Vista - Index - Windows Search Service

Information

The Indexing Options are grayed out and you cannot get the Windows Search service to start. Follow the steps one by one, and at the end the index should be running again.

NOTE

If the steps below do not help you, then you will need to do either a System Restore to a restore point date before this problem, a Repair install, or Clean install to fix this problem. See the related links below for how to do these.

• How to Use the Indexing Options in Vista
• How to Open and Change Search Options in Vista
• How to Enable or Disable Search Index in Vista
• How to Do a Clean Install of Vista with a Upgrade Version
• How to Do a Clean Install with a Full Version of Vista
• How to Perform a Repair Installation for Vista
• How to Do a System Restore in Vista

1. Leave Windows Search service set to only Automatic. (See screenshot below step 3)

2. Close Services.

3. Proceed to STEP TWO below.

Through a Download:

1. Click on the download button below to download the Reset_Index.reg file.

2. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the Desktop.

3. Right click on the .reg file (on Desktop) and click on Merge.

4. Click on the Run button in the Security Warning pop-up.

5. Click on Continue (UAC), Yes, and then OK when prompted.

6. When done, you can delete the .reg file (on Desktop).

7. Proceed to STEP THREE below.

The Manual Way:

1. Open the Start Menu.

2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.

3. If prompted, click on Continue in the UAC prompt.

4. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below step 5)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search

5. In the right pane, right click on SetupCompletedSuccessfully and click on Modify.
NOTE: If SetupCompletedSuccessfully is not there, then in the right pane, right click on a empty area and click on New and DWORD (32 bit) Value. Type SetupCompletedSuccessfully and press Enter.

6. Type 0 and click on OK. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: This is the number zero.

7. Close Regedit

8. Proceed to STEP THREE below.

WARNING

If you have installed the Windows Search 4.0 update, then the Index location is no longer stored at C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data (step 2) by default. Instead it is now located at C:\Users\User_Name\AppData\Local\Search\Data. The Config (step 4) folder is now in the Windows folder inside of the Applications folder instead. The relocated Config folder is empty now to. To see if you have installed the Windows Search 4.0 update, look in the Windows Updates View update history link and look for it in the list as being successfully installed.

1. Open Folder Options.

A) Click on the View tab.

B) Check Show hidden files and folders.

C) Click on OK to apply and close folder options.

2. Go to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Search\Data (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You may notice that one or more of these folders may be missing from your window.
WARNING: If you installed the Windows Search 4.0 update, then you need to go to:
C:\Users\User_Name\AppData\Local\Search\Data instead.

3. If the Applications folder is missing, then right click on a empty area and click New and click Folder. (See screenshot above)
NOTE: If the Applications folder is not missing, then continue to step 3F after deleting it's contents except for the Windows folder.

A) Click Continue for Access Denied prompt.
B) Click Continue for UAC prompt.
C) Type Applications and press Enter.
D) Click Continue for Access Denied prompt.
E) Click Continue for UAC prompt.
F) Open the Applications folder. If the Windows folder is missing, then click on New and Folder.
NOTE: If the Windows folder is not missing, then continue to step 4 after deleting it's contents.

G) Click Continue for Access Denied prompt.
H) Click Continue for UAC prompt.
I) Type Windows and press Enter.
J) Click Continue for Access Denied prompt.
K) Click Continue for UAC prompt.

4. If the Config folder is missing, then right click on a empty area and click New and click Folder. (See screenshot below step 2)
NOTE: If the Config folder is not missing, then continue to step 5 after deleting it's contents.
WARNING: If you installed the Windows Search 4.0 update, then the Config folder should now be inside of the Windows folder instead.

A) Click Continue for Access Denied prompt.
B) Click Continue for UAC prompt.
C) Type Config and press Enter.
D) Click Continue for Access Denied prompt.
E) Click Continue for UAC prompt.

5. If the Temp folder is missing, then right click on a empty area and click New and click Folder. (See screenshot below step 2)
NOTE: If the Temp folder is not missing, then continue to step 6 after deleting it's contents. This is still the same with the Windows Search 4.0 update.

A) Click Continue for Access Denied prompt.
B) Click Continue for UAC prompt.
C) Type Temp and press Enter.
D) Click Continue for Access Denied prompt.
E) Click Continue for UAC prompt.

6. Open the Config folder (step 4) and leave this window open. (See screenshot below step 2)
NOTE: You will need to copy the two files gathrprm.txt and schema.txt to inside this Config folder. See File Locations at the bottom to see where to copy them from.
WARNING: If you installed the Windows Search 4.0 update, then the Config folder should be empty instead. Go to step 11.

7. Open another Explorer window to locate the files below.

8. Right click gathrprm.txt and click Copy.
NOTE: See File Locations at the bottom to see where to copy from.

A) Right click in Config folder from step 3 above, and click Paste.
B) Click Continue for Access Denied prompt.
C) Click Continue for UAC prompt.

9. Right click schema.txt and click Copy.
NOTE: See File Locations at the bottom to see where to copy from.

A) Right click in Config folder from step 3 above, and click Paste.
B) Click Continue for Access Denied prompt.
C) Click Continue for UAC prompt.

10. The Config folder should now look like this inside of it :

11. Close all windows.

12. Restart the computer.

Tip

FILE LOCATIONS: NOTE: These two files are located in the same folder. If for some reason they are not located here, then just do a search for them. Make sure that you have checked Include system directories in the search options to include them in the search results. See: How to Open and Change Search Options in Vista gathrprm.txt and schema.txt : 32 bit Vista = C:\Windows\winsxs\x86_windowssearchengine_31bf3856ad364e35_6.0.6000.16386_none_47e1b1bb326f0fb4 \gathrprm.txt 64 bit Vista = C:\Windows\winsxs\amd64_windowssearchengine_31bf3856ad364e35_6.0.6000.16386_none_ a4004d3eeacc80ea\gathrprm.txt