CPU: AMD FX-6100
Ram: 16.0GB Dual Channel DDR3
Motherboard: ASUS M5A97 R2.0 Socket 942
Storage (Internal): 3 Western Digital drives. 931GB Sata, 931GB Sata, 298GB Sata. (Actually 2 x 1TB and a 320 GB)

I know it's old and isn't supported anymore but other than the search it works awesome and it's pretty quick. I do have a pretty awesome anti-virus so I'm not to concerned about the OS being outdated.
If you need any more info please just ask. I'll provide anything I can find on the system.

My problem is that I go into Windows Explorer. I click the search box top right and type in a name. I always get "file not found" even before I finish typing in the name. Usually after typing 1 or 2 letters. I'm pretty sure it doesn't search the drive(s). I also know the file name is correct and that the file is there. I can take time and look for the file and again it's always there but it sometimes takes quite a while to find. I have 2 x 1 tb drives and a 320 gb drive internal and a 2 tb drive external. The 320 is just XP . I have some games I really like that won't run on 7 or 10 so I don't need to search the drive for anything. Although I did a boot into XP earlier and search works just fine. I only searched the XP drive. I never thought of searching all the drives. The entire problem seems centered around Win 7.

I've even searched for programs that will search the drive(s) for the files I need but have only came across some sketchy programs that don't fare well in the reviews.

I'm using or tried several programs (not to do with this problem) that I got from Major Geeks and all have done well. I've also found info on Major Geeks that has helped me resolve problems with my own systems as well as other computers I've repaired for others over the years. This is one of the few sites that I trust. Been coming here for years just always found the info I needed so I never registered (dumb I know). However, this problem has gone on for about long enough. I really could use some help with this one.

Any help will be greatly appreciated and I thank you in advance for your time and assistance. If any suggestions have already been tried I'll let you know and I'm even willing to try them again if you think it might work. If nothing else works I'm even open to trying (if recommended) another program to do the searching if it has good reviews.

I've included a screenshot that shows the "file not found" message after typing one letter. Believe me, this one has me scratching my head.

I thank you very much and have an awesome day.

 

Windows default search has never been very good. Install this an cure your headache. Everything Search Engine

 

Hello. Sorry for taking so long to respond. It's been a mad house around here. I did some searching for reviews on Everything and have come across some security concerns. However, I did download the program from Major Geeks. I'm going to install it this afternoon and give it a try. The next stepping stone is "Will my antivirus allow it to be installed". I can get around the antivirus but the question becomes "is this safe to allow if the antivirus says no". I've had programs blocked that I've used for years and know they're safe. I just allow them and all is fine. However, this is a program that not only haven't I used before but I've never even heard of. As I stated originally Major Geeks is one of the few sites online that I trust so I'm going to take a chance and install the program. I'll let you know how it goes.

I do thank you very much for your input. Take care and have an awesome weekend.

 

Hello. Again. Sorry for the slow response.
I've done some searches this morning for info on Agent Ransack. There is a ton of info out there but no reviews that I can find. There are also a lot of comparisons between Everything and Ransack. Most recommend Everything over Ransack. However, I downloaded a copy of Ransack from MG. Agent Ransack 2022.3425 which states it requires Win 11, 10, 8 and 7. I did check out the link you posted and have also downloaded their version for Win 7 AgentRansack_867.
I'm not sure which one I should use. Apparently both work with Win 7.
I'm going to start with Everything and run it for a couple of weeks. Basically I only search for two types of files. One is a basic Notepad file and the other is a 10+ year old word processing program. Both work excellent for what I do. If I find that Everything works for what I'm looking for then I'll stick with it. If not I'll try Ransack.
I really appreciate your input. It gives me an alternative in case Everything doesn't find the files I need.
Take care and have an awesome weekend.

 

These days my file searches are pretty basic too. A few Notepad files and whatever portable app I want to quickly run. Plus I have a pretty extensive Mp3 collection. If I want to find a song, album or band Everything finds it instantly. Also it's great at finding leftover files and folders from uninstalled software.

I don't know how many years I have used Everything. 10 years for sure. The only issue I have ever had with it was a few updates that were a little buggy but that was a LONG time ago and they always fixed it within a few days.

 

Hello, I didn't get a chance to install yesterday but I'm about to. The security concerns I found were all mumbo jumbo to me. I'm not a programmer not an IT specialist. I build and repair computers. If there's a problem with a program I remove it and reinstall it. Most times...problem fixed. When they write these things they don't stop to think about the person(s) that may be reading them. They rarely use understandable layman's terms so for me I just decided to ignore them. I'm not about to spend a week trying to find out what they're saying. My language is english not computer. LOL

I again thank you for your input. Now it's time to install Everything.

 

Hello, yes, I too have been around computers for over 30 years (how time flies when you're having fun). I'm quite familiar with Fred Langa. I followed him for a few years so I know what you say is true. His recommendations carried a lot of weight. When I was researching Agent Ransack unfortunately I didn't come across anything from Fred. I read many reviews online. Not all agreed that Everything was better but the majority that did the comparison preferred Everything over Ransack. That doesn't mean the Everything is actually better just that they liked it more. One is probably just as good as the other. Reviews are just peoples opinions and aren't always based on facts. I try to sort through everything and come to a conclusion based on experience and what I read. There are some out there who shouldn't be allowed to write reviews. They have nothing better to do than complain about perfectly good programs. Those, for the most part, are the ones I totally ignore. Some people writing those reviews seem to think they have the right to tell you what you can and can't do. I have two words for them and it ain't Merry Christmas.

I decided I'm going to install Ransack as well. I'm going to try both of them and decide for myself which one I like better and use it (if I decide I like one better). It never hurts to have options and I see two options here. I'm going to take advantage of both. However, I'm not about to write any online reviews. I hate losing friends and being called a meathead....or worse. lol

I do thank you for your update. It got me thinking. Take care and have a great day.

 

If it sets off your antivirus it's good that you take it seriously but just because an antivirus alerts you to something it doesn't always mean that is is something malicious. The kind of software you are installing scans every part of the computers hard drive. If the antivirus thinks that is suspicious then the antivirus is just doing it's job and alerting you to a possible threat. Antivirus doesn't know the difference in "good" and "bad" it only knows what it is programmed to know and sometimes it's will think "good" software is a threat simply because of what the software is programmed to do. Heuristic scanning used by antivirus can be very aggressive and cause false positives especially when installing or launching certain types of software. Everything is a well known search tool though so it should be whitelisted by every major antivirus.

 

Hello Evilfantasy. I've had some time to evaluate Everything. It's amazing. It hasn't failed to find a file yet. I'm just not impressed with the layout. It's very simple to use and for the average person it would work fine. In fact it would work
extremely well. I've been working on and with computers for about 33 years. I prefer a layout that's more robust. I also tried
Agent Ransack. I really prefer it's layout. That's just me. I kept Everything on my computer for those just in case moments and I know it works excellent but as I said I prefer the layout of Ransack.

I really appreciate you suggestion and will keep it on my computer. You take care and stay safe.

 

Hello plodr,

As I said to Evilfantasy I tried both Everything and Ransack. Everything is an excellent program. I would recommend it to anyone. However, I prefer the layout of Ransack. It's very easy to use and gives you a few more options. I decided to run Ransack as my preferred search program but I'm still keeping a copy of Everything on my computer. Again, for those just in case moments.

I appreciate your suggestion as well. I'll be running Ransack most of the time. You take care and be safe.