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How do I get the file search to work in Vista? Currently it won't find anything.

It depends on where you want to search, for one thing, and what you are searching for (files, folders, file contents?). Are you searching throughout your entire hard drive, for example, or only in a certain folder or group of folders? If only a certain folder (and its subfolders), then you would need to change the Windows Explorer view to show that folder in its right pane. You can search the entire drive if you show the drive contents in the right pane, or if you search from the search box on the Start Menu, but the search will be slow because most of the hard drive will probably not be indexed.
For some basics on how the Instant Search operates see this article:

http://www.vista4beginners.com/Understanding-Instant-Search

By default, Vista's Instant Search indexes only a small number of folders such as the Start Menu, program names, the Documents folder, and the user's e-mail. Also, by default Instant Search will search for file names and file contents in indexed locations, but for file names only in non-indexed locations. But this can be changed. If you can't see the screenshots on the following pages, try joining Vistax64 (it's free!)

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/75447-search-options.html
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/69581-indexing-options.html

http://www.vista4beginners.com/Improve-Instant-Search

For some really advanced techniques of using Vista's search, see this blog by the Microsoft team that developed it:

http://windowsvistablog.com/blogs/windowsvista/pages/advanced-search-techniques.aspx

I do not know what I am searching. I just type in a file name. Earlier this morning it could not find anything. Now if the word I enter is part of a program it starts that program. It hasn't done that before. I will check the articles and see if they can shed some light on this. Is there something I can do to speed up the networking? When Vista tries to open a share it takes 30 secomds or more. Thanks for your help.

jlavell said:

How do I get the file search to work in Vista? Currently it won't find anything.

Click to expand...

Folder options-
What to search = "In indexed locations......"
How to search = "Include subfolders" & "Find partial matches"
When searching.... = Check both

Control Panel- indexing options- modify- select "C" drive- expand c drive- check all on c except ProgramData (grayed out)

Control Panel- indexing options- advanced- rebuild