[Windows] SearchMyFiles is an excellent desktop search program
October 5, 2012 29
Email article | Print article 
Microsoft has had to deal with a negative response from both critics and users regarding the built-in search function for Windows 7. There have been numerous complaints about the efficiency of the feature with users saying that Windows Search is not able to find files which they know exist on their computers, and critics being critics. Thankfully there are a number of utilities that can easily replace the built-in search function with NirSoft’s SearchMyFiles being one of the best free ones.
What is it and what does it do
Main functionality
SearchMyFiles is a computer search utility developed by NirSoft. The utility can be used on any version of Windows to search for files based on its attributes, content, and size — including serving as an alternative to Windows 7’s ‘Search For Files And Folders’ feature and can be used to
Pros
- Ability to search files by attributes, size, content, time of creation, time when it was last modified, and more
- Very small in size
- Installation not necessary — is portable
- Detailed user manual
Cons
- Isn’t the quickest search utility out there
- Has a slight learning curve thanks to semi-confusing interface and large number of options
Discussion
SearchMyFiles is an excellent free utility that is useful for those who need to quickly and easily find files and folders, and those who constantly create new files and folders on their computers. With Windows 7’s search function not up to the mark for some, SearchMyFiles comes across as a vital tool for users, allowing them to search for files and folders based on a number of options. For example, you can search for a file simply by entering any text that it may contain and specify how many days ago you had created the file. SearchMyFiles also allows you to search for files or folders by specifying size, extensions, time of creation, and/or time when it was last modified or was accessed. There is also an ability to exclude specific folders or file extensions from being scanned by the utility.
SearchMyFiles is portable, allowing users to run it without installation or to copy it on a USB drive and launch a search from there.
One of the major drawbacks of the tool is its large number of options which, though very useful for experienced users, may be a bit too much for the novice. Indeed when you first launch the program you are prompted with a search settings screen that is very overwhelming. (Hint: set your “Base Folders” your C:/ directory, if that is what you want to search, and use the “Files Wildcard” field to type in the file names you want to find. You will need to use the * wildcard after file names if you don’t type in file extensions or the full file name.) Another drawback is, while SearchMyFiles is fast, it isn’t as quick as other desktop search tools, such as Everything. SearchMyFiles doesn’t appear to create an index, which is why it isn’t as fast as rival software.
Conclusion and download link
There is no question that SearchMyFiles is one of the best free desktop search utilities available on the net. With its large number of search options, and its ability to be launched from a portable device, SearchMyFiles is an essential tool for those who are not happy with other desktop search tools, such as Windows 7’s built-in search function.
Price: Free
Version reviewed: v2.30
Supported OS: Windows 2000/XP/2003/Vista/Server 2008/7
Download size: 93KB
VirusTotal malware scan results: 0/44
Portability: No installation required
![[Windows] Minimize and lock open windows to prevent unauthorized access with WinLock](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/05/WinLock-UI-134x90.png)
![How to bring back the classic drop-down menu in Office 2007, 2010, and 2013 on Windows [Tip]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/05/ubit-134x90.jpg)
![Another Windows 8 fail [Image]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/05/windows_8_fail_another-134x90.jpg)
![This computer is “never obsolete” [Image]](http://cdn.dottech.org/media/2013/05/emachine_never_obsolete-134x90.png)
@Eric989:
Thanks,
Will check it out later. I have downloaded it, but I am frightened to run any searches.
I promised a friend that I would download a local TV show for him (piano recital), and I am getting another PC up to scratch, so as to experiment with some video downloading programs. I only have 2 days left so I don’t wish to risk stuffing my main PC, which has crashed a couple of times in the last 2 weeks.
I was never a DOS man (though fumbled with it a couple of times out of necessity), and my Command Line instructions ain’t great.
Does this have a normal Windows interface (AKA Idiot proof) ?
I saw mention of a windows version of grep, which is why I raise the above.
Here is a link to -
Windows Grep – search tool for Windows
http://www.wingrep.com/
What are your thoughts on that ?
OOPS may not have a free version
@RobCr: Sorry for the delay, I overlooked this comment.
Astrogrep is not command line, it is a normal gui application and should be easy for anyone to use. I really don’t know anything about the original grep. Never even heard of it until I saw this program. Let me know if you figure out how to search in .doc and .txt but exclude the other kinds of documents. It appears you can search in all documents or just one type but there is no middle ground, searching is some types but not others.
Wingrep has strange licensing. As far as I can tell it is fully functional and will never stop working but they trust you to pay them after 30 days. Interesting.
I don’t know the extent of your video downloading experimentation but let me know if you find anything that can download the following video. It is in a chunked format and nothing can deal with it other than just recording the screen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij3sgRG5sPY
@Eric989:
Does ‘chunked’ mean it is broken into approx 50 pieces ?
I knew that I would be floundering around to finally download the TV show my friend wanted, so I imaged my drive (on one of my ’2nd PCs’), knowing that I could discard everything, and go back to the image from Friday.
I still have the OS with all my floundering. I opened up your link and started it playing.
One of my software (‘Add In’) attempts, was showing a blue arrow, and was willing to download all of the pieces. I interrupted those downloads, as I am not sure what I would then do with the pieces ? ? That Add In is called FlashVideoDownloader YouTube Downloader 3.7.3
.
The solution that I finally used for the TV show (everything else failed), was the Pro version of Apowersoft VideoDownloadCapture
http://www.apowersoft.com/video-download-capture.html
The Trial is fully functional for 3 days.
I fired it up, and it started listing all the bits of the video, and I suspect all the other videos on that page.
I will leave it to you to make sense of all those bits, as I am mentally exhausted from all my attempts to get the TV show for my friend.
Hope this helps,
Rob
@RobCr: Probably more than just 50 pieces. All that flashgot media (the firefox extension) can get is an endless stream of approx 800kb files and I don’t think they even play.
Thanks for the suggestion. I can’t try it out now as that particular video won’t even load or start to play on my slow connection. I have to go to town and be on wifi to deal with it at all. It keeps giving me an error at home but all other Youtube vids work.
P.S. We are talking about you on another page if you are unaware.
http://dottech.org/84396/did-john-f-kennedy-own-a-globe-comic/