Search Troubleshooting: No Matches Found for "Einstein

  • Thread starter Thread starter zoobyshoe
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AI Thread Summary
Users are experiencing issues with the search function on the forum, particularly when trying to find older posts, as it sometimes returns no matches despite the content existing. The search engine is currently being transitioned from vb search to MySQL full-text search, which is causing delays and potential memory loss of past posts. For more effective searching, it's suggested to use Google with specific terms and the site URL to locate threads. This method has proven successful for some users, allowing them to find relevant content more efficiently. Overall, the forum's search capabilities are under review, and alternative search strategies are recommended.
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Every once in a while when I try to search old posts or threads the things tells me there were no matches found. Sometimes that turns out to be because I am not remembering the exact word someone used, but at others it seems to be because the search engine is on strike. I just tried searching "Einstein" for the username "zoobyshoe" and was told there were no matches, despite the fact I must have written it in a hundred posts.

Any ideas about any obvious mistakes I might be making, or does the search engine really have problems sometimes?
 
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I'm aware of this, search is disabled. I'm in the process of switching from vb search to mysql fulltext search and it's taking longer than expected.
 
Hmmm. What is funny is that I just tried the "Einstein" search again, in case I'd misspelled anything before, and was presented with the above post as the only match. It seems to have lost it's long term memory.
 
zoobyshoe said:
Hmmm. What is funny is that I just tried the "Einstein" search again, in case I'd misspelled anything before, and was presented with the above post as the only match. It seems to have lost it's long term memory.

Or that I purged the post index yesterday :wink:
 
Greg Bernhardt said:
I'm aware of this, search is disabled. I'm in the process of switching from vb search to mysql fulltext search and it's taking longer than expected.
OK. I just wanted to be sure it wasn't me doing something weird I didn't realize.
 
If you're searching for an older thread (it doesn't always work for something very recent), use google instead. Just include PhysicsForums as part of the search (write it as all one word and it'll match the URL for this site). It works pretty well for me.
 
Moonbear said:
If you're searching for an older thread (it doesn't always work for something very recent), use google instead. Just include PhysicsForums as part of the search (write it as all one word and it'll match the URL for this site). It works pretty well for me.
You mean like: physicsforumszoobyshoeeinstein ?
 
zoobyshoe said:
You mean like: physicsforumszoobyshoeeinstein ?
physicsforums zoobyshoe einstein, but I doubt it would pull up all of the posts.
 
Evo said:
physicsforums zoobyshoe einstein, but I doubt it would pull up all of the posts.
It does a pretty good job. I can usually find the threads I'm looking for that way. Those spiders crawling around here are pretty busy. :biggrin:
 
  • #10
Try this instead at google:zoobyshoe einstein site:physicsforums.com
 
  • #11
Thanks for the search tips, guys.
 
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