In Windows 7, the search service does a pretty good job. Thanks to indexing of computer files, the search for the necessary information occurs almost instantly. But, unfortunately, troubles happen. It happens that the search refuses to work and produces an error, for example, like this: Cannot find “search:query=information”. Check if the name is correct and try again .
I think that there is no need to rack your brains over the reasons for such an error. It will be much more effective to go directly to fixing the problem. I will give several ways to restore search functionality in order of their effectiveness.
1. First of all, you need to check if the service is running. To do this, click Start, right-click on the item Computer and in the context menu select Control.
In the window that appears, on the left, we need to select Services. In the list that opens, find and check the status - if the service is disabled, then you need to enable it.
To do this, in the service properties, click Launch, Startup type put - Automatically.
2. The second method is to clean boot Windows. Its essence is that services and programs that are not related to the operation of the operating system are disabled. Windows boots “naked”, just like when you first start it. I wrote about how to perform a clean boot. If the search works during a clean boot, then the problem is in the installed programs.
3. Check the search parameters in folders. To do this we go to Control Panel and looking for Folders settings, then click on the link of the same name.
In the window go to the tab Search, and then press Restore Defaults, and then OK.
4. Check the indexing settings. IN Control panels we search and open.
There we press the button Change.
We check that all elements are ticked. Click OK.
Now go back to the window and press the button Additionally. Approximately in the middle of the window that appears there will be a button Rebuild- press it.
5. If there is a restore point, you can try to restore the system from the specified point. The problem is that not everyone sets up . But if it does exist, then this method may turn out to be the most effective.
6. Try creating a new user. Perhaps the existing profile has become corrupted and some system files have been deleted - anything can happen. If the search works under the new user, then it is no longer advisable to use the old profile.
I told you everything I remembered. If you know any other ways to “treat” search, then share them in the comments - perhaps your answer will be useful :).
Also read on this topic:
Searching for a file in Windows by its contents using the XYplorer program
Windows Media Player does not work. What to do?
How to create a restore point in Windows 7?
Automatic login to Windows 7. Setting up autologin
How to increase the page file in Windows 7
The large capacity of modern disks allows you to save many documents or multimedia files. Therefore, without initially subjecting your directories to a certain structuring, you can end up with complete chaos on your hard drive. If this has already happened and you have forgotten the location of any files, it will not be easy to find them without knowing how to use the built-in search of the operating system.
Search by file name
Knowing the name of the document, you will make your task much easier and after a short period of time you will already see the file you are looking for on your computer screen. There are several ways to find it by name in Windows 7.
Via the Start menu
The operating system's Start menu has a search box. To find the required document through this field, you must:
- Click on the “Start” button.
- Find the field.
- Enter the name to be searched.
- Review the proposed results.
After entering the expected name of the document, you will immediately be shown a list of found files:
In this case, in Windows 7, a document called “Agency” was searched. As you can see from the previous screenshot, the first option offered is the file you are looking for.
How to find it in a folder?
There is another way to find documents. Each directory in Windows 7 Explorer has a corresponding field:
Therefore, knowing the file name and its location, you can:
- Open the desired folder in Explorer.
- Enter the name of the document in the field.
- Get the result.
In this example, the search was conducted using the "Biology" template. As a result, the following files and folders were found:
Knowing the location of the object is not necessary. It simply speeds up the operating system's search for files. Since modern computers have high performance, the duration of finding the necessary information with a known location and with an unknown one is practically the same. If you have no idea in which folder or even on which drive the file is saved, you can search throughout your computer:
Additional filters
With common file names, you run the risk of seeing several thousand options, making it difficult to select the right document. If you know the modification date of the file or its size, you can specify them when searching (by entering a pattern in the field, you will see suggested filters):
You can also scroll down the found list and limit the search range by clicking the “Other” button:
After this click, Windows 7 will display the settings window:
In this window you should:
- Mark the desired folders to be searched.
- Confirm your selection with the “OK” button
After these steps, the number of found elements in the list will decrease significantly, so finding the one you need will become much easier.
How to find inside files?
The methods discussed above make it easier to search by name. But what if you don’t know the name? In this case, you should approximately know the text of the document you are looking for. Windows 7 can find files based on their contents. This function was not introduced in vain, because it is easier for a computer user to remember what is inside a document than to try to remember its name.
By default, this method of finding files is disabled in the operating system. To enable it, you must:
- Open "Computer" in Explorer.
- Press and release the ALT button (this action allows the top horizontal menu to appear, which is usually hidden in the normal state).
- Select "Service".
- Go to the “Folder Options” sub-item.
After clicking on the specified submenu, Windows 7 will display the following window:
In it you should:
- Go to the “Search” tab.
- Check the box responsible for scanning the contents of objects;
- Confirm the changes with the “Apply” button.
The procedure is shown in the following screenshot:
This method significantly slows down finding the desired object, but sometimes it is simply irreplaceable (for example, if several people use the computer). Therefore, if you don't want to wait and don't want to waste time scanning inside all the documents, you can turn this option on or off as you wish. After changing the settings, the file search is carried out in the same way as described above, without any changes.
An example of finding a document by its content
You can find an object using any phrase, but it is especially easy to search for a file with poems. After all, it’s easier to remember a line from a poem than a phrase from an accounting report. However, in the second case, a few of the most frequently occurring words in a document will help you find any report.
For example, you have a document somewhere with Shakespeare's sonnets, and you remember the phrase from one sonnet: "Will you compare me." To find this collection on your computer, you need to:
- Open “Computer” in Explorer.
- Go to the desired folder (if known).
- Enter the phrase you remember in the search field.
- Get the result.
Any information can be found in this way, provided that it is stored on your disk.
Many beginners who are just starting to master the computer sometimes encounter a problem: they cannot find the required multimedia file. But before you scan your HDD for video, you need to get the right tools or configure those offered by Windows developers. Today we’ll look at how to find videos (as well as any file) on a computer with Windows 7 installed.
Standard search tool
To search for files in the “seven”, an index is used - a database with various information about documents stored on the computer’s hard drive. It is index files that allow you to quickly find a particular folder or document on the HDD. Indexing is carried out by a special service that runs in the background. It records basic information about the file in a special database, and this is not only the name and title of the file, but also its contents, tags, technical information and other data, which you can see on the “Details” tab for various types of documents.
Indexing in Windows 7 is carried out constantly, with the exception of a fair amount of CPU load. Due to the activity of this service, the CPU constantly searches for changes made to the file, therefore, the load on the hard drive increases.
If you use search extremely rarely, it is recommended to disable the indexing service in the snap-in called “Services”. It is launched through the search query of the same name in Start.
Search must be properly configured before use. To do this, enter “search parameters” and run “Change parameters...”.
We configure the search tool according to your needs.
Since we need to find a video file located on the computer, we go to the “Windows Search” settings, using the search query of the same name and check the boxes for the folder or folders in which collections of multimedia files are stored.
It's probably not worth changing anything else. Close the window with the “Ok” button.
Let's begin the search process.
- Open the Explorer window.
- Move the focus and cursor to the search bar located at the top.
- Enter the extension of the video you want to search for and wait for the process to complete.
For example, to find all videos in avi format, enter “.avi”.
To filter the results, you can specify the available search parameters.
Unfortunately, this way you cannot find multiple types of files on your computer with a single search query.
Total Commander will help you solve the problem and find any videos and folders on your computer.
Using Total Commander
Searching for files in the manager is carried out in a similar way, but the utility offers a wide range of options and parameters for filtering out unnecessary results. Let's look at the main features of Total Commander for searching files and folders in Windows 7.
- We launch the search window through the main menu or using the hotkey combination “Alt+F7”.
- In the “Search file” field, enter the video extensions you want to find.
Interestingly, the program was equipped with support for filtering scan results by numerous sets of key phrases. Thus, the user can easily find all the videos stored on the computer. To do this, enter a search query using a mask, such as: “*.mkv;*.mov” - the application will scan the file system (the specified folder or disk) for files in mkv and mov format after clicking on the “Start Search” button.
On the "Advanced" tab, you can specify the file attribute, the date of its creation and modification, the exact size of the file or their range, and also search for identical files based on their name, size and content.
In the next tab you can enable search using data from plugins installed in Total Commander. In this way, a video is searched based on its duration, size, codec, resolution, bitrate and many other parameters.
Experiment with the settings and you can quickly find the movie or video you want.
Specialized search utilities
To find a folder or file, it is recommended to use the fast and simple Everything program. It does not require installation and stores indexes in its own directory, so the application does not require a lengthy indexing procedure after reinstalling Windows.
The developers made sure that the user delves into the settings and interface of the program, distributed with a multilingual menu, as little as possible.
- We launch the application under Windows.
- To the right of the search line, select a file type based on the template (in our case, “Video”) to perform a search, and wait a couple of seconds.
It is not difficult to find the required file in a long list of found documents - we sort the objects by size, name or other column. The search result will not be long in coming even the first time you load Everything on your computer. Armed with the above recommendations, even a beginner will be able to find the file or folder he needs in the wilds of a computer running any Windows.
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The Windows 7 operating system has many different features and utilities that make life much easier for the user. Sometimes, the user accumulates a huge amount of information, folders and files on his computer, which are not systematically located on the computer and make them difficult to find. Then finding the desired file or folder becomes difficult, and sometimes impossible, without special Windows 7 operating systems. Then the file and folder search system in Windows 7 comes to the rescue.
Let's take a closer look at all the possible ways to find a file or folder in Windows 7.
How to find a folder or file in Windows 7
There are three simple ways to find the desired folder with files or the files themselves among a lot of other information in the Windows 7 operating system:
- Using the search field in the Start menu;
- Using the search field in a folder or library;
- Or using advanced search beyond folders and libraries.
Let's look at each method in more detail.
Search box in the Start menu
The easiest way to find folders or files on your computer is to use the search box in the Start menu. To do this, just open “Start” and write any name in the search field, which is located at the bottom next to the computer shutdown button. After this, the Start menu is transformed into a list of possible options for files and folders with the same name.
Moreover, with such a search, a list will be displayed not only of files and folders with the same name, but also files where this word may be mentioned in one form or another inside the file or its properties. In addition, please note that only those files that have been indexed are displayed in the list. However, most files are indexed automatically.
Search field in a folder or library
You can also search for files locally if they are stored in a specific folder or library. For this:
This search returns results even for part of a word. The search is carried out by name, internal text of the file and file properties. The library searches all folders within a particular library. It is not necessary to enter the full name. Just enter the part and find the file you need. Also, when displaying a search result, words will be highlighted in color for user convenience.
Among other things, you can enter several keywords that will narrow the search area very significantly.
Advanced Search
If a folder or file cannot be found by searching specific folders and libraries, you can expand the search scope. For this.
Very often we need to find files or folders on our hard drive that are definitely there, but we can’t remember where exactly. We always have a file search at our disposal in Windows 7. In order for us to be able to find any objects on our computer, we just need to enter the name of the required directory or file into the start menu. Your device will then search for the required information. You will see elements that contain the query you entered or parts of it in their name.
But it’s fair to say that this is not always enough to ensure that searching for files in Windows 7 is successful. The above steps cannot guarantee that you will find the necessary information on your computer or laptop. There are cases when you need to find a document or documents that contain certain words in their title in the text. For example, if you are looking for the name of free computer courses, but Seven does not support this function by default.
Let's figure out how to set up file search in Windows 7. In order to do this, you need to open your computer and on the left side click on the organizing tab, where you need to select options for folders and search.
A settings and settings window will open in front of you, in which you need to click on the search section at the top and select the search process for files by name and content. For these parameters to take effect, confirm them with the “Ok” button. If you did everything correctly, the system on your device will search for data not only by its name, but also by its content. Moreover, it will not depend on what types of files in Windows 7 you are looking for.
Now let's check the work done. This must be done in order to make sure that everything will now work correctly for us. For this purpose, you need to re-open your computer, where in the search field you need to enter the required word that will be contained in the searched data. As an example, let's try to find data that contains the keyword “quality”. Searching for files in Windows 7 begins immediately after a word or phrase is entered into the field, meaning there is no need to click or confirm anything to start it.
Once your machine completes the search task for the keyword you entered, below you will see a list of files in which the word we entered “quality” will appear. You should also remember that after finishing your search, you need to change the settings (the ones you set to the default ones). This must be done in order to reduce search time in the future. Indeed, with the settings that we are talking about, it occurs not only by the name of the data, but also by its content.
If you know approximately where the folder or file you need is located, then go to this directory in Explorer and enter the required information there. This way, searching for files in Windows 7 will be much faster. That's all I wanted to tell you. Use it for your health!
