Search Network Folder By Filename

That Advanced Query Syntax description page describes all the keywords (also called filters) you can use, such as filename: or modified: to search by specific criteria.

You can disable content searching by removing a location from the Index.  If a location is not indexed, it only searches file name and properties, but not inside the file itself.

• If you do want to search inside files even if the location isn't indexed, there's an option for that in Folder Options.  Turning that on would make it behave more like XP.

Multiple text searching is not a feature of Windows Search.  However there are other programs, such as "Everything" that can do this. Agent Ransack might also have that ability.

You might also be interested in my blog post, Boost Windows Search with Two Tweaks.

Wow, Shawn, this is excellent!  Is there more detailed info available somewhere on searching in W7?

Also, could you please be so kind as to tell me how can I disable content searches.

Also, how would I search for multiple texts?  Would I use filename:*text1* AND filename:*text2*.

Since I wish to target most of my searches to search my network drive less one folder, is there an easy way to set that up?  I don't want to index it due to the large amount of data and the time it would take so I think adding a library is probably not hte best idea...

Thanks, again!

May God bless you with His best.

Close.  No System. needed.  You can use traditional wildcards too.  A wildcard is assumed at the end, but not the beginning.  Examples:

• filename:face

finds files that begin with face, such as facepalm or facebook

• filename:*book

finds files that end with book, such as phonebook or facebook

• filename:=book

finds files that have a name exactly equal to book, nothing more or less

• filename:"office word"

finds files with a name beginning with "office word" (quotes used because there's a space). The words must be exactly in that order, but can contain more, such as "office words"

• filename:*ace*

finds files containing the letters ACE.  Including facebook

Note:  The filename: part is not required... all these searches will work just as well without it.  The only thing filename: does is *blocks out content searches from appearing.*Of course you can always disable all content searches by default in your search preferences.

I, too, was frustrated when I first got my W7 laptop and wanted to search filenames.  I'm no expert on W7 but I depend on being able to search filenames frequently as part of my job so I REALLY missed the Advanced Search window from XP. [HINT: Microsoft could you PLEASE bring the Advnaced Search Window funcitonality with two fields for searching either filenames or anywhere in the file!]

Looking in W7 help (F1) didn't bring up what I needed until I looked at an external site and found out that MS calls their advanced search functions by the moniker "AQS" for Advanced Query System.  If you search for AQS you should be able to find more info on the advanced search functions.

I was a little turned-off at first by the amount of typing required but finally having a method that worked helped to ease the pain.

If you want to limit your search just to filenames, type something like System.filename:~="cfg" into either the W7 search window or the Windows Explorer search window. 

I have not found a definitive guide to all the details of AQS (Microsoft, it would sure be nice if you could publish details of AQS on your support site :-)) but here are a few of the logic symbols (the info was pulled from W7 help on Advanced Search):

If W7 did not find what you are looking for, or if you know which drive or folders you would like to search and would like to limit it to that drive, then after your first search you should see the "Custom" icon appear under a line below your search results. Click on it, then click on Documents and then Navigate to the drive you want to search and check the checkbox next to it.  This section of W7 works very sweetly since if you check a drive then click the triangle next to it, it lists all the first-level folders with each of their boxes checked.  If want to exclude one or more of them you just uncheck the boxes of the ones you want to exclude.

Well, Happy Hunting!  I hope this helps. 

May God bless you with His best!

Hello The Darkfriend,

The computer would use the file index configured on your computer locally and will not use the Search Index options of the remote computer. It would just search the location that you have added over the network.

Thanks,

Irfan H, Microsoft Answers Support Engineer. Visit ourMicrosoft Answers Feedback Forum and let us know what you think.