I want to search more than one directory at a time.

[Metspitzer]

I currently have a text file with this one line.
d:\;e:\;f:\3;f:\0;g:\;h:\;i:\;j:\;K:\000
I then open Windows Explorer and push F3 and paste that string in the
search box.
Is there a way to make a shortcut that does this in one step?

 

[Auric__]

I currently have a text file with this one line.
d:\;e:\;f:\3;f:\0;g:\;h:\;i:\;j:\;K:\000
I then open Windows Explorer and push F3 and paste that string in the
search box.
Is there a way to make a shortcut that does this in one step?

After the search is done, right-click on the address bar, select "Copy
address", then right-click in any folder or on the Desktop and select "Paste
shortcut".

 

[Metspitzer]

After the search is done, right-click on the address bar, select "Copy
address", then right-click in any folder or on the Desktop and select "Paste
shortcut".

Opps. The machine I want to do this on is XP. Sorry

 

[Auric__]

Opps. The machine I want to do this on is XP. Sorry

In that case...

Run your search, right-click in the results (but not any found item; you want
to right-click the window background) and select "Save search". A dialog will
open for you to select where to save it to.

 

[Metspitzer]

In that case...

Run your search, right-click in the results (but not any found item; you want
to right-click the window background) and select "Save search". A dialog will
open for you to select where to save it to.

That works.
Thanks

 

[Metspitzer]

That works.
Thanks

Opps. It didn't actually. It saved my search term, but it did not
save the directories (It defaults to all drives). I need it to work
the other way around.

 

[Mike Barnes]

Opps. The machine I want to do this on is XP. Sorry

Ah. So no chance that we've actually found a *use* for Windows 7
libraries.

 

[Philip Herlihy]

Opps. It didn't actually. It saved my search term, but it did not
save the directories (It defaults to all drives). I need it to work
the other way around.

Intrigued. You can't be searching for a file name, as there are
prohibited characters, so you must be searching for that string in a
file, presumably a new file (whose name you don't know) each time. It
might be helpful if you gave us a bit of context.

I'd do this in a command file (using dos-like commands) or in Powershell
(if I could find the time to learn it). See this, for example:

http://www.microsoft.com/
resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/findstr.mspx

(remove the line-break, of course)

 

[Metspitzer]

Intrigued. You can't be searching for a file name, as there are
prohibited characters, so you must be searching for that string in a
file, presumably a new file (whose name you don't know) each time. It
might be helpful if you gave us a bit of context.

I'd do this in a command file (using dos-like commands) or in Powershell
(if I could find the time to learn it). See this, for example:

http://www.microsoft.com/
resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/findstr.mspx

(remove the line-break, of course)

I am searching for a filename. The string is a list of the
directories I want to search in.

http://imgur.com/1Whr1e2

 

[Philip Herlihy]

I am searching for a filename. The string is a list of the
directories I want to search in.

http://imgur.com/1Whr1e2

Got it. Presumably you want to save the extra time involved in a global
search.

Without explaining every reason, what I'd do would be to use the
'robocopy' utility (free download) to generate a listing of the folders
of interest, and 'pipe' that into the Find string-matching command.
That would produce a listing of matching files in the command window,
and this could be redirected to a file on your desktop (for example) or
saved in the clip buffer for pasting. If you stored that as a command
file (e.g. mysearch.cmd) you could double-click it and see the results.

It's a bit involved! Probably too involved for a beginner in command-
line scripting, and too involved for me to offer to do it for you for
free (too much like the day job, and I'm pretty busy).

Often the solution to a problem like this appears when you look at it
another way. Where to these files come from, so that you know the
filename but not the location?

Otherwise, your existing method might be the best way to proceed!

 

[Metspitzer]

Got it. Presumably you want to save the extra time involved in a global
search.

It is not so much the time a global search takes as the extra hits I
would get searching in directories that I want to exclude.

Without explaining every reason, what I'd do would be to use the
'robocopy' utility (free download) to generate a listing of the folders
of interest, and 'pipe' that into the Find string-matching command.
That would produce a listing of matching files in the command window,
and this could be redirected to a file on your desktop (for example) or
saved in the clip buffer for pasting. If you stored that as a command
file (e.g. mysearch.cmd) you could double-click it and see the results.

It's a bit involved! Probably too involved for a beginner in command-
line scripting, and too involved for me to offer to do it for you for
free (too much like the day job, and I'm pretty busy).

Often the solution to a problem like this appears when you look at it
another way. Where to these files come from, so that you know the
filename but not the location?

Otherwise, your existing method might be the best way to proceed!

Thanks