Make windows xp windows explorer search like windows 2k?

[Schadenfroh]

title says it all

 

[xcript]

They're pretty similar after you disable that bloody animated dog aren't they?

Haven't used Windows 2000 for a while.

 

[Schadenfroh]

no, still have to clicp on if you want all files and folders, pictures, etc. i want just a basic search box, like cntrl f in IE

 

[spyordie007]

you sure this isnt what you're looking for?

I dont remember the exact path I used to set it to this but that is what I get when I open up the search dialog off the start menu. I think I disabled the dog and than selected something along the lines of classic search or something (just play around with it, you'll get it eventually)...

-Erik

 

[Schadenfroh]

thats it, but when i disable the dog, i still have to click pictures, or all files and folders

 

[xcript]

If I bring up the search window with F3 I go straight to 'All Files and Folders'.

Edit: Ahh, but only if I don't already have an explorer window open.

If I go 'Start -> Search -> For Files or Folders...' I have to choose.

 

[xcript]

Aha:

Install latest version of TweakUI -> Run it -> Explorer -> Settings -> Check 'Use Classic Search in Explorer' (near bottom)

 

[VirtualLarry]

Unfortunately, just getting the "Search..." UI and dialogs back to where they were in W2K, doesn't make the search feature in XP work like it does in W2K. By default, I turn off the "Index Service" in XP, but the search feature doesn't work properly in XP without it. W2K will allow you to do a string-search through files, right from the dialog box, but you need to make some registry modifications to XP to get it to do the same thing. Otherwise, XP is handicapped to only being able to string-search through certain specific file-types that it already knows about. XP also has the brain-dead feature of searching *inside* .ZIP archives, by default, and the search process will hang if it runs into any malformed/corrupted .ZIP files along the way.

Basically, XP's search feature is way broke, apparently by design, even without that damn animated dog.

 

[xcript]

Yeah, I noticed the string searching was b0rked in XP.

This fixed it for me:

1. Click Start, and then click Search (or point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders).
2. Click Change preferences, and then click With Indexing Service (for faster local searches).
3. Click Change Indexing Service Settings (Advanced). Note that you do not have to turn on the Index service.
4. On the toolbar, click Show/Hide Console Tree.
5. In the left pane, right-click Indexing Service on Local Machine, and then click Properties.
6. On the Generation tab, click to select the Index files with unknown extensions check box, and then click OK.
7. Close the Indexing Service console.

Got the info from here.