How To Search For Files in Windows 7
By Drax
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Windows 7 as an OS is brilliant however it drove me crazy at the beginning since it appears so difficult to find specific types of files or indeed anything else with the 'improved' search function.
THIS IS NOT THE CASE... it is easy !! but still clunky and useless !!
A simple solution is Agent Ransack which is is far superior in my opinion !!
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1. Open Explorer By right Clicking on Start Button
2. Select Open Windows Explorer
3. In the Left Pane Click on computer, In right Pane Select the Drive to Search
4. Click in Search Box In The Top Right Hand Corner
5. Enter the file type to Search for Specific File types
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Ok so now you can search for a specific file type by entering the following syntax;-
Type:=.doc
this searches for Word documents
Type:=.docx
this searches for Word documents under Word2007
So simply change this for the file type you are looking for, some examples...
Type:=.xls
Type:=.pub
Type:=.mp3
Using Simple Search Filters
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One easy addition to this search is to add a search filter, when you have entered the search in the box you will see immediately below the basic Search filters;-
Date Modified
Size
Using these you can simply narrow your search...
Agent Ransack
The Last Word
Whilst this Hub does provide you with the syntax to search Win7 it is still largely a waste of time.
Save yourself the aggravation and install Agent Ransack.
The screen capture of Agent Ransack presents all the options in a nice clean interface, you can use the old traditional *.doc or whatever file type, you can search for a word in in a file and you can add filter like date and size all there without the tedium of the Win 7 search.
It always amazes me that a software engineer or group of engineers could take something as fundamental as search and totally make a mess of it to the extent that the only sensible solution is to use an external program.
How Bad in the Win7 Search
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Windows 7 - A Brilliant OS
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LINKS
- How to Use the Excel Descriptive Statistics tool
The Excel Descriptive Statistics tool used to quickly calculate Mean, Standard Error, Median, Mode, Standard Deviation, Sample Variance, Kurtosis, Skewness, Range, Minimum, Maximum, Sum, Count, Largest(1), Smallest(1) & varying Confidence Levels - How to Calculate Standard Deviation
I like statistics and Excel and have a number of ever expanding Hubs on that subject.
Thanks for the comment SimeyC, without doubt it is probably the best Os Microsoft have produced, it is a shame that they did not retain the old Xp search as an option. In the longer term as you Tag your data and maybe become familiar (again) with boolean :-) search will become easier.
excellent Drax. Undocumented and hard to find info here....Thanks..... ;)
thanks for the comment Doc...
nice hub.. thanks for the tips.
thanks dyesebel10 :-)
easy? not everyone knows all the file names and types.
well Unhappy Fellow... if you do not know what you are looking for how would you ever expect to find it ffs... you must be American, only they can be this dumb... !!
Drax, don't be such a douche. The old search IS better, plain and simple. That's coming from a corporate IT Manager in the business over 25 years.
@I'm American.. this Hub simply explains how to find something in Win7, it clearly states that Agent Ransack is far superior to the pathetic search function in Win7 :-)
Thanks for making this. I really hate that they didn't make this with a GUI to give you these options. Instead you have to search the internet on how to do a search. Ironic huh?
SimeyC 2 years ago
You are right - it is easy! However, most people are used to the old way, so it becomes very daunting when things totally change - add to this the fact that the Explorer itself has changed, and while it is more intuitive, it does take a while to get used to!
The problem is that most people don't like change - that's why many people still have XP - they like it, it works - so they don't change - it's a shame as Windows 7 (and Vista) are far better once you get used to them!