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Faster search for Vista and Windows 7

August 22, 2010
Updated: April 14, 2022
Quick overview:

The Windows search index in Vista and Windows 7 finds files, e-mails, contacts, system control entries or appointments within a few seconds:

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However, only data stored in the user directory (e.g. "C:UsersSandro Villinger") is recorded. Searching in other folders, for example on an external hard disk, is noticeably slower. In this case, Windows does not have to use the fast index, but has to "manually" search the hard disk itself. Find out here how you can add ALL your storage locations to the Windows search service in no time at all and thus search (and find!) everywhere quickly:

Open the "Control Panel" and enter the term "Indexing" in the search field. Then click on "Indexing options". Click on "Change" at the bottom and select all storage locations that should be found more quickly in future.

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Note: If you have less than 1 GB of RAM, you should be careful! The larger the index, the higher the memory load. In tests I have carried out, this amounts to less than 100 MByte with Windows 7, even with a larger index, but this can be higher with Vista! Therefore, always pay attention to the consumption of "SearchIndexer.exe", which is responsible for the search service: To do this, right-click on the taskbar, select "Start Task Manager" and then "Processes". Pay attention to the consumption of the file here:

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Founded Windows Tweaks as a teenager in the 90s. His helpful PC tricks made it Germany's most visited Windows site (at the time Sandro looked like this). He then went on to write elsewhere, for example for PC-Praxis, Computer Bild and PCWorld in the USA. Microsoft also poached him from us. Now Sandro is back, finally sharing his tweaks here again. For a stress-free digital everyday life. You can reach Sandro via e-mail.

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