Search Files for Text

H

Hayden Jones

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Joined
Dec 23, 2011
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6
I'll try not to rant. This used to be easy. Now it's not. I went to Server Manager. I added the File Services Role. I installed the Windows Server 2003 File Serices and the Indexing Service. I rebooted. The Indexing Service is running. I checked "Always search file names and contents" in the search options. Searches for a folder containing files with the searched-for text fail.

Some similar threads talk about enabling disks for indexing. I don't know how to do that. There's a whole lot of stuff out there about adding folders to libraries and somehow enabling indexing on them but (say what?) - hey - there's got to be an easy way to do this. No? I know I can download and install free stuff that's easier and faster than the Microsoft stuff, but I'm in an enterprise environment. I'm not going to abuse my admin rights and tick off the OS admin dudes by wasting their server.
 
Go to CONTROL PANEL, there is INDEXING OPTIONS. From there, you can add paths to index. Pay attention, do not add too much path.
 
I'm working on two servers (at the moment).
On the one that is WindowsVersion 6.0(6002) the search has magically started working since Chrismas.
No reboot was done since I set up the indexing stuff. And the "Advanced Search" option shows up and all is lovely.
This server is VMware.

On the other that is WindowsVersion 6.1(7601) the INDEXING OPTIONS do not
show up in control panel and the search does not work even though the role and indexing
service seem to be set up in the same way as the other server. This server was rebooted. It is VMware also.

I am a DBA and work on many different servers. Perhaps the Windows OS Admins should have set all this
up for me. Maybe that's not their job. Certainly, though, I should not have to jump through all these hoops (and different hoops for each flavor of
the OS) just to look for stuff. Is there no easy way to set this up? .... If not a thoughtfully Microsoft-provided user interface,
then a powershell or vbs script perhaps? Sorry. I promised not to rant, but I couldn't help myself.
 
To manage Indexing service, follow these steps (from MS's website):
  1. Click Start, click Run, type mmc, and then press ENTER.
  2. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in.
  3. In the Available snap-ins list, click Indexing Service, and then click Add.
  4. In the Connect to Computer dialog box, click Local computer: (the computer this console is running on), and then click Finish.
  5. To close the Add or Remove Snap-ins dialog box, click OK. The console displays the Indexing Service snap-in.

Then, open a command prompt and type:
sc queryex WSearch

then

sc interrogate WSearch


And post results.

thanks
 
Thanks for the detailed instructions. The snap-in process went well, except that there was no "Finish" to click on, so I just added the snap-in, selected local-computer and clicked on OK.
The next step (sc queryex WSearch) failed.

C:\......>sc queryex WSearch
[SC] EnumQueryServicesStatus:OpenService FAILED 1060:
The specified service does not exist as an installed service.
 
mhhh that's no gooood.

Try the following steps:

from cmd:

net stop WSearch && net start WSearch

I think you will have the error: "not found" but... try it.

Then open services.msc and look for Windows Search, is it present? What's its status?

If you can't find anything, remove the indexing role and re-add.
 
Got the error. Windows Search Service was not there. Removed File Services Role.
Rebooted. Added the role and the indexing service. Rebooted. Still no Windows Search
service. Searches still fail.
 
Ok, try this (and hope that this will fix your problem):

  1. Go to the Start menu, type services.msc and press the Enter key;
  2. Make sure the Windows Search service set to Automatic startup mode;
  3. Go to the Start menu, type regedit and press Enter;
  4. Go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search;
  5. Change the value of SetupCompletedSuccessfully to 0 (if not, create it);
  6. Restart your computer;
  7. Start Microsoft Outlook.
 
But there is no Windows Search Service. That seems to be the problem. It appears that you can
install Windows Search Service OR you can install (Windows 2003 File Services AND Indexing Service).
Can't have it all.

The latter option is what I have been trying. That doesn't seem to do anything. So I uninstalled the
(Windows 2003 File Services AND Indexing Service), rebooted, Installed Windows Search Service, and rebooted.
That is now working on the 2008 R2 WindowsVersion 6.1(7601) server.

The other server where the search magically started working after Christmas is a mess. But I won't complain
because the search is working. The reason I say it's a mess is that ALL of the search and file services are listed
in Server Manager as UNINSTALLED. But Windows Search Service exists and is up and running. I think it will take a reboot
to sort out what is and is not there. I'll wait for the next patch cycle to sort that out (production box - can't just recycle it at will).

Thanks for babysitting me through this.
 
Maybe I'm wrong, but Windows Search and Indexing are not the same thing. You can install the "plug-in" Windows Search, but Indexing service is a role...

Mhhh this is not the first time that I hear about a problem like this (service installed but they appear to be uninstalled)...
 
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