1. Searching for Information
Tutorial 6
Microsoft Windows XP
Searching for Information
New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP

2. New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP
Search Strategies
As you install programs and store data on your computer, the number of files and folders you have increases
Use the Search tool to find any kind of file
The Search tool provides many options that help you define and narrow your search so you can quickly find one or more files
The Search Companion in Windows XP guides you through your search, offering options that change depending on your search strategy
New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP

3. New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP
Search Strategies
Search by:
Filename: provide all or part of the filename
Keyword: provide text that appears in the file’s content
Location: identify the drive or folder containing the file
Date: specify a date or range of dates when files were created, modified, or accessed
Size: specify the size of the files
Type: identify the file type, such as .doc or .bmp
New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP

4. The Search Companion Pane in the Search Results Window
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5. Search Companion Options
Search options:
Pictures, music, or video
Documents (word processing, spreadsheets, etc.)
All files and folders
Computers or people
Information in Help and Support Center
Search the Internet
Change Preferences
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6. New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP
Search Criteria
All or part of the filename
A word or phrase in the file
Look in
When was it modified?
What size is it?
More advanced options
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7. Searching for a File by Name and Location
Any letter or words you type to define the search are called a search string.
Effective search strings
Use the root of your search word as your criterion
Topic: education
Search string: “educ”
Finds: education, educational issues, educators, etc.
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8. Searching for a File by Name
Click the Start button and then click Search
In the Search Companion, click All files and folders
In the All or part of the filename text box, type the complete filename or a word or phrase the filename contains
Click the Look in lost arrow, and then click the drive or folder you want to search, or click My Computer to select all the drives on your computer
Click the Search button in the Search Companion pane
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9. Searching for a File by Name
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10. Opening a File Located by Search
Double-click the file you wish to open in the right pane of the Search Results window
New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP

11. New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP
Using Wildcards
Wildcards are characters hat you can substitute for all or part of a filename in a search string
Search recognizes two wildcards
The asterisk wildcard stands in place of any number of consecutive characters in a filename
The question mark is used to select files when one character in the filename varies
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12. Finding Files by Keyword
A keyword is a search string contained anywhere in a file
The Search Companion searches through the entire text of every file to find the keyword
Searching by keyword can be time-consuming
You can speed the search process by using the Indexing Service to index a disk
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13. Searching for Files in a Specific Folder
Start Search and then click All files and folders in the Search Companion pane
Click the Look in list arrow
Click Browse at the bottom of the list
In the Browse for Folder dialog box, click the plus box next to the drive containing the folder you want to search
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14. Searching for Files in a Specific Folder
If the folder is in the root directory of the drive, click the folder icon. If the folder is a subfolder, navigate to the appropriate folder
Click OK and then click the Search button in the Search Companion pane
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15. New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP
Refining a Search
You can locate a file using criteria other than the filename or contents
By Date
By Type
By Size
Using Multiple Criteria
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16. Saving Search Settings
In the Search Results window, click File on the menu bar, and then click Save Search
Click the Save in list arrow, and then select the location you wish to save to
In the File name text box, type the name you wish to save your search as, and then click the Save button
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17. Searching for Information on the Internet
A search service is a Web site that helps you find information on the Internet
A search engine searches through Internet documents and compiles a list of Web pages
MSN
Yahoo
Google
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18. Popular Search Services
AltaVista
Ask Jeeves
Direct Hit
Google
HotBot
MSN
Northern Light
Yahoo!
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19. Searching for Web Pages with the Search Companion
Make sure you are connected to the Internet
Click the Start button on the taskbar, and then click Search. In the Search Companion pane, click Search the Internet
In the Search Companion pane text box, type the text you wish to search for and then click the Search button
New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP

20. Searching for Web Pages with the Search Companion
New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP

21. Searching for People on the Internet
You can also use the Search tool to search for information on the Internet about specific people
Click the Start button on the taskbar, and then click Search
In the Search Companion pane, click Search the Internet, type find a person’s address in the What are you looking for? text box, and then click the Search button
New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP

22. Searching for People on the Internet
In the Search Companion pane, click Find contact information for a person
Fill in the person’s first name, last name, city, and state, and then click the Search button
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23. Searching for People on the Internet
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24. New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP
Searching for a Map
Start the Search tool and then click Search the Internet
In the Search Companion, type find a map and then click the Search button
In the Search Companion pane, click Find a map of a place
Enter your address, city, and country in the appropriate text boxes
Click the Search button
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25. New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP
Searching for a Map
New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP

26. Changing Search Preferences
You can customize the way the Search tool finds information and the appearance of the Search Companion pane itself
Another feature you can customize is the search engine the Search tool uses to search the Internet
To change search preferences, click the Start button on the taskbar, and then click Search
In the Search Companion pane, click Change preferences
New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP

27. Changing Search Preferences
New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP

28. Search Preference Options
With or without an animated screen character
With a different character
With or without the Indexing Service
Change files and folders search behavior
Change Internet search behavior
Show or don’t show balloon tips
Turn AutoComplete off or on
New Perspectives on Microsoft Windows XP