Finding those elusive computer files

By: Don Edrington - North County Times | Sunday, March 12, 2006 8:59 PM PST ∞

As computer hard drives get larger and hold more data, finding things can become a challenge.

Here are some suggestions.

If you know the exact name of the file or folder you're seeking, use Start>Search/Find>All Files & Folders and type in the name. That usually does it.

If that doesn't work, check to be sure the "Look In:" field shows "Local Drive C," rather than a particular folder. If your PC has multiple drives, set "Look In:" to search them all. Also, be sure "Search Subfolders" is checked under "More Advanced Options."

Choosing a Search option such as Pictures or Documents can speed things up by narrowing the effort down to a particular file type. Indicating a time frame under "When Was It Modified?" can also speed up a search.

If you're unsure of a file's name, such as one like "IMG1011. JPG" assigned to a photo by your digital camera, choosing a time frame along with typing JPG into the "All or Part of a File Name" will narrow things down to a few pictures. WinXP users can then click View>Thumbnail to find the desired image.

In fact, using part of a file name often works better than typing in a whole name. For instance, if you're seeking a file named Massachusetts, misspelling the name can defeat the search. However, typing in MASS will find it. If this is an MSWord document, you could narrow the search by typing MASS*.DOC. The asterisk is a "wild card" that substitutes for the missing letters.

You could also limit the search to MSWord files by clicking More Advanced Options>Type of File>Microsoft Word Document.

If you think a file is inside a particular folder, you can right-click the folder and choose Search. Within a document you can find a word or phrase by clicking Edit>Find, or by doing Ctrl+F, and typing in the characters. This also works on Web pages.

Many text processing programs also have a "Find & Replace" option. If, for instance, you have a lengthy MSWord file in which Jane Doe is mentioned often, and later learn that her name is actually Jayne Doe, do Edit>Replace (or Ctrl+H) and type Jane into the "Find" box. Then type "Jayne" into the "Replace With" box and click "Replace All."

However, use caution with "Replace All." Changing John Black's last name to Block, for instance, could change words like "blackboard" to "Blockboard." Replacing "John Black" with "John Block" would preclude this problem.

When all else fails in locating a text document, use the "Word or Phrase in the File" option, under Start>Search>Files, etc. Type in a distinctive word, and all files containing that word will be found. A common word like, say, "building" could bring up dozens of files. However, if the file you're seeking mentions the Empire State Building, typing in the whole phrase ---- or just Empire ---- should narrow the search down considerably.

Other options to finding things on your PC are Google's Desktop Search and Picasa2, which can be freely downloaded at www.google.com.

Need more help? Check www.pcdon.com or call (949) 646-8615.