Search

Search Error for Windows XP

Error: "A file that is required to run Search Companion cannot be found. You may need to run setup".
OR Search does not work when not connected to the Internet.

Tools/Folder Options/View/Show Hidden Files and Folders/Apply, Ok. Right click: C:\Windows\Inf\Srchasst.inf. Click install. Or... Start/Run: regsvr32 %systemroot%\srchasst\srchui.dll.

A File That Is Required to Run Search Companion Cannot Be Found

Search Companion Error - Yellow Triangle [MVP Doug Knox]

Option 1. Depending on your version of TweakUI, run it, go to the Desktop settings and put the check mark back in Search Results.

Option 2. If you don't have TweakUI installed, or this option isn't available in your version, copy and paste the following lines into a Notepad file and save the file with an REG extension. Make sure to add a blank line at the end of the file.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\
{e17d4fc0-5564-11d1-83f2-00a0c90dc849}@="Search Results Folder"

Locate the file you just saved and double click it. Answer yes to the import prompt.

Option 3: If manually editing the Registry is not to your liking, visit the web site at www.dougknox.com and visit the Windows XP section. In Tweaks and Fixes, follow the link for Fix Windows XP Search (error) and follow the instructions.

Change Default Search Options

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer

Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = unselected, 1 = selected)

Modify the following values, setting them to "1" to select the parameter as a default or "0" as unselected.

CaseSensitive, IncludeSubFolders, SearchHidden , SearchSlowFiles , SearchSystemDirs . Restart or logoff Windows for the change to take effect.

Disable Search Assistant

Start/Run/Regedit
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState. In the right pane, look for or create a string value called: Use Search Asst set the value to: no

Search for Files "Containing Text" or using the "A word or phrase in the file" option.

Windows® XP has a known issue for not finding a number of File Types when you do a Search for Files "containing text" or using the "A word or phrase in the file" option. This can be remedied for many file types, but not all. The cause is the lack of a PersistentHandler value in the Registry for this type of file. Download the fix here.

Using the "A Word or Phrase in the File" Search Criterion May Not Work