Troubleshoot finding files - Access - Microsoft Office Online

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Troubleshoot finding files

Applies to: Microsoft Office Access 2003, Excel 2003, Outlook 2003, PowerPoint 2003, Publisher 2003, Word 2003

Show It takes a long time to search for files.

You may need to enable fast searching. The Basic File Search task pane (task pane: A window within an Office application that provides commonly used commands. Its location and small size allow you to use these commands while still working on your files.) displays a note if fast searching is enabled or disabled. If fast searching isn't enabled, click the Search options link in the Basic File Search task pane, and then in the Indexing Service Settings dialog, make sure that Yes, enable Indexing Service and run when my computer is idle is selected.

Show I can't save a search query.

You cannot save search queries in Microsoft Office 2003. However, the File Search task pane will display your most recent query.

Show I know a file is on a drive or Web folder, but File Search doesn't find it.

The current search may specify the correct location of the file, but other criteria might exclude the file you're looking for. Try the following:

Enter search criteria again in the Advanced File Search task pane.
Make sure all files are included in the search. In the Results should be box, click Anything.
Make sure subfolders are included in the search. In the Search in box, click Everywhere, or review your folder selections.
Make sure the file type you are searching for isn't hidden. To learn how to display all files, including those with extensions such as .dll and .sys, see Microsoft Windows Help.

Show The wrong files appear after I do a search.

The index may be out of date on the computer you are searching. For help on updating the index, click the Search options link in the Basic File Search task pane, and then click Help to see Indexing Service Help.

Show I can't search some of my Web folders.

Not all types of Web folders support searching from Microsoft Office. However, if your Web folder is a Web site based on Windows SharePoint Services from Microsoft on your local network, or is on a Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server, or points to a file share where Indexing Service is installed, you can search it.

Show I can't search for a specific file type.

If you are searching for an Office file, such as a Microsoft Word or Excel file, make sure the Office file type you want is selected in the Results should be field of the File Search task pane. To search for a file type not listed, click Anything.

Show I am having trouble using natural language search.

Here are some things to keep in mind to improve your results with natural language searching:

Are you searching a public folder? Natural language searching is not supported in Outlook public folders.
Is your natural language search text ambiguous? For example, in a search it may be unclear whether "Monday" is a person's last name or a day.
Outlook may not know some things that you expect it to. For instance, the following search text fails because Outlook does not keep track of team roles: "All mail from my manager."
You may be including "and" or "or" in your query in a way that is not supported. For example, the following query will work: "E-mail from Emma or Bob." The following query will not work: "E-mail from Wei or about sales forecasts." In general, use "or" or "and" to separate possible values of a field.
You may be including "not" in your natural language search in a way that is not supported. "Not" is only recommended in a natural language search when it is part of a property name, as in "All e-mail items that are not read." Natural language search does not work well on general "not" clauses, such as "E-mail not from Marie."