Windows 10 Start Search is Hopeless

[B1scu1T]

I know this is probably reported elsewhere, but seriously Microsoft, how are you so useless that windows cant even find microsofts own software?

 

 

[keskparane]

Did you ask it to search documents?

Ok I see that also wouldn't work unless you have added the search location.

I guess they don't expect most people to be using that search method for files on the system.

[Master Disaster]

28 minutes ago, B1scu1T said:

I know this is probably reported elsewhere, but seriously Microsoft, how are you so useless that windows cant even find microsofts own software?

 

 

That's hilarious, it found the installer but not the installed application LOL

[Princess Luna]

That's because you're using Cortana to search for you which is useless indeed, if it bothers you enough I suggest Classic Shell so you can return the start menu to windows 7 functionality which re-enables the old Windows Search Bar which is 10 times superior.

 

I even killed Cortana afterwards as I have no use for its functionality.

[B1scu1T]

5 minutes ago, Princess Cadence said:

That's because you're using Cortana to search for you which is useless indeed, if it bothers you enough I suggest Classic Shell so you can return the start menu to windows 7 functionality which re-enables the old Windows Search Bar which is 10 times superior.

 

I even killed Cortana afterwards as I have no use for its functionality.

Yeah I was hoping to avoid it in this iteration of windows, but its really starting to grind my gears how utterly useless it is.

In windows 8 it was pretty annoying with the fullscreen non-sense, now they're like "ok, have your start menu, but we're not going to make it work"

 

Oh and I just checked, it doesnt find ANY office applications. I guess the issue is probably resolvable and due to the way i installed it or something (although I just used the office 365 installer...) but this NEVER happened with Spotlight on my Macbook. Lot of things I dont like about MacOS, but spotlight is fricken awesome.

[Barnack]

As Princess Cadence said, Classic shell for the win. Windows 10 with classic shell's start menu feels great

[GoodBytes]

If the shortcut does not exists in the Start menu (as you removed it), then it won't show.

If you want your program to show when you search, the program shortcut must be in:

All users:

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

 

Your account only:

C:\Users\<account name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

 

Start Menu does NOT search through your the actual installed programs files.If it did, pretty much anything you search will get you .dll files, especially if you have a lot of games and programs installed.

 

If it fails to find anything to show as top results, in the Start Menu, then it will display the best match it can find, then it will show results from your Downloads folders, then it will search through your documents, then it will show Store results, and finally web results.

[homeap5]

I really don't want to Windows search every file when i type something in start menu search!

When I want to find a FILE, I'm using filemanager with find file funciton. Even built-in "Explorer" has find option - for files!

When i want to find program in Start Menu - I'm using search option in start menu. Why should I slow down that search by any other process?

 

Let's see - I want to find Notepad quickly in Start Menu. I have 6 drives (4 HDD and 2 SSD) - about 10 TB total with thousand of files, projects, work files etc. So - how many results it will be if I even start to type "note..."? And all I want is to run "Notepad" quickly using start menu search (for example).

[B1scu1T]

1 hour ago, GoodBytes said:

If the shortcut does not exists in the Start menu (as you removed it), then it won't show.

If you want your program to show when you search, the program shortcut must be in:

Well it doesnt exist in the start menu, but thats not as a result of me removing it (I haven't), it's as a result of Microsoft being terrible.

12 minutes ago, homeap5 said:

I really don't want to Windows search every file when i type something in start menu search!

When I want to find a FILE, I'm using filemanager with find file funciton. Even built-in "Explorer" has find option - for files!

When i want to find program in Start Menu - I'm using search option in start menu. Why should I slow down that search by any other process?

 

Let's see - I want to find Notepad quickly in Start Menu. I have 6 drives (4 HDD and 2 SSD) - about 10 TB total with thousand of files, projects, work files etc. So - how many results it will be if I even start to type "note..."?

That's what indexing is for. If you search in Start, obviously it starts the search in start, but if you dont click anything it should keep looking or you keep typing and narrow down the parameters, Searching shouldnt slow down any process significantly in a modern OS on a modern CPU with modern storage systems, regardless of how much data is on it. An index is just like big spreadsheet (essentially), its not like windows is opening every single folder in the background and looking at every file name with a monocle.

 

You guys REALLY dont need to defend microsoft here. Windows search functionality is garbage.

[GoodBytes]

29 minutes ago, B1scu1T said:

Well it doesnt exist in the start menu, but thats not as a result of me removing it (I haven't), it's as a result of Microsoft being terrible.

No, its you. I can assure you that.

Whether you have done it intentional or not, or used a program to do things (Start Menu cleaner. I know CCleaner has one, in one of the checkbox... so maybe?!), or another user on your PC, I don't know.... but Visio setup creates a shortcut on the start menu. If you have random data loss, than perhaps you should check your RAM and SSD/HDD. But if you genuinely did nothing, all I can think about (not saying you did, just brain storming) is that: a setup of Visio program that is not genuine and the modification done to it broke the start menu shortcut creation (or it was redone and the pirate forgot to add the code to create it), OR you didn't re-install Visio and just transfered it from a past Windows install... but again, this is just brain storming.

 

Quote

That's what indexing is for. If you search in Start, obviously it starts the search in start, but if you dont click anything it should keep looking or you keep typing and narrow down the parameters, Searching shouldnt slow down any process significantly in a modern OS on a modern CPU with modern storage systems, regardless of how much data is on it. An index is just like big spreadsheet (essentially), its not like windows is opening every single folder in the background and looking at every file name with a monocle.

If you want the start menu to search all your files, simply add the folders to the Search Indexer.

Only Windows folder search will search past the indexing.

 

 

Quote

You guys REALLY dont need to defend microsoft here. Windows search functionality is garbage.

There is no defending... this is how it works. It has been documented when it was introduced in Vista. Nothing has changed, beside web search and layout.

 

Might as well go, "Darn my car broke down... STUPID WINDOWS 10 SEARCH!!!!!" , hehe at least from my perspective.

 

[B1scu1T]

16 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

No, its you. I can assure you that.

Whether you have done it intentional or not, or used a program to do things (Start Menu cleaner?), or another user on your PC, I don't know.... but Visio setup creates a shortcut on the start menu. If you have random data loss, than perhaps you should check your RAM and SSD/HDD. But if you genuinely did nothing, all I can think about (not saying you did, just brain storming) is that: a setup of Visio program that is not genuine and the modification done to it broke the start menu shortcut creation (or it was redone and the pirate forgot to add the code to create it), OR you didn't re-install Visio and just transfered it from a past Windows install... but again, this is just brain storming.

 

No it wasn't me, or any additional software to manage start (there isn't any) or any other users (there aren't any). You cant assure me of anything at all unless you're somehow able to analyse everything my laptop has done since I received it earlier this year, which you can't.

I already explained that it was installed by the office 365 installer, so I think its pretty obvious that pirated software is not on the cards here.

 

The reality is It was probably never added by the Microsoft installer or broken with a windows update... both entirely reasonable explanations given how bad Microsoft's QA has been in recent years.

 

My point here wasn't for someone to come and explain why it isn't working. I was fully aware (and stated early on) that it's probably easily resolvable, I really dont need help in searching on Google for solutions. The point is that I have to put the effort into resolving it because:

A. The search function is trash, largely due to trying to integrate with Cortana as far as I can tell.

B. Windows 10 (and 8/8.1) has far too many regressions over Win7 for my liking.

C. Microsoft's own software doesnt install itself properly

D. Other operating systems do this a LOT better

 

 

[GoodBytes]

9 minutes ago, B1scu1T said:

No it wasn't me, or any additional software to manage start (there isn't any) or any other users (there aren't any). You cant assure me of anything at all unless you're somehow able to analyse everything my laptop has done since I received it earlier this year, which you can't.

I already explained that it was installed by the office 365 installer, so I think its pretty obvious that pirated software is not on the cards here.

 

The reality is It was probably never added by the Microsoft installer or broken with a windows update... both entirely reasonable explanations given how bad Microsoft's QA has been in recent years.

 

My point here wasn't for someone to come and explain why it isn't working. I was fully aware (and stated early on) that it's probably easily resolvable, I really dont need help in searching on Google for solutions. The point is that I have to put the effort into resolving it because:

A. The search function is trash, largely due to trying to integrate with Cortana as far as I can tell.

B. Windows 10 (and 8/8.1) has far too many regressions over Win7 for my liking.

C. Microsoft's own software doesnt install itself properly

D. Other operating systems do this a LOT better

 

 

Sigh.... so switch OS, and stop complaining!

[B1scu1T]

1 minute ago, GoodBytes said:

Sigh.... so switch OS, and stop complaining!

...Visio

[GoodBytes]

7 minutes ago, B1scu1T said:

...Visio

1. They are alternatives, some free or cheaper, and better at doing some things and available for other OSs
2. You ask for help... as you posted this on the forum.. you get help, and explanation on how it works. Yet you fight with us.
3. If you just want to complain, then post it as a Satus update or something, and/or use the Feedback Hub app in Windows so that Microsoft reads your issue. I can assure you no Microsoft employee is on this forum.

Anyway....

[B1scu1T]

24 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

1. They are alternatives, some free or cheaper, and better at doing some things and available for other OSs
2. You ask for help... as you posted this on the forum.. you get help, and explanation on how it works. Yet you fight with us.
3. If you just want to complain, then post it as a Satus update or something, and/or use the Feedback Hub app in Windows so that Microsoft reads your issue. I can assure you no Microsoft employee is on this forum.

1. Honestly, I have tried most, if not all of the better rated ones... none of them are any really any good for my use case. Coupled with the fact that most (if not all) colleagues use Visio, you end up wasting more time than its worth learning how to do things a slightly different way to achieve the same goals, only for someone to ask for the original which I'm then not able to provide in any meaningful format.

2. Didnt ask for help, was just posting a picture of a common bad experience for the luls/so we can have a giggle about how bad Microsoft have become when it gets down to the basics. I'm only fighting with you due to the condescending, "it was you, I can assure you" comment.

3. Not interested in discussing it with Microsoft as I'm fully aware they would say essentially the same thing you have just said. There is already many cases on microsofts own support forums related to these kind of issues anyway.

 

I would happily switch away from Windows if I could, but my biggest client, and a couple of my smaller clients, all use Windows only software. Couple that with the affor mentioned visio issue, tag in AutoCAD (although draftsight is pretty good and there is a MacOS version of AutoCAD now) and switching over simply doesn't make sense. As you might have gathered from a previous comment, I did used to own a MBP so I made a conscious decision to use windows for a good reason (other than the fact I got better specs and some up-gradability for less money), and my point here is that MacOS file system/search utterly creams Windows in this respect. There is a lot of things it also does badly (The mess that "the library" can become, for example, or the way applications store media).

[GoodBytes]

 

3 minutes ago, B1scu1T said:

2. Didnt ask for help, was just posting a picture of a common bad experience for the luls/so we can have a giggle about how bad Microsoft have become when it gets down to the basics. I'm only fighting with you due to the condescending, "it was you, I can assure you" comment.

Ok, so then, in the future, post in status update.

 

[homeap5]

I really don't understand why most of users can:

- install different video player (than built-in Microsoft),

- install different audio player,

- install different image viewer,

- install different browser

 

but they can't:

- install different START menu (for Windows 8 users),

- install different search tool (many options),

- install different partition manager,

- install different filemanager (instead of complain about Explorer)

etc.

 

Somehow Microsoft MUST write some tools while others can be installed by users. Ok, about filemanagers - still there are power-users who use something better, but rest of tools are like I described.

 

After I read this post, I check and even try one of file search tools - MasterSeeker. I was surprised how fast it indexes everything! But of course it's not Microsoft tool, so "f*** off Microsoft, your system sucks".

[Ashleyyyy]

yeah spotlight in macOS is so much better than Windows 10's search... i just don't bother searching for stuff in Windows 10 anymore because often it's just a waste of time because manually opening the file is faster than having the search fail...