Search Command in Windows XP

I can't find a way of getting Windows XP Search Command to recognize WordPerfect files on my hanrd disk. Is there a way of specifying which file-extensions the command recognizes?

 

In the search window, right below the "Look In" field, click on "More advanced options" and put a check mark in "Search subfolders "...and any other options you like.

 

J L A,

I have Word Perfect 10 on my XP system and just tried a search that brought up my documents. Type in *.wpd and hit search. It at least brought up my files for WP.

Mike

 

Many thanks. From first using Windows XP a month ago I've had "Search sub-folders" checked, but to no avail. Entering *.wpd as "part of file name" does no good. Even searching against obvious words such as "the" when "part of file name" is explicitly declared to be *.wpd makes no difference.

If I search against a specific word such as "about" in general, without specifying any parameters, it's detected with extensions such as .doc, .txt and .rtf, but not with the extension .wpd. If I search for the word "about" explicitly entering any of those extensions except .wpd, results are immediately forthcoming.

More than 90% of my files are .wpd., and I had no trouble detecting them with the "Find" command under older versions of Windows. Microsoft have not made it easy for WordPerfect users to work intuitively with Windows XP. I somertimes wonder whether "Search" is deliberately blind to .wpd files.


I have WordPerfect files on hard disk dating from the old Orem days right up to WordPerfect 11 and none of them shows up in response to "Search ", so it's not a problem only with recent WP 11 files.

I stumbled across a department of Windows XP that (as I remember) listed the file extensions the command "Search" responded to, and, as I recall, there was provision for adding and deleting the selected extensions, but I can't re-trace my steps.

Does that ring a bell with anyone?

 

Many thanks. I've tried AgentRansack and have also downloaded and tried File Locator Pro with a view to trying it and buying it, but neither seems to give me what I want.

The GUI of File Locator Pro seems positively user-hostile.

What I'm primarily after is the ability to search (all or given) folders and files for occurrences of given, very explicit, strings or strings defined by the use of wild cards. If the program can accommodate plurals, and quotation marks, completely automatically, and following commas and periods (very common occurrences), then I should be very happy indeed.

It seems to me that this sort of requirement is a very common one. I wonder why it's proving so difficult to achieve what is, after all, quite a modest standard of performance.

Microsoft's transition from "Find" to "Search" is surely very difficult to justify. So far, I haven't seen any attempt at justifying it. If a program or applet ain't broke, don't fix it.

There's no way a user can quiz Microsoft on matters such as this.

We're left to the kindness and courtesy of fellow BBS subscribers.

My thanks to all of you who've made suggestions. Keep 'em coming!

 

Search

Have you tried control panel/folder options/new??

 

If I understand correctly what you want, Agent Ransack will do all that you specified. You may need to run the 'expressions' wizard and for that you have to change from the default setting (in options) of DOS Expression to Regular Expression.

 

Bless you, Tom F!

I've tried that. I get the response "Extension .wpd is already associated with File Type WordPerfect 11 Document. Do you want, &c, &c? "

But, in fact, it isn't.

Somehow, "Search" is flawed. It's not behaving, as regards .wpd documents, as it does for other extensions.

But that's not going to drive me into the arms of Microsoft Word. WordPerfect might well be virtually obsolete, but it's still an infinitely better word-processing program than any version of Word to date.

Thanks, anyhow, Tom F, for your contribution.

____________________________________________________

 

Thank you, Newt. I'll try Agent Ransack again.

 

Yes, Agent Ransack detects .wpd files! Many thanks all round.

The read-out pane gives text that's heavily sprinkled with WordPerfect codes, but QuickView Plus reads the searched-for and surrounding text with ease, and clicking on the file loads it directly into WordfPerfect 11.

The Wizards in Agent Ransack are particularly helpful.

My best thanks once again!

 

I just created a .wpd document with 602Pro and searched for a string with Agent Ransack (filename: *.wpd, "Containing text" box checked).

It found the string easily.

EDIT
I was a day late, but glad you got it solved

 

Thanks very much for your message.

I don't know whether it's ever safe to editorialize on BBSs, but I can't help wondering why "Search" in Windows XP should be blind to WordPerfect files ---and perhaps to other file extensions, too.

Evidently, somebody one day said, "We're not going to include files with the extension .wpd in the range of files our search-engine is going to notice ".

***Who*** was it?

What is it that makes software writers and their bosses
make decisions of that sort|? Who gains?

I pose these questions. I have the answers. But I don't want to wipe the "Welcome" off the mat at the door of this BBS.

 

this has been a problem ever since XP was released. Then, an update was released.
Content Search Does Not Search All File Types for the Specified String

I don't see .wpd in the list. In any case, it should have addressed all file types.

 

Abraxas pin-points the Microsoft Q item I stumbled on recently but couldn't retrieve. Many thanks.

The documentation referred to at

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;309447&Product=winxp

gives an explanation of sorts of why certain file-types are ignored by the "Search" facility in Windows XP whereas those same file-types were noticed in earlier versions of Windows.

As far as I can see, there is no way of remedying Microsoft's decision to exclude file-types with the extension .wpd from the ambit of "Search "

I shall refer the issue to Corel to see whether they have taken up this issue themselves.

Is this yet another instance of Microsoft's abusing its quasi-monopoly position to nobble the opposition? WordPerfect was once the world's premier word-processing program. Netscape was once the white hope among the browsers.

Where are they now?