Unlike previous versions of Windows, the Vista
Instant Search feature located in the Start menu is much
more powerful and useful. When you enter in a search
term for Vista to search, it will not only search
for files and folders with that title, but it will
search the content within the files and folders for
relevance. Basically, you have a very powerful
search engine designed specifically for the content
on your hard drive.
When you install any version of Windows Vista on
your computer, Vista will automatically gather ALL
of the information that is on your hard drive and
place it in a special file called the "index" file.
This is how Vista can produce immediate results as
you start typing in the Search box.
What Instant Search does not index are system files or
application files. This would only prove helpful to
a person who wrote the program. It also will not
index other computer's information on the same
network. It would be the responsibility of that
separate computers Operating System to index this
data.
To use
the Instant Search feature at the Start Menu:
Click the Start button. You will see the Search box
at the bottom of the Start menu. You can now
immediately start using the search feature. Unlike a
typical search, this search will start searching as
you type. The more you type the more relevant the
results. Because Vista will search as you type,
there is no need to press Enter to display results.
Your results will be shown in 'real' time.
Once your have typed in your search term, you can
activate the program, file or folder you were
looking for by double clicking it or use your up or
down arrow keys on your keyboard to scroll the
search list. Once you have the item highlighted in
your list, simply press Enter on your keyboard to
activate it.
Instant
Search boxes show up in many different area's in
Windows Vista. Such as (but not limited to the
following):
-
Internet Explorer
-
Photo Gallery
-
Control Panel
-
Windows Mail
-
Windows Media Player
Once you are familiar with this Search feature, it
will become a valuable time saver for you. What I
like best is; most things on
my computer are only a couple of clicks away...and
once you get good at it, only seconds away.
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