The search mechanism in Windows 7 is organized a little differently than in Windows XP, but it is no less convenient and is performed at a much faster speed.
How to start a search
To start searching for files in Windows 7, you need to open Explorer and select the folder in which you want to search, or, if you don’t know what directory the file is located in, select “My Computer.” Then the search will be performed on all hard drives.
You need to search for files of any format using the search bar, which is located in the upper right corner of Explorer in any of its windows. The keyword or phrase must be entered in this line.
The search is performed very quickly, similar to the request processing mechanism in any search engine. As you enter a query word, the system immediately begins scanning files and producing results with titles containing the characters, words, or phrases you entered.
How to use search filters
At first glance, it may seem that the usual filters available in XP, such as date created or modified, file type, size and author, are not available when searching in Windows 7, but this is not at all the case.
When you enter a search query in the drop-down line below, a list of filters corresponding to the desired file type appears, the conditions of which can be set right there in the search line. To do this, click on the desired filter and set its value, for example, the change date “Last week”.
How to find files of a specific type
To find a file whose format is known, for example audio, video, photo or document, but its name, creation date or other parameters are unknown, you can use a search by file type, specifying its extension in the search conditions.
Documentation . To search for documents in Word format, you need to enter the characters “*.doc” (for Word 2003 format) or “*.docx” (for Word 2007-2010 format) in the search bar. An asterisk denotes any sequence of any characters.
For Excel files you need to use the symbols “*.xls” (for Excel 2003 format) or “*.xlsx” (for Excel 2007-2010 format).
For text format files created using the Notepad application, you need to enter “*.txt” in the search bar.
Video. To search for video files, enter the video file extension in the search bar. The most popular extensions: “*.avi”, “*.mp4”, “*.mpeg”, “*.wmv”, “*.3gp”, “*.mov”, “*.flv”, “*.swf” " You can find out the file extension by right-clicking on it and selecting “Properties” in the context menu, where its extension will be indicated in the “File type” line.
Audio. The most popular audio file format used on computers is MP3, and to search for them you need to enter the characters “*.mp3” in the line.
Images and photographs. To search for pictures, you should enter the most used extensions of such files “*.jpg”, “*.jpeg”, “*.png”, “*.bmp”, “*.tiff”, “*.gif” in the search bar.
How to find a file in a large list of already found files
It often happens that the file attributes are unknown, or only one is known, and it is very uninformative. For example, we know that the document was created last year. However, over the past year, a huge amount of documents have been created and stored in different places. It is often not possible to view and check a huge number of files found based on one criterion.
To find the desired file in the list of already found files, you can use several filters simultaneously, setting and changing each of them during the search process as necessary. Each time you add a new filter, the selection will be made again in the list of found files, reducing processing time and the number of results, which greatly simplifies the search for the very desired file.
How to find a file by content
As a rule, files are searched in Windows 7 based on the content of the query in the file name, and not on the text that the file contains. To find a file with the desired word in its text, and not in its name, you need to make simple settings.
Let’s say the task is to find a document among 500 files with the word “Shovel” in its content. To do this, click “Arrange” on the control panel and select “Search folder options” from the drop-down menu.
It is worth noting that searching with this option will take longer, and when the need to search by content is no longer necessary, this option should be disabled.
How to save search terms
It often happens that files need to be searched frequently, for this the same search conditions are used, and there are several of these conditions. In order not to waste time entering the same search parameters every time, the list of these conditions can be saved.
To do this, you need to set the search conditions, wait for the results to be displayed, and upon completion, click “Save search conditions” on the control panel, and in the window that opens, enter the file name for the recurring query, for example, “JULY 2013.”
In the future, when the saved set of search conditions is needed again, the desired shortcut can always be selected in Explorer in the “Favorites” folder under the saved name.
How to clear your search terms
By clicking on the cross at the end of the search line, you can clear the previously entered information and filter conditions that were used for the search, and the line will become empty.
Having tried search in Windows 7 several times, you can verify in practice that it is practical, easy and fast. Now you know how to search for files in Windows 7.
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.
In order to find any object on your computer, just enter the name of the file or folder you need in the Start menu. The computer will search for all files containing this name in whole or in part. But this is not always enough to find all the necessary information on your computer. There are times when you need to find document(s) with certain words in the text, for example: “free computer courses”, but by default in Windows 7 this function is disabled.
Setting up file search in Windows 7
To do this, open “Computer”, click on the “Arrange” button on the left and select “Folder and Search Options”.
After such a small setup, the search will work by file names, as well as by its contents.
Finding files in Windows 7 in practice [check]
Let's check if everything works correctly. To do this, open “Computer”, enter in the search field the word that you need to find in the files. For example, I chose the word “quality”. When you enter a word or phrase, the search will begin automatically (no need to click anything).
After the search completes the task on this word, files containing the word “quality” will appear below. You should also know that after searching for the information you need, you need to change the default settings (which were). This is due to the fact that the search will take much longer, since it searches not only the file name, but also its contents.
For quick search in Windows 7 by content, it is best to go to the folder where your file may be located and search from there.
Many novice users are interested in how to find a file on a computer. Windows 7 or any other operating system is not that important. The principle of searching for documents on a computer is approximately the same. Especially when it comes to the Windows platform. In general, there are quite a few options for action. They are all very simple. But you will have to not only study them, but also understand some of the features of the search. So how to find file and folders in Windows 7? What does the user need to know about this process? Perhaps this procedure can be done even by those who are not yet familiar with the computer at all.
About search
The first thing you should pay attention to is that search in Windows is carried out, as a rule, without additional software. This is a standard feature found on all operating systems. You don't have to download additional programs to help you search for information on your PC.
How to find a file on your computer? Windows 7 or any other version of the operating system is not so important. You need to understand that the process is extremely simple. It is enough to know the name of the file or folder you want to find. And do not fall for offers on the Internet that supposedly allow you to quickly search for information on your computer. It has already been said - no additional programs are needed for this!
Location address
How to search for files in Windows 7? As soon as the data reaches the computer, it is assigned a special address. It is through this that information is searched. All documents in the operating system have a similar component. There is not a single file on the computer without an address.
Typically it consists of the name of the hard drive partition on which the document is located, followed by the path to the desired object. It consists of folders. For example: C:/Windows/system32/drivers/etc/host/.
Accordingly, the “host” document is located in the etc folder, which is placed in drivers. That, in turn, is located in a folder called “system32”, located in Windows on partition hard drive C. If you know the exact location of the document, you can quickly find it. This is why some recommend finding out or file. It can be used in the future. But more on that a little later. First, you should figure out how to find a file on your computer (Windows 7).
Manually
The first method is well suited when either the location of the document is known, or there is simply not the slightest idea of what exactly the search subject is correctly called. We are talking about independent detection of a document in the operating system. It’s enough just to study the files and folders on your computer and think about where exactly this or that document might be located. This method is called Extremely Unstable. But if the user has at least an approximate guess about where this or that information may be stored, such a solution can help.
If you know the exact location address, you can simply go to it. On the computer, the user searches for the hard drive partition he needs and the folder in which the document is located. Next comes the opening of the latter. Inside, a specific file is manually searched.
Exact navigation to address
But this is only the first scenario. In practice, it is not often used if the user is not sure of the location of the document. How to find a file on your computer? Windows 7 offers one clever and interesting trick. It will only work when the exact location of the document is known.
It is not at all necessary to manually open all the folders in which the file is attached. If you have an exact location address, you can quickly open the source of the document. To do this, it is best to open "Libraries". Next, copy the file address into the address bar and press Enter. A folder will open in which this or that document or another folder is attached.
That is, when you need to find a host, you need to copy the inscription “C:/..../etc” into the address bar. Then the etc folder will open, in which you will need to manually find the required document. Nothing difficult or special. But so far we have considered situations in which the address is either known exactly or is known approximately. What to do if there is no such information?
Via "Start"
How to find files on a Windows computer (XP, 7, 8, 10 - it's not that important)? In general, you need to use a standard operating system function. It's called "Search". It is enough to know the name of the document that should be found.
The first way to actually do a quick search is to use the Start panel. How does an idea come to life with this opportunity? The user must adhere to the following algorithm of actions:
- Click on the "Start" button in the left corner of the screen. A small menu will open.
- At the bottom of the service there is an empty field with a magnifying glass. On some operating systems, it says “Search programs and files.” You need to click there once with the left mouse button.
- A slider cursor will appear. In the field you need to type the name of the file, program or folder.
- Press Enter and wait for the results.
Nothing more is needed. A few seconds of waiting - and the results will appear on the monitor. Perhaps using "Start" is the most common option. But there are other ways. Searching for files on your computer in Windows 7 is carried out using different methods.
Through additional windows
You can implement your idea within a specific folder. This is not as difficult to do as it seems. Typically, the method helps when the user knows the approximate location of the document.
You must adhere to the following algorithm of actions:
- Open the root folder in which the document may be located.
- In the upper right corner, find a field with a magnifying glass.
- Type the address or document name.
- View the search results.
In example c, the situation will look like this: the user opens partition of drive C, then in Explorer finds the message “Search: Local disk (C:)”. In this field you need to write host and wait until all documents containing this word are found. Next, a specific document is manually searched among the entire list.
Filters
But that's not all. How to quickly find a file on your computer? Windows 7 or any other version of Windows is not so important. At least when it comes to newer types of Windows. You can use one trick. It will help you quickly find what you need among the results. The method is based on the previous method. We are talking about specifying search parameters.
The fact is that if you do not use filters, then often when searching you will have to look through a lot of documents and folders. It’s clear how to find a file on your computer. How to find what you need among the search results?
In this situation it is suggested:
- Perform a search in a particular folder.
- Click on the search bar in the upper right corner of the window.
- Select the required filters and set their parameters. In this case, there is no need to erase the name of the file or folder. For example, you can select the document type. In the case of host, this is .txt.
- Press Enter and look at the results again.
Accordingly, all documents and files that meet all search parameters will appear on the screen. This is how the built-in Windows function for quickly detecting the necessary software is implemented.
Search service
Now it’s clear how to find a file on your computer (Windows 7). But there is another option for the development of events. You can call a separate search service on your computer. To do this, you need to press a certain key combination. Then the entire operating system will be scanned and searched.
When using the standard function, you can follow the algorithm:
- Press Win+F. A window with a bluish background will open. This is the standard Windows search engine.
- In the search bar (upper right corner, field with a magnifying glass), type the name of the file or folder.
- The user must press Enter and wait for the results. You can work with search filters in advance. This will reduce the results returned.
By content
There is one more, last trick. It's called "search inside files and folders in Windows 7". Many users are familiar with it. To bring it to life, you need:
- Open this or that document/folder.
- Press Ctrl+F.
- In the field that appears on the right side of the screen, enter the name of the document/folder/word.
- Click on "Enter".
This method is often used when working with Word. It not only helps you search for data in text, but also helps you search for documents.
If in Windows XP file search was slow, but still workable, then in Windows 7 it turned into something completely incomprehensible. Many people successfully use search in Far or Total Commander instead of standard Windows tools. When there are a lot of files on disks, this search is also slow. I would hardly have believed if I had not tried it myself that files can be found instantly (!), right when entering the file name into the search bar. Interested?
A miracle program that saved me a lot of time and continues to help me every day is called Everything. This free mini-application (the portable version is 272 KB in size) does just one simple thing - it searches for files on disks based on part of the file name. The magic is that the search happens instantly as you type the letters of the file name into the search bar (like Google's "live search"). This opens up much greater possibilities for searching files. For example, if you forget the exact name of a file, you can quickly try different variations of the name. With a “classic” search, you would have to wait a long time each time for the search to complete, but here you can immediately see whether something was found or not: 
How it works?
When the program is first launched, it scans the file distribution table (NTFS MFT) and saves the scan result to a small cache file. Disk scanning is very fast - even with several terabytes of data, scanning will take no more than one minute. Based on a complete list of files on all drives, Everything builds an in-memory data structure for fast searching. During subsequent launches, repeated scanning of all disks will no longer occur: the program will take information from the cache file and only update it. To track file changes, the program uses information from the USN log of the NTFS partition.Program limitations:
- The program searches only for NTFS partitions.
- The search is performed only by file names (it is not possible to search by attributes, dates and contents of files).
I'm sure Everything will become your reliable assistant and save many, many hours. And for Microsoft, this is a reason to think about how search should actually work;)