Anybody having trouble w/ Windows Explorer search?

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Windows 10 Explorer's search functionality has recently been problematic for many users, with reports of the search box becoming unresponsive and not allowing text input. This issue appears to have started around the time of a recent Windows update, causing frustration among power users who rely on efficient multitasking. Common temporary fixes include restarting Windows Explorer or the entire computer, but these are not always effective and can disrupt workflow.Users have noted that Windows search often fails to return relevant results, particularly for certain file types, leading to dissatisfaction with its reliability compared to Google search. Some have suggested using alternative search tools like "Everything" or "SearchMyFiles" for better results, especially when dealing with specific file queries.The conversation also touches on the broader implications of Windows updates, with some users expressing concerns about the necessity and impact of automatic updates on system performance and security. Overall, the thread highlights a significant frustration with Windows 10's search capabilities, prompting users to seek workarounds and alternative solutions.
  • #51
symbolipoint said:
If updates are still being distributed for the operating system, then they are USUALLY important. If person is on a current operating system or I mean fully modern, the present day thing the company (Microsoft for Windows) wants it users to be using, then disabling the updating is a bad thing.
I disagree at least for my part. I will allow nothing to automatically update any of my systems or any of those of any of my clients unless a client insists on the allowing of that for that client. Deciding whether and how to implement a suggested system update is an important part of my job.
 
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  • #52
sysprog said:
Deciding whether and how to implement a suggested system update is an important part of my job.

We're some distance from the OP, but yours is an interesting position, @sysprog. I know of systems that run apps that need to be tested prior to updates being applied. My uncle manages some old lab equipment that fits this category. But it is also a very dependent position your clients end up in. If you are not around to make the decisions, say you're on holidays, they may be unnecessarily exposed. I expect that's their assumed risk though. With business apps being increasingly SaaS and your on-premise equipment is restricted to local services like printing, it is also a risk that is reducing.
 
  • #53
sysprog said:
That's a non sequitur.
So you don't allow updates, and you don't recognize sarcasm.

If you use the internet and you don't allow Windows security updates, you are seriously opening yourself up to a virus.
 
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  • #54
phinds said:
So you don't allow updates, and you don't recognize sarcasm.

If you use the internet and you don't allow Windows security updates, you are seriously opening yourself up to a virus.
I think that allowing automatic updates would be for me less than vigilant . . .
 
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  • #55
Tghu Verd said:
We're some distance from the OP, but yours is an interesting position, @sysprog. I know of systems that run apps that need to be tested prior to updates being applied. My uncle manages some old lab equipment that fits this category. But it is also a very dependent position your clients end up in. If you are not around to make the decisions, say you're on holidays, they may be unnecessarily exposed. I expect that's their assumed risk though. With business apps being increasingly SaaS and your on-premise equipment is restricted to local services like printing, it is also a risk that is reducing.
(emphasis by underling added) My client knows where to go and what to do if I'm not there. There are programs that I wrote decades ago that still function errorlessly and don't require updates. If you've signed in (logged on) to a mainframe, you've (if your system includes CA-ACF2) possibly used a few lines of my code, but I didn't write the module, and it's not modifiable by an automatic update -- we don't do auto-updates on the mainframe -- updating things is a thought-through process.
 
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  • #56
sysprog said:
we don't do auto-updates on the mainframe

Fair enough, that's a whole other can of worms to Windows, which is what most PF'ers seemed to think the system was, myself included. I needed an IBM ZSeries admin a couple of years ago for a banking project and eventually found a guy in is his mid 60s who was happy to take the job. The hardware is venerable, and the people tending them even more so! Big iron, it's still running the world, just behind the scenes :biggrin:
 
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  • #57
Tghu Verd said:
The hardware is venerable
The current version hardware is very advanced and up to date.
 
  • #58
venerable
/ˈvɛn(ə)rəb(ə)l/

adjective
accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character.

Nothing to suggest it's not advanced and up to date. ZSeries is a computing work of art!

(And now we're seriously off topic, so lest we lock the thread up for it, rest assured, I think IBMs mainframes are terrific systems and that's all I'll say on that.)
 
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  • #59
Tghu Verd said:
venerable
/ˈvɛn(ə)rəb(ə)l/

adjective
accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character.

Nothing to suggest it's not advanced and up to date. ZSeries is a computing work of art!

(And now we're seriously off topic, so lest we lock the thread up for it, rest assured, I think IBMs mainframes are terrific systems and that's all I'll say on that.)
MVS (and its successors) = in my opinion the best OS.
 
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  • #60
sysprog said:
MVS (and its successors) = in my opinion the best OS.
True enough, just that I preferred DEC DCL control language to JCL and -- ugh -- DOS commands. Of course Sun Microsystems obsoleted PDP and VAX platforms in favor of Solaris and UNIX; so, moot point.

Back to MS Explorer search functions: my brother-in-law installed Mozilla Firefox browser on my laptop years ago. Functions much better than Explorer on several levels. Chrome OK if clunky.
 
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  • #61
Klystron said:
True enough, just that I preferred DEC DCL control language to JCL and -- ugh -- DOS commands. Of course Sun Microsystems obsoleted PDP and VAX platforms in favor of Solaris and UNIX; so, moot point.
Back in the day (early '70s -- I was 12 or 13) a DEC 10 for time-sharing and an IBM OS/VS2 (later -> MVS) machine for batch was a system manager's dream -- later, the manager whom I'm thinking of went to work for Cray . . .

In the late '80s some people were running DOS/VSE (which has different JCL) under VM --

CICS (a transaction processing subsystem) still runs everywhere.
Back to MS Explorer search functions: my brother-in-law installed Mozilla Firefox browser on my laptop years ago. Functions much better than Explorer on several levels. Chrome OK if clunky.
In my opinion, Windows XP search is better than Windows 7 or 8 or 10 search.
 
  • #62
sysprog said:
In my opinion, Windows XP search is better than Windows 7 or 8 or 10 search.
RIGHT! If someone wants a searching program nearly as good on a modern Windows today, he must download something and install it. One possibility, SearchMyFiles.
 
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  • #63
sysprog said:
In my opinion, Windows XP search is better than Windows 7 or 8 or 10 search.
Not sure I ever even had XP but what are the features there that are not in 7 and 10? I find that 7/10 search is excellent. What am I missing?
 
  • #64
phinds said:
Not sure I ever even had XP but what are the features there that are not in 7 and 10? I find that 7/10 search is excellent. What am I missing?
XP searching allowed the user to specify some details about the file to be searched. W10 allows user to just open a text field from taskbar and write some text for the file or filename user wants.
 
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  • #65
In XP search, we could easily specify content inside files, as well as wildcard file names and dates, and other 'details' (as @symbolipoint said it), and we could easily exclude results that were not what we were seeking.
 
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  • #66
@phinds , are you talking about searching for a file by name? Like, "I had a file called mycurrentproject.docx, but I'm not sure where it is saved?"

When I need to do that, I use the command prompt window and the "dir" command,
C: dir /s mycurrentproject*

or

dir /s *current*

I have never had much luck with the Windows Explorer searches, so I started doing it this way years ago.In win 10 the command prompt is hiding in PowerShell; you have to type "cmd" there.
 
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  • #67
gmax137 said:
@phinds , are you talking about searching for a file by name? Like, "I had a file called mycurrentproject.docx, but I'm not sure where it is saved?"

When I need to do that, I use the command prompt window and the "dir" command,
C: dir /s mycurrentproject*

or

dir /s *current*

I have never had much luck with the Windows Explorer searches, so I started doing it this way years ago.In win 10 the command prompt is hiding in PowerShell; you have to type "cmd" there.
The problem with that is that you can't cut/paste into and out of the command prompt, nor can you just click on the result, both of which make it a pain to use for this purpose.

Besides which, explorer is an EXCELLENT tool.
 
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  • #70
It has done this (losing the ability to search) to me once, after a Windows update. A reboot or two later and it was fine, and it hasn't happened since. If it recurs my plan is to reinstall Windows from scratch; it's about 18 months since I last did that which is about the median interval for my main PC.
 
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  • #71
gmax137 said:
In win 10 the command prompt is hiding in PowerShell; you have to type "cmd" there.
In Windows 10 the command prompt is in C:\WINDOWS\system32, and PowerShell is in

C:\Windows\System32, also. . .

1586597738041.png
1586597867491.png


1586598780594.png


1586599984511.png


You can use PowerShell to run cmd, but you don't have to. . .

1586601829667.png
You can also copy and paste in either program. . . . 😏
.
 
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  • #72
OCR said:
In Windows 10 the command prompt is in C:\WINDOWS\system32, and PowerShell is in C:\Windows\System32, also. . .
Yeah, PowerShell is the new improved version but I've never bothered to learn it, I just use the old DOS standard when I need cmd. Nice thing about Win10 is that you can put a link to it in the window that comes up when you click on the windows icon (lower left) or hit the Windows button, just like you can with PowerShell.

As I recall, however, there are a couple of old DOS cmd's that won't work in the Windows version but PowerShell is more powerful if you care to learn it.

The DOS cmd does not quite look like the version in PowerShell, it specifically mimics the old DOS window.

1586610015643.png
 
  • #73
I access command prompt via PowerShell only because in Windows explorer, you can shift right click and pick PowerShell off the menu (just like the way i could access cmd in previous windows versions).
 
  • #74
gmax137 said:
I access command prompt via PowerShell only because in Windows explorer, you can shift right click and pick PowerShell off the menu (just like the way i could access cmd in previous windows versions).
Huh? I must be doing something wrong. I can't get what you are saying to work as you say. Shift right-click WHERE?
 
  • #75
sorry. in windows explorer, click on the directory to select it, then shift-rightclick to open a menu. mine has "open"
"open in new process
etc
etc
" open PowerShell wi dow here"
click on that
edit: windows 10
 
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  • #76
gmax137 said:
sorry. in windows explorer, click on the directory to select it, then shift-rightclick to open a menu. mine has "open"
"open in new process
etc
etc
" open PowerShell wi dow here"

click on that
Yes, that is exactly what I did. There is no "open in new process" option.
 
  • #77
phinds said:
Yes, that is exactly what I did. There is no "open in new process" option.
Maybe this. . . ?

1586654749733.png

1586654838574.png


.
 
  • #78
sorry @phinds I'm just a user with very shallow understanding. I certainly can't explain why I see a different menu.
 
  • #79
phinds said:
The DOS cmd does not quite look like the version in PowerShell, it specifically mimics the old DOS window.

View attachment 260385
I changed the colors in mine. . . . 😉

1586656682017.png


.
 
  • #80
gmax137 said:
sorry @phinds I'm just a user with very shallow understanding. I certainly can't explain why I see a different menu.
Ah, I bet you mean this. . . ?

1586657985405.png


.
 
  • #81
gmax137 said:
Maybe this. . . ?

View attachment 260419
EXACTLY what do you do to get that menu? Are you running Windows 10 Home, Pro, what?
 
  • #82
OCR said:
Ah, I bet you mean this. . . ?

View attachment 260424

.
EXACTLY what did you do to get that menu? What version of windows are you running? Home? Pro? What?
 
  • #83
phinds said:
What version of windows are you running? Home? Pro? What?
1586658688727.png


1586658729608.png


.
 
  • #84
OCR said:
View attachment 260425

View attachment 260426

.
OK, you have HOME. Maybe that has some different menus than Pro (which is what I have). I ask again, EXACTLY what did you do to get the menu that includes "open in new process" ?
 
  • #85
phinds said:
EXACTLY what did you do to get that menu?
Hold the Shift key and RMC (right mouse click) on. . . This PC.

1586659501668.png


.
 
  • #86
Or this. . .

1586660410770.png


.
 
  • #87
OCR said:
Hold the Shift key and RMC (right mouse click) on. . . This PC.
Thank you. That is very clear. It gives me exactly the same menu as you with the single exception that there is no "open in new process" in mine.
 
  • #88
OCR said:
Or this. . .
Ah HA. THAT works on my system. Thanks. I see that this makes it easier to use Power Shell at the start since you can get to the desired folder via Explorer clicking rather than having to type type the whole path into Power Shell.
 
  • #89
phinds said:
Ah HA. THAT works on my system.
Very good. . . . 👍[/size] . ✔[/size]

.
 
  • #90
I have Windows 10 Enterprise; this is a company laptop. When I shift-right_mouse_click with the cursor on my "Documents" folder:
MENU1.jpg


But if I move up in Windows Explorer to the "This PC" folder and do the same I get a different menu:

MENU2_thisPC.jpg


So maybe there are settings our IT group includes when they build the laptop, the affect how this works.
 
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  • #91
phinds said:
Reasonable suggestions but unlikely since it started for me at the same time as for, apparently, LOTS of others. I've rebuilt the search index, no joy. I've run the Windows trouble shooter for search, no joy, I've stopped and restarted Cortanta, no joy. I've tried a lot of really loud cussing, no joy (but some slight relief).
My only shot, if your goal is to open up a program, is to have some files from the program in question in your desktop. Double-clicking on them will open them up , as well as the program in question.
 
  • #92
pbuk said:
I hit the windows key and typed "Se" and it offered me "Search permissions and history" so I kept typing and by the time I got to "Search" I was offered "Windows Search Settings". Scroll down there and you'll see "Advanced indexing settings" where you can force it to search .dll files for strings if you really want to.Were you watching while you typed? When I hit the Windows key and type "pr" it offers me "Printers and Scanners", which is what you want. If you ignore it and keep typing "printer que" then it, quite reasonably, assumes you didn't want what it had already offered you and so offered you an internet search instead.

In both these cases the Windows 10 behaviour follows well the principle of least surprise for me at least.
Problem in my case is that typing in produces no response, no input. But I am typing this from the keyboard, so not likely a driver issue. EDIT: For this "subsituation" of searching for a program, at least a Windows program, you can hit or click on the Windows key and select "Windows accessories', and, if youre lucky-enough that nothing else is wrong, you'll get a drop menu. ( Not my original; read it at Answers Wiki )
 
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  • #93
phinds said:
Not sure I ever even had XP but what are the features there that are not in 7 and 10? I find that 7/10 search is excellent. What am I missing?

Change the width of the columns, sort the list, select more than the default columns.

The Windows XP search window was far superior to the Windows 10 one. The indexing is much better in 10 but the polish on the results window is crap.

BoB
 
  • #94
And now I lost track of my SQL Server Config Manager. It seems it has been moved like 3 times that I remember. Used to be part of SSMS, then somewhere in Control Panel, now disappeared and harder to find without the search box.
 
  • #95
rbelli1 said:
Change the width of the columns
works fine for me in Win10
sort the list
works fine for me in Win10
select more than the default columns.
works fine for me in Win10So, basically, I have no idea what you are talking about
 
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  • #96
WWGD said:
Problem in my case is that typing in produces no response, no input. But I am typing this from the keyboard, so not likely a driver issue. EDIT: For this "subsituation" of searching for a program, at least a Windows program, you can hit or click on the Windows key and select "Windows accessories', and, if youre lucky-enough that nothing else is wrong, you'll get a drop menu. ( Not my original; read it at Answers Wiki )
This sounds like the problem in the OP, which is an intermittent bug that only seems to be (temporarily) cured by rebooting. I had it once, but then it got better again - good luck!
 
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  • #97
phinds said:
So, basically, I have no idea what you are talking about

I've only ever seen the search results in the "Content" view mode. That mode is mostly useless.

Now I see that this can be changed to details and all of those things are available.

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.

BoB
 
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  • #98
rbelli1 said:
I've only ever seen the search results in the "Content" view mode. That mode is mostly useless.

Now I see that this can be changed to details and all of those things are available.

Thank you for pointing me in the right direction.

BoB
What are you talking about? I open File Explorer, and check in ALL of the menus; I find no setting for Content view mode.
 
  • #99
symbolipoint said:
What are you talking about? I open File Explorer, and check in ALL of the menus; I find no setting for Content view mode.
Yeah, I was also wondering what that is. I don't find any such thing.
 
  • #100
phinds said:
Yeah, I was also wondering what that is. I don't find any such thing.
This. . .? . 🤔

1593687438507.png
Probably not. . .Carry on.

.
 

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