Windows 7 Rebuild Index

The trick I have used is to fool Windows into thinking that the Search Setup didn't finish correctly, thereby forcing the index to restart / rebuild on the next reboot. You can do this from your desk by remote connecting the the registry of the problem machine. Singer futura font free download.

That means you can tell Windows 7/8/10 to index and return results from files and folder on network drives or external hard drives. To get started, click on Start, then type in search into the search box. This will bring up the Indexing Options dialog. In Windows 10, you’ll click on Change how Windows searches. I asked Windows 7 to index my entire 'Media' folder. After it was done it'd find anything in there, no problem. Then I reorganized it a bit and moved some folders around, and now it doesn't find things inside those folders anymore. For example, I'm looking at a folder with the files: 01. Ferry Corsten. The procedure to rebuild the search index is relatively simple, but Windows 10 might take up to a few hours to complete the rebuilding process depending on many factors. If you don’t have any resource-intensive tasks planned for the new couple of hours, follow the given below instructions to rebuild Windows 10’s search index. Oct 06, 2011  I am running Windows 7 64 bit. I wanted to rebuild my index so I started the process. It deleleted all the previous index files. Now when I go th Rebuild I have a greyout screen with no locations and no options to add a location. About 3 hours later, the index was rebuilt and indexed search for files and folder contents is working. PS: It’s good to be aware that there is another place where Windows has search settings. In Control Panel Folder Options Search Tab. Make sure the box is clear for “Don’t Use The Index While Searching The File System”. Also choose other options you want there. Click on the Windows Start button, then: Type 'index' (without the quotes) From the list of available options, select 'Indexing Options' Click on the 'Advanced' button; On the 'Index Settings' tab, select the 'Rebuild' button, which is under 'Troubleshooting' Click the 'Ok' button; Click the 'Close' button; NOTE.

Active11 months ago

I asked Windows 7 to index my entire 'Media' folder. After it was done it'd find anything in there, no problem.

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Then I reorganized it a bit and moved some folders around, and now it doesn't find things inside those folders anymore. For example, I'm looking at a folder with the files:

I type in 'Love' in the search box for the current folder, and it doesn't find anything.

I checked in 'Indexing Options', and this very folder is checked off in there. It seems I just messed up its indexing feature. Any ideas how fix?

studiohack
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ClaudiuClaudiu
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6 Answers

Control panel->indexing->advanced->rebuild

I've seen several similar questions and as far as I know there's no way to reindex just one directory. Would be great if someone could prove me wrong though.

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AndrejaKoAndrejaKo
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You can re-index a single directory:

Folder properties --> Advanced -->untick index --> apply changes

Go back to Advanced --> tick the index files option again

This will now re-index that particular directory. Hope this helps.

bertieb
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Fahad MahmoodFahad Mahmood

I've found no other working solution for re-indexing just one specific folder than that:

  1. close all open programs, which may access the folder in question
  2. copy your folder. For example if your folder is named to_be_indexed, copy it to a new folder named to_be_indexed - Copy. In Windows Exlplorer you may simply use ctrl-c ctrl-v shortcuts, having selected the folder to be re-indexed
  3. wait for indexing to complete (check Windows 'Indexing Options', status is given on top of window)
  4. remove the original folder to_be_indexed. Be careful to check before if your copy in step 1 was successful - you do not want to lose data .. (if you want to play safe, rename to_be_indexed to to_be_indexed_old and delete it later)
  5. rename to_be_indexed - Copy to to_be_indexed
  6. wait for indexing to complete (check Windows 'Indexing Options', status is given on top of window)
  7. to_be_indexed is now re-indexed in Windows Search

Cumbersome, but works.

GWuGWu

Click on the Windows Start button, then:

  • Type 'index' (without the quotes)
  • From the list of available options, select 'Indexing Options'
  • Click on the 'Advanced' button
  • On the 'Index Settings' tab, select the 'Rebuild' button, which is under 'Troubleshooting'
  • Click the 'Ok' button
  • Click the 'Close' button

NOTE:

When you initiate this process, you will not be able to see your drives, folders and sub-folders until they are re-indexed. So, make certain that you're not in a hurry to access any data on your hard drive before starting.

Line

This process will take a while; and it's best to do it when no other applications are running. As far as I know, there is no notification to indicate when it's finished re-indexing your drive. Suffice to say, if you watch a movie, or a ball game, by the time you get back the task should be complete.

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Mick PsyphonMick Psyphon

Rebuild Windows 10

Experienced the same issue today and forced a specific folder to be re-indexed, without rebuilding in it's entirety.

  • Control panel-> indexing options-> modify-> select your folder youwish to index by de-selecting it with a check mark, initially forexclusion -> Ok to confirm
  • Close the window
  • Control panel-> indexing options-> modify-> select your folder byselecting it again with a check mark, removing it from exclusion ->Ok to confirm

Index will be re-created as the folder has now come into scope for the indexing system

Windows 7 Rebuild Index

Giacomo MoscaGiacomo Mosca
  • Under Indexing options click 'Modify '.
  • Then click the folder that you want to update the indexing.
  • Uncheck and then remark the folder.
  • Click on 'OK '
  • The folder will be reindexed.
Pierre.Vriens
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ARMANDO ALVESARMANDO ALVES

Fix Windows Search Windows 7

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Generally speaking, Windows is a fairly easy operating system to learn. Newer versions of Windows, especially Windows 10, have made it easier than ever to set up and use Windows, making it a great operating system for anyone, including younger users and your computer-illiterate grandparents. Of course, just because Microsoft has gone out of their way to make their operating system easier to use for basic users doesn’t mean power users have to suffer in return.

Windows includes powerful system-wide search functionality that lets users quickly find files and other data via a Start Menu or Start Screen search. By default, Windows Search will index certain common locations on your drive, such as the User folder, Outlook Messages, and Internet Explorer browsing history. If Windows Search stops working for you and no longer returns search results for files that you know exist, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue. Here’s how to fix Windows Search issues in all versions of Windows from 7 to 10.

First, head to the Control Panel and find the section labeled Indexing Options. If you’re not facing a total malfunction of Windows Search capabilities, you can quickly jump to Indexing Options directly by searching for it from the Start Menu (Windows 7 and Windows 10) or the Start Screen (Windows 8 and 8.1).

Verify Indexed Locations

In the Indexing Options window, the first step to take when Windows Search isn’t finding your files is to make sure that Windows is indexing the location where your files reside. You’ll see a list of locations and applications that are currently being indexed; note that if a drive or folder is listed here, then all subfolders and files included in that drive are indexed as well.

If the locations of your files are not listed here — such as your Users folder for places like the Documents and Desktop folders, or a second hard drive — you can manually add them. Click the Modify button and you’ll see a list of all locations on your PC. Find the desired drive or folder that contains files you’d like indexed and check the box next to it. Click OK when done and you’ll return to the Indexing Options window to see your new location listed.

Rebuild the Windows Search Index

Regardless of whether the location of your files was already in the indexed locations list, you’ll want to rebuild your Windows Search index as your next troubleshooting step. This index can become corrupted or otherwise encounter issues, and rebuilding it from scratch is often a good way to solve Windows Search problems.

One note before we begin: rebuilding the Windows Search index can take a very long time depending on the speed of your PC, your storage drives, and the number of files that need to be indexed. You can still use your PC during the rebuild, but you won’t have full access to Windows Search until the rebuild is complete. On slower systems, the rebuilding process may decrease system performance while it runs (you can see how much of an impact the process has on your PC by finding the Microsoft Windows Search Indexer process in Task Manager). It’s therefore best to plan a Windows Search index to take place overnight. Just follow the steps below as the last thing you do before leaving your PC at night, and let it run uninterrupted.

To rebuild the Windows Search index, head back to Control Panel > Indexing Options. Click the Advanced button and make sure you’re on the Index Settings tab of the Advanced Options window.

Windows 7 Index Files

Under the Troubleshooting section of the Advanced Options window, find and click the Rebuild button. Windows will warn you, just as we did above, that the index rebuilding process may take a long time, and that you may not have full search functionality until it’s complete. Click OK to accept the warning and start the re-indexing process.

Windows 7 Rebuild Index Download

Once the Windows Search index has been rebuilt, try searching for your files again. Absent more serious issues like hardware failure or viruses, your files, folders, and data should all now appear in your Windows search queries.