CNET Editors' review
The built-in Windows search tool can stand improvement. Fortunately, excellent third-party tools like NirSoft's SearchMyFiles can pick up the slack. It's a free search tool that improves on the standard Windows process. It can search by file attributes, content, and size,; by the time a file was last modified, created, or accessed; or by wild-card searches. You can create extremely specific and accurate searches, such as every file created in the previous five minutes that is over 400KB. You can copy your search results to the clipboard and save them as text, html, csv, or xml files. It's completely portable, too; you can host it on a USB drive, search a computer, and remove it without leaving a trace in the Registry.
SearchMyFiles downloads as zip file but runs without installing. It opens with two dialogs: Search Options, in which you configure searches, and the main window, which displays results and contains the file menu and other basic settings. The Help file links to the developer's Web site for further information, but an extensive user's manual is included with the download. However, the program is easy enough to use as is, despite its extensive options. You simply specify a standard search or the extremely handy duplicates search, which folders to search or exclude, and other attributes. SearchMyFiles does the rest.
SearchMyFiles is freeware, and it works in all versions of Windows, from 2000 to 7. The latest version adds a Start Search command-line option for initiating searches without displaying the Search Options window.
Publisher's Description
From NirSoft Freeware:
SearchMyFiles is an alternative to the standard "search for files and folders" module of Windows. It allows you to easily search files in your system by wildcard, by last modified, created, or last accessed time, by file attributes, by file content (text or binary search), and by the file size. SearchMyFiles allows you to make a very accurate search that cannot be done with Windows search.
For Example: You can search all files created in the last 10 minutes with size between 500 and 700 bytes. After you made a search, you can select one or more files, and save the list into text, HTML, CSV, or XML file, or copy the list to the clipboard. SearchMyFiles is portable, and you can use it from a USB flash drive without leaving traces in the Registry of the scanned computer.
What's new in this version: Version 2.05 added 'Close Options Window On Search Start' option.
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All versions:
3.7 starsout of 15 votes
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Current version:
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My rating:
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"Finally I found a decent search add-on for Windows 7"
Version: SearchMyFiles 1.76
Pros
The default Windows 7 search sucks. Probably Microsoft thought that they were simplifying search for morons. But if you want to search like in old Windows 98, and even more powerful, this is the right tool.
Cons
There's always someting more that you would like to see or not...
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"Much too complicated"
Version: SearchMyFiles 1.70
Pros
Perhaps OK for real techies
Cons
No real instructions on how to use it
Summary
I uninstalled the program as it was just TOO complicated!
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"only did searches on my desktop"
Version: SearchMyFiles 1.70
Pros
can't think of any.
Cons
only searched my desktop
Summary
I need a better file searcher than the one on Windows 7. This wasn't it.
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"Software too complex for its services"
Version: SearchMyFiles 1.65
Pros
Not many things
Cons
Program too complicated, slow, few options available
Summary
There are better solution out there.
I like "ultra file search portable edition" vers. 1.0.4 -
"When you really want to find your files."
Version: SearchMyFiles 1.55
Pros
SearchMyFiles is a simple file (and file content) search with a clean interface and all of the options you need. It finds the files that Windows 7 and other indexing type search programs won't.
Cons
Needs Explorer context menu when right clicking files. I see that is on the to do list.
Not easy to tell which results go with which search when I have multiple searches going on...not a big deal.Summary
If I hadn't found this I was about to start writing my own. This utility is almost exactly what I had in my head.
The search form is brilliantly simple with the options in your face, and laid out in a way that follow the way you would think about searching.
There is no install which I prefer so that I can easily add it to my utilities folder.
Thoughts: The build in Windows 7 search is absolutely useless to anyone who works outside of a standard office & document type environment. I have tried every indexing and folder option available, and it simply will not find unknown file extensions containing specified text even though I know it is there. I'm spinning my wheels if I cannot search my code and data files with confidence. There are many forums and topics covering this subject. -
"More options than Windows 7 search"
Version: SearchMyFiles 1.55
Pros
SearchMyFiles has the options I wanted and more, and the price is very good (free). It has a duplicates search option, can look for text, and has detailed time options. It makes a config file to remember settings. Saves results to a file. Wow.
Cons
Maybe not for novices. Does not make a right-click context search option in Windows Explorer.
Summary
Straight-forward and functional. Does not care about indexing. Does not install or consume resources. Free. What's not to like?
I did not try the Help system, but did not need to. The zip file comes with 3 files, the executable, help, and readme. A config file is added during the first use.
The readme file mentions possible future improvements, so the author is aware of more things that can be improved than I would have thought to suggest.
The program works with two separate windows, a search criteria window and a results window. And even though the program does not need Windows Explorer to get results, it does include a right click option in the results window to "Select File in Explorer", which causes Explorer to open with the file highlighted. Common file operations are also accessible by right clicking.
Perhaps the best part of SearchMyFiles is the ability to save or print the results. Saving can be done by copy/paste, saved as text, csv, or even as an html file. It even has an option to as a header line if saved as a delimited file. Open the delimited file in your spreadsheet and you will be able to do sequenced sorting (col A, then C, then B, etc).
I don't expect to use SearchMyFiles frequently, but when I need it, it will be a great tool. -
"Usefull program for searcing files"
Version: SearchMyFiles 1.53
Pros
It simply to work.
Don't require installation.
It's freeCons
Nothing at this time
Summary
Fast Easy, for all users
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"A good FREE program!"
Version: SearchMyFiles 1.52
Pros
The ability to 1) Save a Search; 2) Save Results to a CSV; & 3) See the Results before Creating the CSV are very good features.
Cons
I had to Copy the Help File to a Word Document to Print it because it wasn't available through the EXE & then it took a fair amount of time to figure how to EXCLUDE the Subfolders I didn't want ("dir" in "Exclude Extensions").
Summary
Very good in the end!
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"Way too complex"
Version: SearchMyFiles 1.50
Pros
very thorough
Cons
Options page is a killer!
Summary
Overkill for the average user.
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"Much better than Windows search"
Version: SearchMyFiles 1.45
Pros
Its not difficult to improve on windows search function, but this is still a vast improvement.
Cons
Search terms a bit confusing at first.
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