# Why does Vista search suck so? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 17, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-vista-search-suck-so/503371 "2009-07-17T18:38:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-vista-search-suck-so/503371/1 "2009-07-17T18:38:45Z")
A freelance writing project I’m working will require extensive photogaphic references. I have about two thousand photographs on disc. Because I am very anal about keeping things properly categorized, I rarely have to do a search for them, but on the rare occasions I do, I notice that Windows Vista Search frequently is unable to find certain of them. For example: some of the pictures are of my client’s grandfather in his Army uniform. He served in both WWII & Korea. I happen to know that there are seven separate snapshots of him about to board ship to go overseas in the latter conflict. They are all consistently named–things like Grandpa Jones dock picture 1 (or 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7). But if I search for grandpa jones, it returns only pics 1, 6, & 7. I have reset the index and this still happens. Any idea on what Windows’ deal is? ---
**Author:** ![Discipline](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Discipline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discipline)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-vista-search-suck-so/503371/2 "2009-07-17T19:06:45Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > They are all consistently named–things like Grandpa Jones dock picture 1 (or 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7). But if I search for grandpa jones, it returns only pics 1, 6, & 7. > > I have reset the index and this still happens. Any idea on what Windows’ deal is? Is it searching extended file properties, rather than filename? What do you get if you search for “dock picture”? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-vista-search-suck-so/503371/3 "2009-07-17T20:59:27Z")
> [@Discipline](#): > > Is it searching extended file properties, rather than filename? What do you get if you search for “dock picture”? If I do a Windows-Key + F search (or search through the Start key, or thru the search feature on an Explorer window) variation of the file name, I only get the three or four iterations out the seven. If I open up Windows Photo Gallery and search thusly, I get all variations. These are not the only files I have seen this issue with, just the one I was most quickly able to confirm the problem. It’s not a huge deal because I’m so anal about keeping everything in the proper file folder, but I’m still annoyed. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-vista-search-suck-so/503371/4 "2009-07-17T21:23:30Z")
Are you sure the folders are being indexed? You might have them set to be excluded for some reason. Are they plain old JPEGs or something exotic? Try opening up the options menu and see if your settings are excluding them. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-vista-search-suck-so/503371/5 "2009-07-17T21:33:00Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Are you sure the folders are being indexed? You might have them set to be excluded for some reason. Are they plain old JPEGs or something exotic? > > Try opening up the options menu and see if your settings are excluding them. I thought of that long ago. On my machine, Vista search will miss some files in a folder while finding others; this makes me suspicious of all seearches. For instance: I have a folder dedicated to pictures taken by my stepdaughter; its name is _Cinderella the Rhymer_ portfolio. One of the subfolders there is pictures of my wife; that’s entitled _Kim the Rhymer_ gallery. These are all named according to a consistent theme: things like "kim\_the\_rhymer\_01 (lady godiva).jpg. Windows Explorer says that there are 126 pictures in that folder; likewise Photo Gallery (which is just a specialized view of Explorer anyway, if I recall aright). But if I do a Vista Search for "kim\_the\_rhymer’ it returns only 75 pictures. If I do a seach for “kim godiva” it returns 6 out f the 12 that actually exist.