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#1
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Apparent bug in XP SP2 filename search from Windows Explorer
Hiyas. It looks to me like I've found a very crude bug in XP SP2. When
doing a filename search in Windows Explorer, if you type the entire filename of a valid file in the input field labeled "All or part of the file name:", the search will *not* hit the existing file of that name. This seems to be true only if the filename contains the standard period followed by the standard 3 character filename extension. If you search, for example, from the root of C: for the file "ntldr", you'll get a hit on it as expected. But if you search for, say, "boot.ini" from the same starting point, you'll get no hits though the file is sitting right there at C:\boot.ini . Search on the complete filename of any file you know to be on your disk and that has a filename extension- you'll get no hit. Can somebody please reproduce this? I've tried it on 3 PCs in my home network and all had the apparent bug. But maybe there's something whacked about the way I configure machines, so I'd like to hear from somebody out there. -- wsk |
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#2
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... and what would happen if you click on 'More advanced options', then tick
'Search hidden files and folders' and do a search for your boot.ini file again? wrote in message oups.com... Hiyas. It looks to me like I've found a very crude bug in XP SP2. When doing a filename search in Windows Explorer, if you type the entire filename of a valid file in the input field labeled "All or part of the file name:", the search will *not* hit the existing file of that name. This seems to be true only if the filename contains the standard period followed by the standard 3 character filename extension. If you search, for example, from the root of C: for the file "ntldr", you'll get a hit on it as expected. But if you search for, say, "boot.ini" from the same starting point, you'll get no hits though the file is sitting right there at C:\boot.ini . Search on the complete filename of any file you know to be on your disk and that has a filename extension- you'll get no hit. Can somebody please reproduce this? I've tried it on 3 PCs in my home network and all had the apparent bug. But maybe there's something whacked about the way I configure machines, so I'd like to hear from somebody out there. -- wsk |
#3
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wskrispy wrote:
Hiyas. It looks to me like I've found a very crude bug in XP SP2. When doing a filename search in Windows Explorer, if you type the entire filename of a valid file in the input field labeled "All or part of the file name:", the search will *not* hit the existing file of that name. This seems to be true only if the filename contains the standard period followed by the standard 3 character filename extension. If you search, for example, from the root of C: for the file "ntldr", you'll get a hit on it as expected. But if you search for, say, "boot.ini" from the same starting point, you'll get no hits though the file is sitting right there at C:\boot.ini . Search on the complete filename of any file you know to be on your disk and that has a filename extension- you'll get no hit. Can somebody please reproduce this? I've tried it on 3 PCs in my home network and all had the apparent bug. But maybe there's something whacked about the way I configure machines, so I'd like to hear from somebody out there. Windows Explorer, My Computer or just "Search" and put in the filename "boot.ini" (since that was your example) and found it right off. Of course my hidden files/system files are turned off and I have setup the advanced search features for system folders/hidden files and folders/subfolders as well.. -- Shenan Stanley MS-MVP -- How To Ask Questions The Smart Way http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html |
#4
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Hmmm, thanks Mak and Stanley. I assumed Search was including "hidden"
files because I long ago turned off all hiding in the View/Options area and applied it to all folders. Didn't think I would have to specify it again for Search... And yet, a few weeks ago my son was here and we were searching for mp3 files using entire name and again we were getting no hits when the files clearly existed. And when are mp3's ever considered "system files"?... Well in any case it looks unique to my machines. Sorry for false alarm. -- wsk |
#5
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for mp3 case, make sure 'Search subfolders' option is enabled.
or, to be sure (it seems you have problems configuring search), use command dir with appropreate options and redirect output to a file. For example: start | run | cmd | enter type: dir c:\*.mp3 /a /s c:\mymp3files.txt then open mymp3files.txt in notepad wrote in message oups.com... Hmmm, thanks Mak and Stanley. I assumed Search was including "hidden" files because I long ago turned off all hiding in the View/Options area and applied it to all folders. Didn't think I would have to specify it again for Search... And yet, a few weeks ago my son was here and we were searching for mp3 files using entire name and again we were getting no hits when the files clearly existed. And when are mp3's ever considered "system files"?... Well in any case it looks unique to my machines. Sorry for false alarm. -- wsk |
#6
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Mak wrote: for mp3 case, make sure 'Search subfolders' option is enabled. or, to be sure (it seems you have problems configuring search), use command dir with appropreate options and redirect output to a file. For example: start | run | cmd | enter type: dir c:\*.mp3 /a /s c:\mymp3files.txt then open mymp3files.txt in notepad wrote in message oups.com... Hmmm, thanks Mak and Stanley. I assumed Search was including "hidden" files because I long ago turned off all hiding in the View/Options area and applied it to all folders. Didn't think I would have to specify it again for Search... And yet, a few weeks ago my son was here and we were searching for mp3 files using entire name and again we were getting no hits when the files clearly existed. And when are mp3's ever considered "system files"?... Well in any case it looks unique to my machines. Sorry for false alarm. -- wsk Mak, I'm not as beginner-ish as it may look. I indeed tried the dir [path] /s command a few weeks ago and still no hit. And get this-- in all these cases if a partial filename with wildcard was searched on, hits were returned. If these unchecked advanced options were the culprit in all cases, no hits should ever have been made... I'll look into it more and try to nail it down tomorrow. -- wsk |
#8
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Thanks Torgeir and Mak, but how do you explain this: in my original
post I mentioned that c:\ntldr was returning a hit with full filename specified, while c:\boot.ini was not. Ntldr is as much a "system" and "hidden" file as boot.ini, so whatever checkboxes happen to be checked or unchecked, Search behavior should be the same for these two files, wouldn't you say? Yet only one was detected by the search. It seemed to have something to do with presence or absence of filename extension. -- wsk |
#9
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wsk,
Before any explanations can be tried: Is this odd behaviour you claim you see on a number of your computers reproducible? What view do you select for search results? Can you change view to 'Details' and make sure search result for 'ntldr' returns root of your system drive c:\ntldr and not an OEM folder c:\i386\ntldr for example, where this file is neither system or hidden. wrote in message oups.com... Thanks Torgeir and Mak, but how do you explain this: in my original post I mentioned that c:\ntldr was returning a hit with full filename specified, while c:\boot.ini was not. Ntldr is as much a "system" and "hidden" file as boot.ini, so whatever checkboxes happen to be checked or unchecked, Search behavior should be the same for these two files, wouldn't you say? Yet only one was detected by the search. It seemed to have something to do with presence or absence of filename extension. -- wsk |
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