Windows 7 "search" not working

[Crockett12]

I’ve got Windows 7 Professional and some time ago my “search” quit working. When I type something in, it just sits there and doesn’t give me any links.

How do I fix it?

Thanks,
Crockett12

 

[denis280]

welcome to the forums Crockett12.open a command prompt and type in.
sfc /scannow and come back with result

 

[Crockett12]

It said: “you must be an administrator running a console session in order to use the sfc utility”
Then:
K:\Users\Samsung SSD

 

[Ketchup]

Look in Windows Features and make sure Windows Search is turned on.

 

[Crockett12]

I typed "Windows Features" and search took me to that screen where "Windows Search" was already checked.

So I figured it was somehow checked off and fixed!!!

However now I see when I type "Windows" or "Program" as in "Program Files" number of links come up -- but when I type in the name of any of my folders which I've put on my hard drive since I bought the hard drive, nothing comes up. How do I get it to find my folder names?

 

[Ketchup]

Where are you searching from (start men or window)?

Have you tried the fixit?
http://support.microsoft.com/mats/windows_search/en-us

 

[Crockett12]

Something else that might be relevant to this search issue -- some of my folder titles are now in green type instead of black type. Most of my folders on my hard drive are still OK and I can open them and access everything inside but when I click on those folders with green type, it opens but all the files inside them also have green type and when I try and open them I get a message which says: “There was an error opening this document. Access denied”.



I haven’t noticed those folders that are now in green type being that way before – except for some of them on my external WD backup drive – which have been that way for some time – but I’ve never been able to figure out why!


It’s as if I don’t have administrator rights but I don’t know how to check that.



I have Norton Internet Security and regularly run the free version on Malwarebytes, so wouldn’t think I have a virus or some such thing.



What should I do?

 

[Crockett12]

Have you tried the fixit?
http://support.microsoft.com/mats/windows_search/en-us

No I didn't know about fixit -- I'm downloading it now. I'll report the results.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Something else that might be relevant to this search issue -- some of my folder titles are now in green type instead of black type.

I believe that green file names mean encrypted. You may be the victim of ransomware.

http://www.andyrathbone.com/2012/01/30/why-does-windows-show-my-file-names-in-green-letters/

 

[Crockett12]

Microsoft fixit worked and fixed my search function! Thank you!!! I've copied the url so I can use it in the future if needed.

Now -- if I'm the victim of of ransomeware -- how do I fix it?

 

[JackMDS]

Microsoft fixit worked and fixed my search function! Thank you!!! I've copied the url so I can use it in the future if needed.

Now -- if I'm the victim of of ransomeware -- how do I fix it?

Download and Run the free version.

This - https://toolslib.net/downloads/viewdownload/1-adwcleaner/

And this - https://www.malwarebytes.org/

 

[VirtualLarry]

Download and Run the free version.

This - https://toolslib.net/downloads/viewdownload/1-adwcleaner/

And this - https://www.malwarebytes.org/

For ordinary malware, that would be fine, but for encrypting ransomware, the only solution is a full drive-wipe reformat, and restoring data / media files from a backup. You DO have a backup, right, OP?

 

[Ketchup]

Microsoft fixit worked and fixed my search function! Thank you!!! I've copied the url so I can use it in the future if needed.

Now -- if I'm the victim of of ransomeware -- how do I fix it?

Great! Now for the green, are you running any encryption software? Did your backup drive come with any?

 

[Crockett12]

If I remember correctly my external backup drive did come with encription software but I didn't know how to use it -- so did not use it. I've noticed for some time that some folders on the backup drive were in green type but there weren't enough of them for me to address it. Now I'm starting to see folders on my main drives in the computer to change to green type.
I've wiped drives in the past but it's along process to reinstall everything and would rather find another solution -- if possible. If it's not possible I'll do it.

 

[Crockett12]

OK I downloaded https://toolslib.net/downloads/viewd.../1-adwcleaner/ and ran it. Then I ran Malwarebytes.
adwcleaner found and deleated several things but Malwarebytes said they were no malicious items on my computer. I checked my green files and they're still green.

 

[mrjminer]

OK I downloaded https://toolslib.net/downloads/viewd.../1-adwcleaner/ and ran it. Then I ran Malwarebytes.
adwcleaner found and deleated several things but Malwarebytes said they were no malicious items on my computer. I checked my green files and they're still green.

If it is only on your external, I would download whatever software came with your external from your manufacturer and try accessing the files/folders using that program.

Alternatively, you could try right clicking the files/folders -> click Advanced on the first tab -> uncheck encryption checkbox. If you inadvertently encrypted them on this user account, this would remove the encryption since the decryption key will be stored in your user profile. You should try to do this ASAP just in case your hard drive suddenly dies or something. Otherwise, you are screwed.

 

[Crockett12]

I took VirtualLarry's advice and clicked on: [FONT=&quot] [/FONT]http://www.andyrathbone.com/2012/01/...green-letters/[FONT=&quot][/FONT]
to decrypt the files.

It appeared to be working until I looked in the folders I had decrypted and found that, even though all the folders within the decrypted folders were now black, the actual files within those folders (word docs and PDF files) were still encrypted.
I've tried to use the instructions in the above site to decrypt the individual files but they won't decrypt.
When I uncheck the "Encrypt contents to secure data" box and click OK
I then click "Apply"
Then I click OK in the button to "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files"
Then I click "Continue"
Then I click "Yes"
and an "Error Applying Attributes" box comes up with these buttons:
Ignore, Ignore all, Try again, Cancel
I clicked Ignore all --- and the folder decrypts --- but not the file contents.


Since only the folders decrypt -- how do I decrypt the files themselves?


[FONT=&quot][/FONT]

 

[Crockett12]

Another thing.

I have Windows 7 installed on two drives. The original install is on my original hard drive. ThenI installed a SSD and I wanted to install the OS on it, so I installed Windows 7 again to my new SSD and now boot to the SSD by default. I've never had a problem until lately.
However, why are my folders on my default drive now turning green? And why can't I decrypt the files within the decrypted folders?

 

[ninaholic37]

I think VirtualLarry already answered that:

For ordinary malware, that would be fine, but for encrypting ransomware, the only solution is a full drive-wipe reformat, and restoring data / media files from a backup. You DO have a backup, right, OP?

 

[denis280]

I took VirtualLarry's advice and clicked on: http://www.andyrathbone.com/2012/01/...green-letters/
to decrypt the files.

It appeared to be working until I looked in the folders I had decrypted and found that, even though all the folders within the decrypted folders were now black, the actual files within those folders (word docs and PDF files) were still encrypted.
I've tried to use the instructions in the above site to decrypt the individual files but they won't decrypt.
When I uncheck the "Encrypt contents to secure data" box and click OK
I then click "Apply"
Then I click OK in the button to "Apply changes to this folder, subfolders and files"
Then I click "Continue"
Then I click "Yes"
and an "Error Applying Attributes" box comes up with these buttons:
Ignore, Ignore all, Try again, Cancel
I clicked Ignore all --- and the folder decrypts --- but not the file contents.


Since only the folders decrypt -- how do I decrypt the files themselves?

After all this. Format the drive and reinstall.:\

 

[Crockett12]

I actually enjoy the process of a wipe and reinstall but boy, it sure takes a long time to get through it! So, I guess I'd better get to it!!!

I also have a laptop which I use as my primary computer and I can use that to copy all my primary files, pictures etc and transfer to the desktop, which is what I'm having the issue with. The only thing not on the laptop are my games but I know from experience that I'll get over having to reinstall my games.

I do have one more question.

I don't visit porn sites or go to sites I consider suspect. However, since I've got Norton Internet Security on automatic update and automatically scan at least once a day -- and regularly do manual full scans with Malwarebytes (at least once weekly) -- how did I get ramsomeware on the computer -- and how do I prevent it in the future?

 

[VirtualLarry]

I can't say 100% that you have Ransomware on your PC, but green filenames in Explorer are a sign of encrypted files, and if you didn't choose to manually encrypt them... what did? So, logically, you must consider the possibility of encrypting malware on your PC.

 

[Crockett12]

I downloaded a Microsoft program to check for malware including ransomware but it didn't find anything.
Then I thought I'd try one more thing before a wipe and reinstall.
I booted into my secondary OS and looked at a few of the files that are encrypted on the primary OS. They weren't encrypted on the secondary OS. So I copied them onto a thumb drive and rebooted into my primary OS. I was able to delete those encrypted files and copy the file from the thumb drive to the primary OS!
I don't know why I was able to deleat the encrypted files but I was! Anyway I'm now doing that with all the encrypted files and it seems to be working. It'll take a while but not nearly as long as a wipe and reinstall -- and I've still got all my games!
Once I get everything transferred over, I'll watch for more files encrypting themselves.