Vista - Index - Enable or Disable

Brink,

[Hi should I go and try to un-do the long-churn removal of indexing from "Subfolders and Files" in VISTA?]

I bought my first Vista computer and am just learning the subtle XP-to-Vista differences. I do NOT do frequent searching. Indexing was turned off on my XP unit.

I opened my new VISTA laptop last night and rushed the non-indexing configurations ('cause it was 2:30 AM) and ended up doing ALL THREE THINGS before finding this discussion.

I did all three:

- (1) turned off Vista indexing SERVICE
- (2) unchecked Indexing property on the c:\ drive
- (3) BUT ALSO: applied the above to all "Subfolders and Files"

After a long 15-20 minutes of system churn while Vista was applying the no-indexing function to thousands and thousands of Subfolders and Files, I started wondering, "Woah, why did I need to do this? Is this necessary when the "master check box" for the drive might have fully deactivated this anyway - (or not)?"

Can you please give me your opinion as to whether I should just leave things as they are -- with indexing removed at the deep subfolders/files level -- or should I go BACK and tell VISTA to reconfigure/reapply the setting to "Subfolders and Files" ?

That way, (1) and (2) would remain as above but I would be trying to undo the long-churn attribute removal from "Subfolders and Files. Would this be a better configuration so indexing may be turned on immediately at any time it might be wanted in future?

I like things to be set correctly while the computer is new and unloaded with lots of extra stuff (apart from the bloatware).

Should I do the re-churn to un-do (3) above?

Thanks in advance for advising,
Configure1

Hello Configure1, and welcome to Vista Forums.

If you do not plan on using the Index for searches, then you are fine with what you have done. If you decide to use the Index in the future, then you will just need to reverse all 3 again.

No worries

Shawn

I'm posting here because your site seems the most knowledgeable, readable and civil of the others I've recently encountered.

Intro: I'm here of course because I'm the proud owner of a new machine that has required me to reluctantly migrate to Vista. Attempting to translate XP's functionality to Vista appears to be a mistaken strategy. What had seemed straight forward before in the 'XP world' has become a puzzling hunt for rationality in Vista. I'm not a novice, I've done my time in an IT cubical so I found this very humbling. Yet I'm open to change and I understand the designers are moving to a new UI paradigm. I've lived long enough to experience all the migrations starting from 'card decks' and learned that with any alien assimilation, 'B*tching is Futile'. ( I do wonder how the less technologically inclined navigate this maze. Perhaps if you just email, FaceBook and YouTube you're insulated from these more nuts and bolts issues)

That said, I've found this site particularly useful in the 'hunt' and I would like to pass on some home grown experience from my struggles to understand Vista's "Indexed and Non-Indexed Searches". Hopefully others have had similar questions and this will be of benefit. Perhaps I'm stating what's obvious to others but for me it was not.

Three things I've learned about Vista's Indexing and Non-Indexing Searches:

1. Files that are indexed that you delete or move may still show up in a search window for a while. Because the Indexed Search is based on a ever running background process that tries it's best to keep pace with reality, things that happen in real time are not always reflected in search results. These phantom deleted or moved indexed files will ONLY show up in the search results window, NOT the actual location directory where they were deleted from. The larger the number of indexed search folders and files the more apparent it becomes. ( I was actually relieved when I found this out because I had feared I had some virus or corrupted file system )

2. 'Start' Button Search using 'Search Everywhere' defaults to a 'Search Everywhere That You Have Created Indexes'. ( FRIDU* )

If you notice the search window that opens after you press 'Search Everywhere it has in it's address window '> Search Results in Indexed Locations'. If your search request is a non-indexed file it will say "No items match your search'.

Even If you click the 'Advanced Search' button and only check the 'Include non-indexed, hidden and system files ( might be slow )' box you're still in 'Indexed Locations'. ( FRIDU* )

Non-indexed files will stay at "No items match your search', until you explicitly open the 'Advance Search' pane and in it's 'Location' window drop down you select 'Everything'.


If you want to follow an exercise it might help if you're still lost:

Create a non-indexed folder C:\foobar and create a file ( File2Find.txt ) with Notepad and save it there.

Use the 'Start' Button Search and type 'File2Find.txt' ( Extra Credit: open a Task Manager window before if you want to see how much CPU the 'Start Button Search option demands)

If you're lucky you'll receive a 'No items match your search' message quickly otherwise it chugs with a 'Searching' message for a loooong time if you're willing to wait.. Of course we're in a hurry so we click on the 'Search Everywhere' option.

This will open a search window with 'File2Find.txt' in the search value slot. This screen will display 'No items match your search'. This is because it hasn't done any 'Search Everywhere' searching yet.

Expand the Advanced Search pane by clicking on the 'Advanced Search' button. If you look at the 'Location' drop down its defaulted to 'Indexed Locations'

Now ONLY click on 'Non-Indexed files .... ' check box and click the 'Search' button, you will still get the message 'No items match your search'. This is because as I've said before you're still in 'Indexed Locations'. ( FRIDU* )

If you click on the 'Location' drop down arrow, the options of 'Everything, Index Locations, Computer, Local Drive C:.. etc. will appear. You have to click on either 'Everything', 'Computer', 'Local Drive C:' or 'Hard Drive C' options or 'Choose' to actually find this file.

ALSO if you click on the 'Desktop' folder icon in the navigation pane, this will not search all the folders below. Notice, when you highlight it in the navigation pane, the 'Location' window will return to the 'Index Locations' default. ( FRIDU* ) You have to tell it again you want 'Everything' in the Location window.

*3. 'Start' Button Search uses a huge CPU resource (95+% ) and pegs it longer then a WinKEY-F search window. A 'Start' search will ramp up to 95+ of CPU for the 'explorer' process the moment you start entering 3 or more characters in the search field. The the process stays pegged at 90-95+% regardless of whether you wait for a response or bale immediately from the search (click anywhere outside the Start window) this will remain for a minute or so. If it's a non-indexed file or one that doesn't exist it will stay pegged at 95+% for a while then drop down to 50% till it has completely checked every file/folder.

WinKEY-F will open a search window with an Advanced Search button. A search that's started here seems to peg at 50% and stay there. If you bale it releases the resources immediately.

If you haven't already Open Task Manger, sort on CPU and repeat the example to see.

Conclusion:

Not feeling particularly confident about index search results that vary, I intend to effectively bypass the index function by creating a small folder with one file that will be my index pool. This way at least some of the annoying messages about not having indexes will cease to appear. I found you still get allot more annoying 'hints' if you only disable the 'Windows Search' service or you just remove all the indexed folders under Indexing Options from the Control Panel. The good new is it would appear some system files have permanent indexes ( ex: netsh, ipconfig, cmd, msconfig) and the 'Start' Button search can still find these and have some use but it still holds your CPU hostage for a minute afterward.

I'll do most of my searches requiring absolute certainty with WinKEY-F option, clicking on any Icon below 'Desktop' in the Navigation tree to make sure I avoid the Index Location default.

Of course no one intends to write this much when they get the idea to contribute but I found out new stuff as I wrote down observations. I did my best to verify the stuff I mentioned, feel free to reveal discrepencies otherswise. Its very possible with Vista that my observations are merely isolated incidents that only occur in my little world. If it were only that simple. : )


* for reasons I don't understand


HP Pavilion dv7-1285dx notebook PC
Intel core Duo CPU p8600@ 2.GHz 240 GHz
6GB ram
ATA 500g Drive 5400rpm
Premium 64bit SP1

Thank you for sharing your results Rightinthetrash, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Shawn

Brink (Shawn),

A belated thank you to you for your reply. Thanks also to rightinthetrash for great supplementary observations on the indexing function.

You're welcome Configure1.

I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted out.