Windows 7 search engine. Advanced search in Windows or how to find a file in Windows? Total Commander for easy search of necessary files

Good afternoon, friends! Today we will continue our lessons with the Windows 7 operating system and learn another secret - how to properly configure and search for files in Windows 7.

It would seem, what’s wrong with that? A search engine is a search engine. I switched to seven about a year ago. And to be honest, in XP I tried not to use the built-in search engine. Absolutely inconvenient. And what you need is either not found, or found, but the process sometimes drags on for several hours.

I didn't expect much from 7. But just the other day, this OS pleasantly surprised me. I needed to search for one file in Windows 7, I didn’t remember its exact name, but I typed part of the name... and received my file in less than 2-3 seconds. Now I only use the built-in search engine.

Indexing service in windows 7

Microsoft developers did a good job. 7's search tool compares favorably with previous operating systems of this family not only in quality, but also in search speed.

My favorite browser is Chrome, and its search engine is very similar to the mechanism in Windows 7. The search begins its work as soon as you enter the first characters. In addition, there is a hint system based on the history of previous requests. If too many results are returned for a search query, the system suggests using dynamic filtering based on various criteria - date, file size, type, etc.

The basis for such effective work of the OS search engine is a special indexing service. It launches along with the operating system, works in the background, and creates a special database of file information. Updating and restoring the index in the event of any failure also occurs automatically, without user intervention.

It should be noted that the OS allocates a certain system resource for the operation of this service. For the service to work effectively, but not to the detriment of other programs, it must be configured correctly. We will definitely talk about this today.

Instantly search for files in Windows 7

7 provides two ways to instantly search for files.

• 1. Search using the Start menu. Click on the “Start” button and enter the required search query in the search field below. For example, “Christmas tree”.

As you enter data, search results will be displayed directly in the Start window. It should be noted that the search is also carried out by the contents of the files.

If there are too many results and you want to get acquainted with them in more detail, click on the “View other results” button.

The “Search Results” window will open. The files here are already sorted by type and the search query is highlighted in yellow.

You can make your search more specific. To do this, scroll to the very bottom of the list of search results.

And in the “Repeat search in:” section, select the appropriate option.

If you assume that the file you are looking for is in the OS Library, then select this option.

If you know approximately which folder to search in, select the “Other...” option and specify a specific folder to search.

If you want to search on the Internet, click the “Internet” button.

If you want to repeat the search on the entire computer, click on the “Computer” button. By default, the indexer goes through all files except OS system files and program files. This allows you to increase search speed and reduce the size of the indexer database. But really, how often do we look for system files? It's not often. By selecting the “Computer” option, the system will repeat its search, but only more thoroughly and, accordingly, will take a longer period of time.

• 2. The second option for instant search is to search in the Windows Explorer window. The principle of operation is approximately the same.

Setting up the indexing service

• 1. Go to “Start” -> “Control Panel” -> then in the search area enter “indexing” -> select the “Indexing Options” section.

• 2. In the window that appears, you will see all the folders for which the indexing service works. If you want to exclude any folder from the search (for example, you know that one of the partitions of your hard drive is used for backup, then, in principle, it can be removed from this list), click the “Change” button.

And uncheck the box next to the folder that you want to remove from the search engine. Next, click the “OK” button.

• 3. Next, click on the “Advanced” button. In the window that opens, on the “Indexing Options” tab, uncheck all two boxes. In 99% of cases we do not need these functions, and therefore there is no need for additional load on the indexing service.

• 4. If you want to transfer the index database from the system partition of your hard drive to another partition in order to free up free space on the disk, then to do this you need to specify a new folder in the “Index location” section on the same tab.

To successfully change the index database location, be sure to restart the indexing service or simply restart your computer.

• 5. Next, go to the “File Types” tab and edit the list of file types, leaving only the most essential (with which you work). This will significantly reduce the load on the system. By default, the indexing service processes almost all file types in use.

• 6. Finally, decide how the indexing service will process files.

If you select “Index properties only,” the indexer will process only the file name and its metadata (size, type, creation date).

If you select the “Index properties and contents of files” option, the document will be completely processed, including its contents. This will take longer and require additional system resources, but will increase the likelihood of search accuracy.

The choice is yours, my dear Reader.

• Next, click “OK” and “Close”.

Today we looked at the capabilities of the Window 7 search service and how to configure it. In the next article I will share with you another interesting tool (though from a third-party developer), which allows you to search adapted to the Russian-speaking population, taking into account declensions and cases.

» 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 came from Windows Vista, the search function will not have any special surprises; they will find it more convenient. However, for Windows XP users who first started using the search tool in Windows 7, using it will not be very familiar. 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:

1. default folder search searches in any subfolders
2. Non-indexed locations are searched directly by file names, but compressed files are ignored.
3. You can use language search, that is, perform a search query more freely, for example, music from 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:

1. file type indexing options;
2. 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:

1. exclude or include it in the index;
2. determine what will be indexed: properties or content;
3. add another extension.

How to search?

When performing a search, you need to know whether the search object is indexed. If yes, then the necessary files will be easily found. However, if you want to find something in the Windows or Program Files folder, 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.

In Windows 7, system search is implemented at a very good level and performs its function perfectly. Due to the competent indexing of folders and files on your PC, the search for the necessary data is completed in a fraction of seconds. But errors may occur in the operation of this service.

In case of malfunctions, the user sees an error of this kind:

"Cannot find 'search:query=search query'. Please check if the name is correct and try again"

Let's consider ways to solve this problem.

Method 1: Check the service

First of all, you need to check whether the service is enabled "Windows Search".

Method 2: Folder Options

The error may occur due to incorrect search parameters in the folders.

Method 3: Indexing Options

To search for files and folders as quickly as possible, Windows 7 uses an index. Changing the settings of this parameter may result in search errors.

Method 4: Taskbar Properties

This method is suitable for an experienced user. Windows 7 starts with the necessary drivers and a small number of programs that are automatically loaded.

After completing these steps, we carry out the points that were described in the methods outlined above.

To restore the system to normal boot, perform the following steps:

Method 6: New Account

There is a possibility that your current profile is “corrupted”. It contained the deletion of some important files for the system. Create a new profile and try using search.

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 specialized knowledge at all, just follow the simple tips in this article, and I’m sure everything will work out for you!

In this article you will learn very interesting things about the built-in Windows file search and after reading the material you will be able to find even files lost in folders about which you know bits of information.

It is not difficult to guess that this article will talk about advanced search in Windows. Undoubtedly, every computer user periodically uses a form of the standard Windows “search engine,” but not everyone knows that this search engine can be used much more productively and is a difficult tool, as it might seem at first glance.

Options and parameters that expand search capabilities

Despite the fact that the title contains the word “expanding”, these same options will help us put additional screening filters on our search query for files and folders in Windows and will actually narrow the number of files found, which is to our benefit.

* - Means any sequence of any characters, i.e. all characters.

? - Any one character

~<" something" - Search for a name (File name, author, etc., depending on where to put it) which should begin with the one in quotes. The example searches for the name where the beginning is something.

~>" something" - Search for a name that must end with the one in quotes.

=" Coursework" - Search for an exact match with what is in quotes.

~=" Well" - Search for names that contain the exact set of characters like the one in quotes. Those. on request filename:~="course" there will be files not only with the word Well, but also simply containing this sequence of characters (Kursovoy, Kursach).

~!" Well" - Search for files that do not contain what is in quotes. Those. this parameter is completely opposite to the previous one.

<> - Means like “neither is”, “not”. Those. request where it will be view:<>picture , will search everything except pictures.

() - Brackets serve to separate and clarify the combining group where the operators operate.

"" - Quotes are used to accurately find the order of characters inside quotes. Because of this, operators inside quotes do not work at all, as do filters.

OR- Operator OR. For example, request filename: kcoursework OR work will search for files where words occur either coursework or Job well, or both. In the English version OR.

AND- Operator AND. For example, request filename: k ursovaya and work will look for files where both words are present, and it makes no difference in what places they are located and not necessarily next to each other. In the English version AND.

NOT- Operator NOT. For example, request filename: coursework NOT work will search for files containing the word coursework but there is no word Job. In the English version NOT.

Here are some examples of using operators:

size:10MB and- Finds Ivan’s files of 10 megabytes, which were changed after 2009.

filename: (*156*) AND type:(PNG OR JPEG) - Finds files where the name contains 156 and its extension is PNG or JPEG.

Now filtering options.

Below we present what filtering options you can use when searching for files and folders.

file name:- The name of the file you are looking for. Analogue on English-language Windows - filename.

type: Indicates what type of file is currently being searched. Can take both file extension values ​​(For example, type: PNG), and their logical definition (For example: type: music or type: picture ). Analogue on English-language Windows - type.

view:- Same thing as type:. Analogue on English-language Windows - kind :

modification date:- Indicates when the files were modified. Can take exact values, ranges, as well as verbal meanings (long ago, yesterday, etc.). Analogue on English-language Windows - datemodified.

modified date: 05/25/2010

date modified: >2009

date modified: 21.01.2001 .. 05.01.2014 (Required two points in the range)

creation date:- Indicates when the file was created. The values ​​are the same as for date modified. English equivalent datecreated.

size:- Indicates the size of the searched files. Can take both exact values ​​up to decimal numbers and a range of sizes. The units of measurement are KB, MB, GB. English language option - size:.

size:<=7Мб >1.5MB - files larger than 1.5 megabytes, but less than or equal to 7.

attributes:- Sets an additional search mask by tags. The parameter is not often used due to the fact that tags are rarely used.

owner:- Search for files of a specific owner.

executor:- Specifying this attribute is relevant when searching for music of a particular artist.

Combining filtering options

You can use several different options at once when searching, and this will even be better, because it will reduce the list of found files, while increasing their relevance. When using several search filters, place a space between them; in fact, it replaces the AND operator.

Attention! The AND and OR NOT operators are never highlighted in blue in the search bar. If yours is highlighted, it means you forgot either quotes or brackets or something else. Please note that some filters may not work with certain operators. For example it cannot be type:(BMP AND PNG), since any file can only be of one type.

For example, you can use the query:

size:5KB..20 KB type:picturefilename:~<"m" *little* датаизменения:‎01.‎03.‎2014 .. ‎31.‎03.‎2014

This app ros looks for images between 5 and 20 kilobytes in size with a file name that begins with a letter m and in which the word appears little. In this case, the file should have been changed during March 2014.

As you can see for yourself, with such capabilities you can easily search for files from many years ago, remembering at least some little details about it.

Several templates

In order for you to understand everything better and be able to try Windows advanced search yourself, we decided to make several of the most commonly used advanced search templates that can often come in handy.

How to find all files in a folder?

Sometimes a person wants to count how many files are in a particular folder and he is faced with the question of how to do this. Using Windows Search? But then what should I introduce? The input originates from regular expressions, and those who know first-hand what it is have already guessed what kind of character needs to be entered into the search field.

In the search field you need to enter: * (Star).

How to find all files of the same type (Extensions)?

If you want to find, for example, only pictures, use the filter type:picture, and if you want to find files of a specific extension, then you can use either *.jpeg or type:JPEG.

How to find files created at a specific time?

For this you need to use a filter creation date:DD/MM/YYYY. It is written about above. You can also set a filter not by the exact time the file was created, but by the interval. For example, from September 2011 to December 2012. The correct formulation of a search query with such a filter is described above.

How to find files of a certain size?

You need to use a filter size: and indicate the required file size in kilobytes, megabytes or gigabytes. You can read above about how you can search in a range of sizes and how to correctly indicate the size of the files you are looking for.

We really hope that this material will be useful to you, and if you have anything to add, then write in the comments.