Member Avatar for taldag

Hello
what is the good soft/programm - paid program for effective search in computer under windows 10 / it s own serch Explorer is very very bad/
and DocFetcher don t know to search folders

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by MadDogMark

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Short, practical guide updated for readers coming to this old thread: pick the tool by what you need — lightning-fast filename lookups, or full-text/content search with filters and regex. reported Explorer’s search as poor; and pushed filename approaches, while and pointed to content-oriented tools. Below are usable choices and quick tips so a reader years later can pick and get working fast.

If you only need filename (path) matches: use an MFT-based indexer. These read the NTFS Master File Table and return results almost instantly, which is why many prefer them over Explorer for “where did I save that file?” See a concise tool write-up for how these work. (majorgeeks.com)
WizFile is a similar, very fast alternative that also reads the MFT and updates in real time — worth trying if you want a portable, no-index-database feel. (portableapps.com)

If you need content search (inside files), use a content-aware tool that supports regular expressions and previews. Mythicsoft’s FileLocator/Agent Ransack line gives powerful content searches plus a paid Pro edition for scheduled/indexed enterprise use (good for large doc sets and OCR needs). Try the free/light mode first to confirm it finds your formats. (mythicsoft.com)
DocFetcher is a free, open-source indexer for file contents — it requires you to add folders to an index and let it build before results appear; check file-type filters and iFilter/OCR support for PDFs or scanned docs. If DocFetcher “doesn’t see” folders, re-add the folder to the index and run the index job (also confirm permissions). ()

Also remember built-in Windows Search supports Advanced Query Syntax (AQS) and configurable Indexing Options if you prefer not to add third-party tools. Tweak Indexing Options or rebuild the index when Explorer search misses files. (learn.microsoft.com)

Quick checklist: test a free filename tool (Everything/WizFile) for raw speed; try Agent Ransack/FileLocator Pro or DocFetcher for content; run apps as admin if a tool needs MFT access; install PDF/Office filters or OCR if content search misses files.

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Member Avatar for rproffitt

For me I've use the DIR command to find a file I misfiled. For some, "Everything" (an app you find with google) is the cat's meow.

Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

Definitely Everyrhing. Dir will find files but it is slow and not flexible. For example, try to find files with three particular strings but in any order. You'd have to do something like (using my files)

dir /s /b | grep -i adam | grep -i andrew | grep -i shebandowan

That will give me a list of all files containing the strings shown. Now I have al-most 88,000 files on my laptop so it takes some time to traverse the directory. On the other hand, I can bring up Everything and type the three strings in the search bar and it narrows the results list immediately while I type. I can also set the filter to show only picture files. If I press ALT-P then a preview panel is shown (like in Explorer) where I can preview the pictures by selecting them from the file list. Or I can display the results as icons (any size by using CTRL-Scroll). You can't do any of that with dir.

By the way, Everything is free (and it supports complex searches, even with regular expressions).

Edited by Reverend Jim
Member Avatar for pauladamsuk

I find that FindOnClick (from 2BrightSparks) is the best tool for quickly finding files

Member Avatar for Michael_67

Save the script below as Mysearch.bat then execute it .

::Search through current directory with prompt
:top
@echo off
cls
set a=
set /p a=Enter search string : 
dir /s  %a%*
goto top
Edited by Michael_67 because: Updated Code as a code
Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

Seems a lot less convenient than just typing

dir /s something*

and it only finds strings at the start of a file name. You'd either have to edit it to modify the type of search or create (and remember) multiple search command files.

Member Avatar for rproffitt

I see DIR getting a little bashing here so if I need speed I can do the DIR \ /s/b > dirtext.txt and then use search commands on the dirtext.txt file.

Yes that text file can get stale but you want speed, so there is a way to do this.

Edited by rproffitt because: Spelling
Member Avatar for Reverend Jim

I use dir frequently, however, dir must traverse whatever tree you are searching in order to give results whereas Everything maintains a (small) database (updated in real time by a service module) of all the files on the system (with the exception of folders specifically excluded in the user preferences). This can include removeable drives. If you have multiple drives and/or partitions, dir becomes unwieldy. I'm not bashing it. I have a car and a bike. Each is useful but I wouldn't use a bike to get to the cottage any more than I'd use the car to go to the corner store (bad weather notwithstanding).

Member Avatar for MadDogMark

I love Agent Ransack.

commented: I forgot about that one. +12
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