Prevent Windows XP search from automatically re-starting

[Killer42]

Hi all.

I believe I have asked this question here some months ago, but never did find an answer, so I'll make another attempt.

After using the search facility in Windows to find a bunch of files, is there any way I can prevent it from searching again, every time something changes?

I mean, I can run a search through network drives and so on, taking ages, and produce a list of matches. If I edit one of them (or, apparently, do just about anything which affects the file system) Windows immediately throws away the search results and begins searching again. This is extremely frustrating at times.

[bartonc]

Hi all.

I believe I have asked this question here some months ago, but never did find an answer, so I'll make another attempt.

After using the search facility in Windows to find a bunch of files, is there any way I can prevent it from searching again, every time something changes?

I mean, I can run a search through network drives and so on, taking ages, and produce a list of matches. If I edit one of them (or, apparently, do just about anything which affects the file system) Windows immediately throws away the search results and begins searching again. This is extremely frustrating at times.

Do you have indexing service turned on?

[Killer42]

Do you have indexing service turned on?

Argh!

I just went to check, and crashed Explorer. I had three different searches running at the time. :(

Will let you know...

[bartonc]

Argh!

I just went to check, and crashed Explorer. I had three different searches running at the time. :(

Will let you know...

I've managed to crash running just on search. I stopped using searches for the most part.

As I type this something is coming to me about a new search tool (from M$?). I look around and see if I can find it.

[Killer42]

I've managed to crash running just on search. I stopped using searches for the most part.

As I type this something is coming to me about a new search tool (from M$?). I look around and see if I can find it.

I would really prefer to get the existing tool to work properly. I'm usually happy enough with the built-in search, but do have a couple of gripes.

• The fact that with very little excuse it will throw away the results and start the search over again.
• The inability to tell it whether to search within archives or not. Partly as a result, I have almost all of my archives password-protected, to prevent it reading them. Unfortunately, on the rare occasions when I do want to search inside them, I can't.
• The fact that it refuses to acknowledge the existence of certain file types. In other words, file extensions which aren't "properly" registered are not scanned. I have had to do bulk renames to something like a TXT extension, just so I could scan them for something. (Actually, I have a simple VB file-search program here somewhere that I wrote specifically because of this problem.)

[Killer42]

Do you have indexing service turned on?

No .

Interestingly, Explorer crashed again as soon as I looked at the Services list. And no searches or anything were running this time.

[bartonc]

No .

Interestingly, Explorer crashed again as soon as I looked at the Services list. And no searches or anything were running this time.

Anything in the event log?

I found only one hit on a search:
Applies to W2K

The Component Services MMC snap-in may crash when it tries to import COM+ components that are already registered

[Killer42]

Anything in the event log?

I found only one hit on a search:
Applies to W2K

It's my work PC, so I'm not going to worry about it unless it keeps crashing.

As for the search, now that I think about it I did download a search utility some time back, but lost it in one or another of my crashes and rebuilds (at home). Can't remember what it was called.

[bartonc]

It's my work PC, so I'm not going to worry about it unless it keeps crashing.

As for the search, now that I think about it I did download a search utility some time back, but lost it in one or another of my crashes and rebuilds (at home). Can't remember what it was called.

It is M$. Windows Desktop Search 3.01. Here is the release article. And WDS 3.01 is available for all platforms (that matter).

[Killer42]

If there's one thing I don't want it's to add yet another M$ product into the mix.

[bartonc]

If there's one thing I don't want it's to add yet another M$ product into the mix.

I hear ya, man. I downloaded it some time age. Have yet to install it.

[epots9]

If there's one thing I don't want it's to add yet another M$ product into the mix.

well u can always try Google Desktop

[Killer42]

well u can always try Google Desktop

Thanks, but that doesn't appeal to me either. Too Big Brother-ish.

[bartonc]

Thanks, but that doesn't appeal to me either. Too Big Brother-ish.

Did you ever get indexing going? It should solve 90% of your problem.

[Killer42]

Did you ever get indexing going? It should solve 90% of your problem.

90% of my problem is the automatic re-start after the search has finished. Will it fix that? The rest are just niggles.

[bartonc]

90% of my problem is the automatic re-start after the search has finished. Will it fix that? The rest are just niggles.

Oh, I see the you trouble in a new light, now. So (let me get this straight), your search runs, finishes and runs again all on it's own. Well, like I said, I've had enough problems with XP's Search that I don't use it any more. I guess we're looking for someone who has had this problem and fixed it.

Sorry to not be of more help.

Turning on indexing and checking the "Allow indexing service...." in the General tab of the Properties page will speed your searches and is worth trying as a fix.

[Killer42]

Actually, I prefer to work without the indexing. I don't trust it, and want as little work happening in the background as possible. I rarely have an issue with the speed of searches, but I definitely do have an issue with the way XP likes to ignore various file types. If I say to search all files, perhaps surprisingly, I want it to search all files.

But my main gripe is that I run a search, it completes, I get the list of results. Then, it seems as though if I do just about anything which affects the file system (such as editing one of the files in the results, for example, or perhaps even editing some other unrelated file) the search clears the results and automatically starts over. At that point, I certainly do have an issue with the speed, since I may have waited half an hour for the results in the first place.

One of these days, I probably will download and install a better search utility. But it will have to be a standalone program, not one which tries to integrate itself into my system as part of Explorer or something. And it will have to be able to search inside archives (if I tell it to).

[bartonc]

If there's one thing I don't want it's to add yet another M$ product into the mix.

You really don't want this! I installed it, took one look and removed it.